Shape of Night Blu-ray

'The Shape of Night' Director: Noboru Nakamura (1964) Radiance Blu-ray | HD transfer | Region A+B | Japanese w/ English subtitles

A young woman from the countryside falls in love with a handsome hoodlum, who pushes her into a life of prostitution. When his sleazy superiors catch sight of her, she finds herself trapped inside the gaudy maze of city nightlife.

Directed by a veteran of the Shochiku studio’s signature Golden Age family dramas, The Shape of Night was made as a reaction to the radical film styles of the Japanese New Wave. With its lush cinematography full of saturated colours, a lyrical tone and its story of love leading to inescapable tragedy, it has been compared to the films of Douglas Sirk, while also acting as a precursor to the work of Wong Kar-wai.

Special features include:
- New interview with Yoshio Nakamura, son of director Noboru Nakamura (2024, 16 mins)
- Major Changes - a visual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes (2024, 13 mins)
- Easter Egg (2024, 5 mins)