While hacking away at my lengthy Netflix instant watch queue this weekend I decided to re-watch Branded to Kill. To my surprise I found that Criterion has taken the effort to remaster the film for the first time in it's original anamorphic widescreen. Other noticable differences from Criterion's subpar dvd release include the inclusion of the company's new C logo and improved subtitling font. I have not yet noticed if Criterion went to the trouble of retranslating the subtitles, which like the picture quality of the original dvd release where shabby first generation Criterion laser disc rips. So does this mean a Criterion rerelease is in the works? Many of Criterion's Netflix instant watch selections have not been given this treatment which leads me to believe that they have future plans for both Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter. Both film's images have been given a subtle but noticeable upgrade, and even with the restrictions of streaming, look superior to their dvd brethren. We'll be contacting Criterion for more details, but it looks like hope is not dead for those wishing for a Criterion-sized remastering of two of Suzuki's best films.
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ReplyDeleteI'm a novice of his films, in fact i've discovered about him only a week ago, but i was litterally blown away by his masterpieces Branded to Kill and Tokyo drifter (although i had to rewatch them twice to finally understand something hehehe)
Congrats for this blog really, i'll be sure to follow your posts.
You should check out Gate of Flesh, Youth of the Beast and Tattoed Life next. After those you can get into some of the more heady stuff. What country are you located in?
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