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7
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Rod
Barnett |
And
now for something completely different.
In 17th Century Japan two
young boys named Eiji and Sabu grow up as best friends and enter
into apprenticeship together as paperhangers. When Eiji (Battle
Royale's Tatsuya Fujiwara) is accused of the theft of a
piece of gold cloth worth 100 Ryos he is tossed into an island
workhouse/prison. Enraged by his incarceration he becomes withdrawn,
even refusing to speak to the other inmates. When Sabu (Satoshi
Tsumabuki) tries to learn why Eiji has been kicked out of their
place of work, he is told to keep quiet with his boss even attempting
to set him up with his own business. Sabu can't bring himself
to abandon his best friend to his fate even though Eiji refuses
to see him the first several visits he makes to the island.
Sabu finally gets Eiji to speak to him by sending Osue (Kazue
Fukiishi) to the prison with a care package of food. Osue is
the woman Eiji was planning to marry and he tells her so during
her visit. Eiji thinks that he was set-up by his employer because
of a false rumor that he was going to marry the boss's daughter.
It's the only explanation he can imagine for how the cloth ended
up in his possession, and he informs Sabu that when he's released
he will seek violent revenge. Complicating matters is Nobuko
(Omoko Tabata), who tragically seems to love both men and knows
she might never have either one. Meanwhile, in the society of
the prison, Eiji's true nature comes to the fore as he saves
the life of another inmate during a violent storm. He becomes
so well thought of that the other prisoners petition for his
early release. When it is granted, Sabu decides that he must
lie to his friend to keep him from killing someone and ruining
his future.
Made for Japanese TV, this
is a lavish-looking film that belies its short shooting schedule.
Sabu is a beautiful, quiet story
told in a slow, deliberate fashion harkening back to the classic
films of Kurasawa and Ozu. The story is adapted from a classic
Japanese coming-of-age novel and the depth of character is evident
throughout. Even minor characters are given the opportunity
to reveal more than one dimension, which makes for some touching
scenes of unexpected redemption. Director Takashi Miike shows
that he can not only handle a period piece, but also tell a
nonviolent story that relies more on what isn't said than what
is spoken aloud. With gorgeous cinematography the film captures
a mood and sense of place that gives the actions of the various
characters a feeling of sadness and longing that is well bolstered
by good performances. I was certainly not expecting such a calm,
thoughtful film from the maker of Audition
but I'm very pleased to have been caught off guard. Sabu
is a good, but not great, movie that is well worth the time
and patience it asks of the viewer.
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| Artsmagic
has done a good job bringing this subtle film to DVD. The movie
is presented letterboxed at roughly 1.85:1 and is enhanced for
16x9 televisions. The soundtrack is the original Japanese with
optional white English subtitles. The sound is strong and clear
and the subtitles very good, even though I counted about half
a dozen minor spelling and grammatical errors. The extras on the
disc include two short interviews with Miike. The one done during
production of Sabu is pretty empty
but the other is longer and more in-depth. Here we get a little
more insight into the director's thoughts but his ever-present
sunglasses always make me wonder if he's taking things seriously.
There's a nice 20-minute "Making of" short that quickly
walks you through the production and demonstrates just how many
wigs these types of film require actors to wear. (I have to admit
the removal process looks uncomfortable!) We also get very brief
interviews with both the male and female leads that are nothing
more than promotional puff pieces. Rounding out the extras are
brief biographies and filmographies as well as trailers for the
film. The extra listed as "Artwork" is nothing more
than an advertisement for three other Miike films released by
Artsmagic.
7/28/04 |
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