At long last...
The Criterion / Eclipse Nikkatsu Action box set has been announced!
This release has been in the works, in one way or another, for over a year and a half and it's a relief to finally see it written up online. The long road to holding it in my hands will finally end in late August.
For many Japanese films fans - basically anybody who was unable to attend any of the Nikkatsu Action screening series' dates last year - this will be their first opportunity to see every one of these five films, each of which is fantastic. I can't wait to read about peoples' reactions to A Colt is My Passport and, especially, Cruel Gun Story, a fantastic Japanese riff on Stanley Kubrick's The Killing which probably less than ten people outside of Japan have seen at this moment in time. Soon, that will all change.
This release has been in the works, in one way or another, for over a year and a half and it's a relief to finally see it written up online. The long road to holding it in my hands will finally end in late August.
For many Japanese films fans - basically anybody who was unable to attend any of the Nikkatsu Action screening series' dates last year - this will be their first opportunity to see every one of these five films, each of which is fantastic. I can't wait to read about peoples' reactions to A Colt is My Passport and, especially, Cruel Gun Story, a fantastic Japanese riff on Stanley Kubrick's The Killing which probably less than ten people outside of Japan have seen at this moment in time. Soon, that will all change.
posted by Marc at 2:23 AM
6 Comments:
Thank you for relaying the information: you've just made my day!
super news. can't wait for it to come out.
Awesome!!! I hope Gangster VIP is next for the DVD treatment - I desperately want to see it again!
With this, Detective Bureau 2-3 and 3 Seconds Before Explosion, I'd say that Nikkatsu is finally getting some love in the west.
Out of all the upcoming Criterions, this is the one I'm most excited about!
Hooray - glad that everybody is so happy for these discs. I'm glad that the Eclipse label is finally starting to uncover some real rarities, rather than just lesser-known films by already-famous directors.
Regarding GANGSTER VIP, the films unfortunately remain unlicensed in the U.S., at least for the moment. Nikkatsu is actively seeking a buyer, but I think they still want to keep the entire film series all together. And with a label like Criterion, they'd rather release just the first film instead of the entire run. So keep your fingers crossed that someone like Synapse or Kino might pick them up.
This is wonderful news!!
I am especially excited about this set containing A COLT IS MY PASSPORT and CRUEL GUN STORY!
I am one of those ten people you mentioned that has seen the latter film (repeatedly!). ha ha!
All of the films in this set are truly glittering gems; but, the two I mentioned above are the shiniest!
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