This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray from Radiance Films is currently available for purchase.
Since its recent inception, Radiance Films has been putting out remarkable movies from across the globe. Titles that likely would remain relatively unknown in North America had the distributor not picked up the rights and presented them to collectors. Their work on these discs has been stellar and I’ve been thrilled to have been introduced to great little gems like Le Combat Dans L’ile, A Moment of Romance and A Woman Kills (among many others).
This week, Radiance has released another great feature on Blu-ray. Elegant Beast is a dark comedy and ensemble piece from Japan that is set in a single location, but keeps viewers fascinated with a twisty story, memorable characters and beautiful widescreen photography.
The story is set in a modest two-room apartment and involves a very unusual family. It begins with Tokizo (Yûnosuke Itô) and his wife Yoshimo (Hisano Yamaoka) frantically trying to make their abode look bare and unkempt. Viewers soon learn why when talent agent and manager Ichiro (Hideo Takamatsu) arrives with his accountant Yukie (Ayako Wakao) to accuse their son Minoru (Manamitsu Kawabata) of stealing money from the agency. The parents act confused, but really, they’re all in on the scam (having hid items purchased with money stolen by Minoru. When daughter Tomoko (Yuko Hamada) also arrives home, it is revealed that she is the mistress of the talent agent’s client Shuntaro Yoshizawa (Kyû Sazanka), who is a noted writer. In fact, the family’s apartment rent is being paid by the novelist.
Clearly, this is a family who specialize in manipulating people for money. Despite various figures closing in, they are desperate to avoid getting caught and falling into poverty. Over the course of the day, more individuals demand repayment from the family, who all go to elaborate means to protect each other. But as it turns out, all of the individuals they are dealing with are almost equally crooked, with one individual being more cunning and manipulative than even they could have ever imagined.
This picture moves at a brisk pace, with individuals scanning for threats, then trying to hide themselves inside the apartment from visitors while other family members provide distraction. It’s amusing to see everyone veer around walls at just the right time to avoid being sighted, or listen in and get a read on the people they’ve stolen from. This is before appearing suddenly and attempting to dissuade the guest from taking action and even convincing them of giving out more cash. The widescreen framing and fun angles including overhead shots with the camera peeking through small openings as well as from above is consistently exciting. This inventive photography looks very impressive thanks to a solid 4K picture restoration (the still here don’t do the disc’s image quality justice).
The main characters are all cutthroat and determined in their quest to steal, which adds plenty of tension to the proceedings. And as mentioned, one unexpected character eventually stands out as both the most charming and sharpest mind of them all, completely taking advantage of everyone else in the movie. It leads to an amusingly appropriate finale that leaves many of the characters in the same troubled state as they were in at the beginning of the film.
It’s a very clever effort and those who pick up the disc will learn a great deal about the production from the bonus features. In regards to the zippy pacing, an interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato reveals that a lot of effort went into keeping the performances more naturalistic than in typical films of the period. Characters don’t necessarily speak more rapidly, but the director would ask them to speed up their movements around the small apartment, adding a sense of urgency to the long takes .
There are also interesting facts about the type of housing complex featured in the movie and how appropriate it is to the story being told. All the people who arrive at the doorstep complain about the lack of elevators, and this feature is a frequent feature of these tall buildings that offered cheaper rent and were often rented by the wealthy to house mistresses. This is mentioned in the earlier discussions as well as an interesting visual essay featurette on post-war architecture in Japan.
There’s also an excellent appreciation piece from filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda (Blue Spring, Hanging Garden) who describes the inventive widescreen camera set-ups and some of the messages in the movie, including its satirical content and how the movie influenced him as a director. It is another compelling piece that offers nice insight into the movie. Additionally, a trailer for the film is included.
And the Blu-ray also comes nicely packaged in a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork. It also arrives with a booklet containing an essay on the movie.
Elegant Beast is a fascinating feature that was, perhaps, a little ahead of its time. That means that it holds up very well in its depiction of a family obsessed with wealth using any tactic, including sex, necessary in order to attain their many goals. Of course, at the end they can’t quite pull off all of their scams, but it’s entertaining to watch all of these characters con others and get conned in the process. The Blu-ray looks wonderful and anyone who enjoys international cinema would be well advised to give it a shot.