Woman in the Dunes (1964) - Blu-ray Forum

Oscar Rothman · 05-16-2016, 09:22 PM

https://www.criterion.com/films/826-woman-in-the-dunes

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Video essay on the film from 2007 by film scholar James Quandt
Four short films from director Hiroshi Teshigahara’s early career: Hokusai (1953), Ikebana (1956), Tokyo 1958 (1958), and Ako (1965)
Teshigahara and Abe, a 2007 documentary examining the collaboration between Teshigahara and novelist Kobo Abe, featuring interviews with film scholars Donald Richie and Tadao Sato, film programmer Richard Peña, set designer Arata Isozaki, producer Noriko Nomura, and screenwriter John Nathan
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Audie Bock and a 1980 interview with Teshigahara

One of the 1960s’ great international art-house sensations, Woman in the Dunes was for many the grand unveiling of the surreal, idiosyncratic world of Hiroshi Teshigahara. Eiji Okada plays an amateur entomologist who has left Tokyo to study an unclassified species of beetle found in a vast desert. When he misses his bus back to civilization, he is persuaded to spend the night with a young widow (Kyoko Kishida) in her hut at the bottom of a sand dune. What results is one of cinema’s most unnerving and palpably erotic battles of the sexes, as well as a nightmarish depiction of the Sisyphean struggle of everyday life—an achievement that garnered Teshigahara an Academy Award nomination for best director.

javi92 · 05-16-2016, 11:36 PM

Will be interesting to see if they use the same master as the DVD for this upgrade. Nice surprise title to get upgraded though.

Ray Jackson · 05-17-2016, 12:49 AM

I have never seen this one.

But I love Japanese films.

...is it really that great?

JoeBuck · 05-17-2016, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I have never seen this one.

But I love Japanese films.

...is it really that great?

Its pretty goddamned amazing, for sure.

Namuhana · 05-17-2016, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I have never seen this one.

But I love Japanese films.

...is it really that great?

Yeah, it's really that great. I need to read the novel at some point.

Wake Up · 05-17-2016, 01:30 AM

Fabs · 05-17-2016, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I have never seen this one.

But I love Japanese films.

...is it really that great?

It's a film made by Hiroshi Teshigahara, so it of course has some amazing and unique cinematography. The story itself is very hypnotizing for such a simple idea. Also, the two main leads are excellent actors and you spend most of the time with them so it's great.

rootless · 05-17-2016, 01:11 PM

and it was quite sucessful at the time in the international arthouse circuit ... although being a 1964 film with boobs musta had something to do with it.

Scottie · 05-19-2016, 03:20 PM

Ray Jackson · 07-23-2016, 06:28 AM

Watched this tonight on Hulu.

That...is a strange movie.

Cvalda · 07-23-2016, 11:08 AM

Strange and brilliant.

Gerby · 07-23-2016, 01:00 PM

I saw it for the first time a couple of months ago & found it quite mesmerising. I will definitely be picking it up in the November B&N sale.

Ray Jackson · 07-23-2016, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cvalda

Strange and brilliant.

I won't dispute that it's brilliant.

Though I am going to suggest that a film that's basically confined to one location might have benefited from being just a tad shorter.

Nielsb90 · 07-24-2016, 08:15 AM

There's a review up at dvdbeaver

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...es_blu-ray.htm

Cvalda · 07-24-2016, 03:21 PM

Looks beautiful. Day one for me.
Still a bit annoyed that Pitfall and Face of Another didn't get an upgrade as well, tho

Fabs · 07-24-2016, 03:39 PM

Yeah, it's a shame Face of Another wasn't updated... but I assume Criterion are looking at sales here, as this would be the best selling Teshigahara film to test on BD format.

ravenus · 07-24-2016, 03:42 PM

^I consider Pitfall a minor work but yeah Face of Another would have been a strong contender for an upgrade.

firstlast · 07-25-2016, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravenus

^I consider Pitfall a minor work but yeah Face of Another would have been a strong contender for an upgrade.

I dunno, Pitfall comes back to mind more often than the other two, personally. Woman and Face are both brilliant and forceful, but Pitfall has an Antonioni-esque mystery that lingers. But all of his films are wonderful.

Grethiwha · 07-25-2016, 04:14 AM

Woman in the Dunes is in a league of its own in my opinion. But I think Pitfall is very underrated and atmospheric. I love it and would like to see it again. The Face of Another is also really great. It's got a lot more going for it than Pitfall, it's got Nakadai, it's got great visuals, and a very unique premise and mood to it, I can see why people like it more, but Pitfall just works better for me. It's been ages since I watched any of these movies though. I've been waiting for these to be upgraded to blu-ray for ages. While it's fantastic that Woman of the Dunes finally is, it's a shame that the other two aren't.

Interesting that the Three Films DVD boxset appears to be out of print now. Maybe they didn't renew the rights on the other two?

John_Drake · 07-25-2016, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firstlast

...but all of his films are wonderful.

