Eureka Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing BAKUMATSU TAIYÔ-DEN as part of the MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on Blu-ray and DVD on 22nd April 2013 in a breathtaking high-definition restoration by Nikkatsu for the studio’s 100th anniversary. Co-written by Shôhei Imamura (Vengeance Is Mine, Pigs and Battleships), BAKUMATSU TAIYÔ-DEN is one of the most revered Japanese films of all time in its native country, voted the fifth greatest Japanese film ever in 1999, and is one of Akira Kurosawa’s (Seven Samurai, Ran) favourite films.
Voted one of the top five Japanese films ever made in a critic’s poll by Japan’s leading cinema publication Kinema Junpô, yet barely known in the West, Yûzô Kawashima’s richly funny multi-levelled portrait of Japanese society Bakumatsu taiyô-den [A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era] is a glorious rediscovery.
When man-about-town Saheiji (the beloved comedian Frankie Sakai) finds himself unable to pay for a bill at a brothel, he is forced to remain there to work off his debt. However he finds his wit and resourcefulness enable him to turn this situation to his advantage, as he interacts with a whole range of characters, from rivalling courtesans to political activists.
Co-scripted by Shôhei Imamura (Vengeance Is Mine), it sharply and comically demonstrates the constants of human nature just as it delineates the tumultuous political times (the 1860s, leading up to the Meiji Restoration) in which they lived. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this classic in a new high-definition restoration.
SPECIAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS
• Gorgeous new Nikkatsu restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray
• New and improved English subtitles
• A booklet including Shôhei Imamura’s tribute to Yuzo Kawashima, and more
• More extras to be announced closer to release date
Yipeeee!!