Technical Notes:Battle Royale [SE Director's Cut 2-Disc NTSC]
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| I have the Starmax special edition copy--which is most likely the only truly accessible copy in the States. The video quality is very good, and the audio is awesome--the DTS 5.1 track is very speaker-specific, and very subwoofer-intended. For certain scenes the subtitles are of less-quality, but that is because the footage they used for the deleted scenes was subtitled by different people (and just remember, you are seeing the deleted scenes, so be pleased for that). I think that early in the movie there is one section where they forgot to put a line-break in the subtitles, so it goes over on both sides of the screen, but it is nothing very important to the plot. As for the bonus materials, there is a lot to watch--but it is all in Japanese with Korean subtitles. However, watch it anyway--you can follow a lot of what they are showing (one section is on the music, one is on the computer graphics used, and I believe there were several more). This movie is an absolute must-see if you are interested in Japanese film. It is still a very talked about movie, and I believe it was Fukasaku's final movie (he died during the sequel to this one, and I don't believe there was anything in-between the two). |
http://www.cinephile-reviews.com/
This DVD set used to come with a map of the island, but it appears that the map is no longer being manufactured. Please see "screen shots" for a scan of the map. You can also download a hi-res scan of the map by clicking here (approx. 1 megabyte).
-HKFlix (see my profile)
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| BR is available in various dvd editions and in various regions. Here we chose to talk about the korean special edition. The good thing is the dvd is region all. The bad thing thing is all extras are subtitled in korean only! Let's detail what's inside the nice box. We will see that subtitles aren't necessary for all documents.
Extras :
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http://www.cinetrange.com/
| ...The first disc contains the movie, which has been re-edited with additional footage. It's not essential by any means, but the new footage does add more depth to various characters, as well as the class as a whole. A flashback to a basketball game allows you to see them as normal students before all of the bloodshed, and it ups the "poignancy factor" a good bit. The character of Kitano, the students' 7th grade teacher, is given more depth as well, especially in his relationship with Noriko.
The second disc comes loaded with special features. There are several "Behind The Scenes" and "Making Of..." featurettes, as well as footage from the Tokyo Film Festival where "Battle Royale" debuted. Watching them, you get a real sense of just how passionate everyone, the kids included, felt about this movie. I was greatly impressed by these kids, who successfully made film that wasn't just dramatically challenging, but also very intense physically. I also came away with an appreciation for the energy and verve of director Fukasaku, who was 70 when he made this film. Speaking of Fukasaku, also included is a funny birthday video made for him, featuring the bubbly girl from the game's instructional video giving some stern warnings (and birthday wishes) to the director. |
http://www.opuszine.com
ABOUT THE SPECIAL EDITION 2-DISC SET:
The most controversial Japanese film of the millennium returns in a Special Edition version. Featuring more violence, more characterisation and an alternate ending that sheds fresh light on the events of the film, this Collector’s Limited Edition comes packaged with two 4-page booklets. PLEASE NOTE: The special features are primarily in Japanese and do not have English subtitles, only removable Korean subtitles.
-HKFlix (see my profile)
http://www.hkflix.com
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