"Actor: Hiroko Fuji"

• The Yakuza Papers: Final Episode | DVD | (08/08/2016) from £13.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Final Episode of the Battles Without Honour and Humanity series brought a new, more contemporary mood to the film and its characters. The yakuza may be starting to resemble a legitimate business, but director Kinji Fukasaku, working with new screenwriter Koji Takada, never lets the audience forget their violent origins, and their tried-and-true methods of accomplishing their business. 1966. After a police crackdown, the gangs of Hiroshima and Kure have formed a massive, multi-family political and economic coalition called the Tensei Group, seeking a way forward into the 1970's as part of Japan's economic bubble. Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) finds himself increasingly alienated from this semi-legitimate form of corruption, particularly as acting Tensei Group chairman Matsumura (Kinya Kitaoji) tries to put the gangs on a new, more business-like path. But old habits die hard, and when rivalries surface once again, they bring with them the promise of more bloodshed. The long-awaited conclusion to the epic series is an elegy for the bad guy, with the harsh realization that Japan's economic growth came about only through the sacrifice of the blood of its young men, victims of twenty long years of Battles Without Honour and Humanity.

• In the Realm of the Senses (1976) (Criterion Collection) UK Only - Original title: Ai no korîda | Blu Ray | (03/01/2022) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Still censored in its own country, In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida), by the always provocative Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, remains one of the most controversial films of all time. A graphic portrayal of insatiable sexual desire, Oshima's film, set in 1936 and based on a true incident, depicts a man and a woman (Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda) consumed by a transcendent, destructive love while living in an era of ever escalating imperialism and governmental control. Less a work of pornography than of politics, In the Realm of the Senses is a brave, taboo-breaking milestone. Special Features New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition) New audio commentary featuring film critic Tony Rayns New interview with actor Tatsuya Fuji A 1976 interview with director Nagisa Oshima and actors Fuji and Eiko Matsuda, and a 2003 program featuring interviews with consulting producer Hayao Shibata, line producer Koji Wakamatsu, assistant director Yoichi Sai, and film distributor Yoko Asakura Deleted footage U.S. trailer New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie and a reprinted interview with Oshima

• A Scene at the Sea | Blu Ray | (12/09/2016) from £21.09   |  Saving you £-1.10 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A deaf garbage collector happens upon a broken and discarded surfboard. The discovery plants in him dreams of becoming a surf champion. Encouraged by his also deaf girlfriend, he persists against all odds. Though trapped in silence, their expression of love is no less profound. A heartrending masterpiece that, as with Kitano's other films (Sonatine), (Fireworks), has a sharp eye for human frailties and a love for the courage of the underdog. Special features New HD restoration New audio commentary by film critic Jasper Sharp First 1000 copies contain a limited edition slipcase featuring new artwork

• A Scene At The Sea | DVD | (11/05/2009) from £25.63   |  Saving you £-5.64 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A Scene At The Sea