The Criterion Collection
Film Info
1979
140 minutes
Color
1.66:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Anamorphic
Japanese
Release Info
Catalog Number:
CC1691D
ISBN:
1-934121-46-0
UPC:
7-15515-02352-8
SRP: $29.95
Synopsis
A thief, murderer, and charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata) is on the run from the police. Director Shohei Imamura turns this fact-based story, of the seventy-eight-day killing spree of a remorseless man from a devoutly Catholic family, into a cold, perverse, and at times diabolically funny tale of the primitive coexisting with the modern. More than just a true-crime case, Vengeance Is Mine bares mankind’s snarling id.

Special Features
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Excerpts from a video interview with director Shohei Imamura, produced by the Directors Guild of Japan
  • Theatrical trailer and teaser
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Michael Atkinson, a 1994 interview with Imamura by writer Toichi Nakata, and writings from Imamura on Vengeance Is Mine and his approach to filmmaking
    Cast
    Iwao Enokizu
    Ken Ogata
    Shizuo Enokizu
    Rentaro Mikuni
    Kayo Enokizu
    Chocho Miyako
    Kazuko Enokizu
    Mitsuko Baisho
    Haru Asano
    Mayumi Ogawa
    Hisano Asano
    Nijiko Kiyokawa
    Credits
    Director
    Shohei Imamura
    Producer
    Kazuo Inoue
    Based on the novel by
    Ryuzo Saki
    Screenplay
    Masaru Baba
    Photography
    Shinsaku Himeda
    Music
    Shinichiro Ikebe

    About the Transfer
    Vengeance Is Mine is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. On standard 4:3 televisions, the image will appear letterboxed. On standard and widescreen televisions, black bars may also be visible on the left and right to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2k Datacine from a new 35mm low-contrast print made from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 has been encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included.

    The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on surround sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.