Kaizô Hayashi is best known for his neo-noir Maiku Hama trilogy, The Most Terrible Time in My Life, Stairway to the Distant Past and The Trap. But in 1986 he made his directorial debut with his film To Sleep So As To Dream.
Arrow Video have been giving a lot of love to the Japanese cinema with epic Blu-ray releases. Some of my favorite have to be the kaiju films; The Daimajin Trilogy, Yokai Monsters Collection and Gamera Collection. Now it is time for To Sleep So As To Dream to get it's chance to shine on Blu-ray.
An aging silent film actress hires a private eye Uotsuka (Shiro Sano, Shin Godzilla) and his sidekick Kobayashi to track down her missing daughter, Bellflower. Their investigations lead them to the studios of the mysterious M. Pathe company. Here Uotsuka has a strange vision in which he comes face to face with the beautiful star of a 1915 chanbara film that appears to have no ending. From then on, things begin to get a little strange...
What makes this film so interesting is that it is a silent film. Long before The Artist (a silent film) would win the Academy Award for Best Picture Kaizô Hayashi entered the would of silent pictures in an era that hadn't seen them in many, many years. To Sleep So As To Dream is remarkably shot and keeps you interest to the very end.
Arrow Video have transferred this film in 1080p. This film has been lovingly restored with a DTS-HD Master Audio. The movie is subtitled in English. The picture looks quite impressive and the audio is very pleasing.
Arrow Video always goes above and beyond with their releases and bring us awesome bonus features and this one is no different. Take a look at what is included on this Blu-ray.
* Brand new audio commentary by Japanese film experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
* Audio commentary with director Kaizo Hayashi and lead actor Shiro Sano recorded in 2000
* How Many Eggs? Actor Shiro Sano Talks, a brand new interview with the film's lead actor
* Talking Silents: Benshi Midori Sawato Talks, a brand new interview on early Japanese film culture and the art of the benshi silent film commentator
* Midori Sawato Performs The Eternal Mystery, an exclusive benshi performance to the film within the film
* The Restoration of To Sleep So as to Dream featurette
* Fragments from Japan's Lost Silent Heyday, a selection of scenes from silent jidai-geki films from the Kyoto Toy Museum archives
* Original Theatrical trailer and English-language restored re-release trailers
* Image gallery
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by David Downton
* FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Aaron Gerow
Arrow Video have transferred this film in 1080p. This film has been lovingly restored with a DTS-HD Master Audio. The movie is subtitled in English. The picture looks quite impressive and the audio is very pleasing.
Arrow Video always goes above and beyond with their releases and bring us awesome bonus features and this one is no different. Take a look at what is included on this Blu-ray.
* Brand new audio commentary by Japanese film experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
* Audio commentary with director Kaizo Hayashi and lead actor Shiro Sano recorded in 2000
* How Many Eggs? Actor Shiro Sano Talks, a brand new interview with the film's lead actor
* Talking Silents: Benshi Midori Sawato Talks, a brand new interview on early Japanese film culture and the art of the benshi silent film commentator
* Midori Sawato Performs The Eternal Mystery, an exclusive benshi performance to the film within the film
* The Restoration of To Sleep So as to Dream featurette
* Fragments from Japan's Lost Silent Heyday, a selection of scenes from silent jidai-geki films from the Kyoto Toy Museum archives
* Original Theatrical trailer and English-language restored re-release trailers
* Image gallery
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by David Downton
* FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Aaron Gerow
So as you can see there is a lot of material here to enjoy. Arrow Video has done it again giving Japanese cinema fans another release for their collections.
So if you are a fan of Japanese cinema I would highly suggest adding To Sleep So As To Dream to your Blu-ray collection. Head over to Amazon and order a copy for yourself or a friend today.
Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) Arrow Video's Blu-ray To Sleep So As To Dream receives...
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