Arrow to release Blu-ray for Tomu Uchida’s ‘Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji’

[mpm74]

http://cityonfire.com/bloody-spear-at-mount-fuji-blu-ray-arrow-video/

Praised by Japanese film critics and much admired by his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu, Tomu Uchida nonetheless remains a little-known in the west. His 1955 masterpiece Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is an excellent entry point for the newcomer.  Set during the Edo period, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a tragicomic road movie of sorts, following a samurai, his two servants including spear-carrier Genpachi (Chiezo Kataoka) and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution.  Winner of a prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for supporting actor and Kurosawa regular Daisuke Kato, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a film deserving of much wider international recognition.

Special Edition Contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional newly translated English subtitles
• Brand-new audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, recorded exclusively for this release
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley
• First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and filmmaker James Oliver

[DrNgor]

I saw this a couple of years ago. It was enjoyable, although the action scene at the end is pretty sloppy. It's more interesting for its social commentary and the dichotomy between the samurai who sees that the real strength of the people are in the lower classes, and the haughty villain who feels he's above everyone.