Izo. by Takashi Miike. Better Pics of The Artwork For The DVD.

Posted by logboy at 10:44am.

Posted in Film News .

Nobbled from yahoo auctions japan, where (if you have the appropriate characters and knowledge) you can find pics of just about anything however obscure. So, i pop over there occasionally to see what turns up, cos they’re often a better illustration of anything than i can find elsewhere.

This time, i turn up a nice couple of pics for the Izo DVD that’s just out : they do unfortunately have the sellers name plastered across them (ala eBay) but thats not too distracting.

The standard cover is popping up here. The special edition pops up here. Anyone buy this unsubbed edition (other than bootleggers)?…

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Reader Comments

Sarin 12/30/2004 @ 7:15pm

I have this (the special edition version - just comes with an extra disc and a nice slipcase, but the packaging isn’t overly drool-worthy...) and will be watching it tonight. I’ve previewed the first ten minutes and it certainly seems interesting!
logboy 12/31/2004 @ 2:48am

send us some photos if you like, a review of the disc even…
Sarin 12/31/2004 @ 8:01am

Photos are beyond my capacity sadly - though I will admit I was disappointed the package wasn’t a little more ‘showy’. I’ll certainly post my views on the film once I’ve watched it though - I’ll be seeing the New Year in with it…
Sarin 01/01/2005 @ 7:54am

Well… What to say?

There’s no doubt whatsoever that watching a non-subtitled copy of this film as a non-Japanese speaking person is not the best way to approach Izo. Reviews available on the internet clearly outline the slender plot such as it is, but this is very much a dialogue as opposed to story-driven film, and without understanding that dialogue there is no real way into the film.

Though indeed violent (with a couple of scenes which may well trouble western censors even though they are not particularly graphic) Izo is not the relentless bloodbath that some have may it out to be. Even with its patented ‘Miike Moments’ (there are a number of them, and admittedly the opening crucixion scene really is quite grotesque) it is still remarkably restrained, and one of the few Miike films I’ve seen that is genuinely downbeat (unless there is humour in the dialogue - it seems unlikely).

The only real reference in terms of style and approach to Miike’s previous work I can see is to Box, his contribution to Three… Extremes, in that Izo is more of a meditative inward-looking piece. As far as was possible I liked it - and look forward indeed to one day seeing a official release (I dread to think what a mess the bootleggers will make of this!) when I can understand what on Earth (and in Hell) they are talking about. Until then this will be fine…