+1

05-16-2016, 09:22 PM	#1
Oscar Rothman Banned Top contributor Member since:Apr 2012 Location:Hawaii Blu-ray collection:412	Woman in the Dunes (1964) https://www.criterion.com/films/826-woman-in-the-dunes New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Video essay on the film from 2007 by film scholar James Quandt Four short films from director Hiroshi Teshigahara’s early career: Hokusai (1953), Ikebana (1956), Tokyo 1958 (1958), and Ako (1965) Teshigahara and Abe, a 2007 documentary examining the collaboration between Teshigahara and novelist Kobo Abe, featuring interviews with film scholars Donald Richie and Tadao Sato, film programmer Richard Peña, set designer Arata Isozaki, producer Noriko Nomura, and screenwriter John Nathan Trailer PLUS: An essay by film scholar Audie Bock and a 1980 interview with Teshigahara One of the 1960s’ great international art-house sensations, Woman in the Dunes was for many the grand unveiling of the surreal, idiosyncratic world of Hiroshi Teshigahara. Eiji Okada plays an amateur entomologist who has left Tokyo to study an unclassified species of beetle found in a vast desert. When he misses his bus back to civilization, he is persuaded to spend the night with a young widow (Kyoko Kishida) in her hut at the bottom of a sand dune. What results is one of cinema’s most unnerving and palpably erotic battles of the sexes, as well as a nightmarish depiction of the Sisyphean struggle of everyday life—an achievement that garnered Teshigahara an Academy Award nomination for best director. Last edited by Scottie; 07-09-2017 at 05:57 AM.

05-19-2016, 03:20 PM	#9
Scottie Moderator Top contributor Member since:Oct 2010 Location:Rhode Island Trading Score:647	Amazon pre-order is now live

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05-16-2016, 11:36 PM	#2
javi92 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Dec 2013 4K collection:300 Blu-ray collection:4969 DVD collection:875	Will be interesting to see if they use the same master as the DVD for this upgrade. Nice surprise title to get upgraded though.

05-17-2016, 12:49 AM	#3
Ray Jackson Blu-ray Duke Member since:Apr 2013 Location:The dark underbelly of Anytown, USA 4K collection:102 Blu-ray collection:455 DVD collection:9 Digital collection:74 Trading Score:183	I have never seen this one. But I love Japanese films. ...is it really that great?

05-17-2016, 01:30 AM	#6
Wake Up Expert Member Top contributor Member since:Feb 2010 Location:washington 4K collection:139 Blu-ray collection:2861 DVD collection:88 Trading Score:664

05-17-2016, 01:11 PM	#8
rootless Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2011 Blu-ray reviews:2	and it was quite sucessful at the time in the international arthouse circuit ... although being a 1964 film with boobs musta had something to do with it.

07-23-2016, 06:28 AM	#10
Ray Jackson Blu-ray Duke Member since:Apr 2013 Location:The dark underbelly of Anytown, USA 4K collection:102 Blu-ray collection:455 DVD collection:9 Digital collection:74 Trading Score:183	Watched this tonight on Hulu. That...is a strange movie.

07-23-2016, 11:08 AM	#11
Cvalda Special Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2011 Location:Hollyweird, CA 4K collection:119 Blu-ray collection:313 DVD collection:31 iTunes collection:1 Prime collection:4	Strange and brilliant.

07-23-2016, 01:00 PM	#12
Gerby Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Aug 2013 Location:Yorkshire, UK Blu-ray collection:-	I saw it for the first time a couple of months ago & found it quite mesmerising. I will definitely be picking it up in the November B&N sale.

07-24-2016, 08:15 AM	#14
Nielsb90 Blu-ray Ninja Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Denmark Home Theater Gallery:38 4K collection:114 Blu-ray collection:1072 DVD collection:17 Trading Score:10	There's a review up at dvdbeaver http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...es_blu-ray.htm

07-24-2016, 03:21 PM	#15
Cvalda Special Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2011 Location:Hollyweird, CA 4K collection:119 Blu-ray collection:313 DVD collection:31 iTunes collection:1 Prime collection:4	Looks beautiful. Day one for me. Still a bit annoyed that *Pitfall* and Face of Another didn't get an upgrade as well, tho

07-24-2016, 03:39 PM	#16
Fabs Special Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2013 4K collection:1 Blu-ray collection:258 DVD collection:33	Yeah, it's a shame Face of Another wasn't updated... but I assume Criterion are looking at sales here, as this would be the best selling Teshigahara film to test on BD format.

07-24-2016, 03:42 PM	#17
ravenus Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Dec 2010 Location:India Home Theater Gallery:6 4K collection:6 Blu-ray collection:1205 DVD collection:144 Blu-ray reviews: 184 Trading Score:8	^I consider Pitfall a minor work but yeah Face of Another would have been a strong contender for an upgrade.

07-25-2016, 04:14 AM	#19
Grethiwha Expert Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2010 Location:Montreal Home Theater Gallery:3 4K collection:152 Blu-ray collection:1089 DVD collection:66 Blu-ray reviews: 11	Woman in the Dunes is in a league of its own in my opinion. But I think Pitfall is very underrated and atmospheric. I love it and would like to see it again. The Face of Another is also really great. It's got a lot more going for it than Pitfall, it's got Nakadai, it's got great visuals, and a very unique premise and mood to it, I can see why people like it more, but Pitfall just works better for me. It's been ages since I watched any of these movies though. I've been waiting for these to be upgraded to blu-ray for ages. While it's fantastic that Woman of the Dunes finally is, it's a shame that the other two aren't. Interesting that the Three Films DVD boxset appears to be out of print now. Maybe they didn't renew the rights on the other two?

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