High & Low — High & Low( Blu Ray)
High And Low is an early 60’s mix of police procedural thriller and kidnap drama. The Japanese film regards an executive on the cusp of carrying out a company buyout, being pulled into a kidnap plot. The film's title regards its setting- the first half takes place high up above the city in the executive huge, widowed house, and the second half down in the city & its surrounding countryside. Here from the BFI is a Blu-Ray release of the film
High And Low (aka Tengoku To Jigoku, Heaven And Hell, The Ransom) is from 1963- it was directed/ co-written by Tokyo-born Akira Kurosawa. He is seen as one of the great directors in Japanese cinema. Between the early 40s and early 90s, he has thirty features to his name- these move from period drama/ adventure The Men Who Tread On The Tigers Tail (1945). Onto epic romantic dramas like The Idiot (1951), though to pacy and eventful noir come police thriller Stray Dog (1949), onto adventure-come-moving drama Dersu Uzala (1975).
The runs at the two hours and twenty-three-minute mark- and as mentioned earlier is very much a film of two halves. So in the first half, we spend our screen time in the large & impressive house of Kingo Gondo (Toshirô Mifune) a moustached Yokohama shoe company executive who lives in the house with his wife and young son. The film opens with Kingo meeting with his company’s board of directors at his house- they want to push out the old owner of the company, but Kingo disagrees- as he's worked his way up the company and respects the old man. They all leave- with Kingo planning to buy them all out- using all the money he has gathered, including the cost of his house.
In due course, it seems Kingo's son and his chauffeur's similar-aged son have disappeared. His son comes back, but the chauffeur doesn’t- but as a call from the kidnapper confirms, he thinks he’s got his son- and is asking for ransom money, which will take all the money he’s raised- as well, of course, his house and possessions.
As things unfold- the kidnapper finds out his error- but still wants his money and says he will kill the boy if not paid- adding an extra moral twist to Kingos' dilemma. Also brought into the mix are the police- taking in mild-mannered but focused Chief Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai), and balky, bald-headed Chief Detective 'Bos'n' Taguchi (Kenjirô Ishiyama). The first half does have an almost stage-like quality to it due to the largely one-room setting, and the way the actors interact.
When we get into the second half we get a look at the police side of things- as they try to track down where the kidnapper is calling from, discussions about ransom drops, etc- but clearly I can’t detail this part too much- so as not to give anything away.
As with other films I’ve seen directed by Akira Kurosawa- there is great skill to both the plotting, construction, and choice of actors chosen. The split between the two halves of the film is well-realized and executed. With tension/ suspense brought about by if the boy will survive, who is doing it, and how it will all resolve- so there is no doubt is a skilful drama come thriller.
On the less positive side of things, I felt the runtime of nearing two and a half hours felt way too long for the type of film we have here- with scenes from both halves feeling like they could have had a trim, to it down to at least the two hour/ one hour forty-five. But that is just my take- and please don’t let that criticism take away from all that is effective/well-conceived about High And Low.
This recently released Blu-Ray takes in a new HD print- this looks good in its depth and balance. On the extras side, we just get two things- one new and one old- so on the side, we have a commentary track from Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp- and as we’ve come to expect from Mr Sharp, it’s a very well-researched and observed affair. He begins by talking about how the film was first released in Japan on the 1st of March 1963- its original title translated as Heaven & Hell. He gives a rundown of the directors’ career- mentioning other notable films. He discusses lead actor Toshirô Mifune- his role here, his other work with the director, and how he was not your typical Japanese actor. He talks about the way that salarymen in films of this period were very much like modern versions of the samurai. He points out other actors in the opening meeting scene- as well as commenting on other notable roles the actors had. He talks about how the film is about vantage points, and the use of stereo in key scenes in the picture. Later on, he quotes from the press of the time regarding the picture. Discusses the way the train-bound scenes were shot, and comments on locations along the track. He talks about the universal/ timeless appeal of the film- and ponders why there has never been a remake. All in all, an excellent track- which is well worth a play.
On the archive side we have Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – High and Low (37.00) this is a 2002 documentary. Featuring interviews with Director Kurosawa alongside interviews with actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa, Takeshi Kato and Tatsuya Mihashi, as well as cinematographer Takao Saito and script supervisor Teruyo Nogami.
The first pressing of the release features a booklet with a new essay by Alex Barrett, an essay by Philip Kemp, a contemporary review by David Wilson from Monthly Film Bulletin, notes on the special features and film credits.
It certainly is wonderful to see the BFI reissuing more of Kurosawa's work- with this Blu-ray taking in a decent scan, and a small/ but worthy selection of extras.