Dolls (2002)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio & Animation Interviews-Cast & Crew-Dir. Takeeshi Kitano, Actors Kanno & Nishijima and cstm des. Featurette-Behind The Scenes Featurette-Footage From Veniuce Biennale 2002 Game-Stills Notes-By Hendik Syklow of kitanotakeshi.com
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	108:56 (Case: 113)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (44:09)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Takeshi Kitano
Studio Distributor	Madman Madman Entertainment	Starring	Miho Kanno Hidetoshi Nishijima Tatsuya Mihashi Chieko Matsubara Kyôko Fukada Tsutomu Takeshige Kayoko Kishimoto Kanji Tsuda Yuuko Daike Ren Osugi Shimadayu Toyotake Kiyosuke Tsuruzawa Minotaro Yoshida
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	Joe Hisaishi

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The films of Takeshi Kitano are a mixed breed. Alternately poetic, beautiful and contemplative, ridiculously funny, and brutally violent. In recent years, thanks muchly to the efforts of Madman Entertainment's "Eastern Eye" and "Director's Suite" lines, the Australian market has been afforded access to Kitano's films, including the great Hana-Bi (also known by its English title Fireworks) and the most recent Takeshis', along with his earlier Yakuza trilogy that made him so famous both in Japan and abroad - Sonatine, Boiling Point and Violent Cop. Among his more recent works is this film, Dolls, perhaps his most conventional work to date (though I'm sure some would dispute that contention), though certainly still an art house production.

    Dolls is a collection of 3 interwoven stories that relate to each other around the same theme of enduring love - a thematic element consistent with the puppet shows performed by Japanese puppeteers on large stages, as in the opening sequence of the movie; which is, in many respects (though other thematic allusions can certainly be drawn), where the film's title originates. The first story follows a young businessman under pressure to forego his true love in the furtherance of his career and the bond they end up sharing as a result. The second story tells of an aging Yakuza who returns to the meeting place of his former love thirty years after abandoning her for the sake of his business. The third and final story involves a once visually stunning pop singer who is disfigured in an accident and hides from public view until one day she is visited by a man determined to prove he is her greatest fan.

    Although each story follows a simple premise, the interwoven nature of the narrative keeps the viewer engaged, and this film is certainly one of the most emotionally involving and cinematically beautiful of Kitano's creations. While lacking the bittersweet impact or violence of Hana-Bi (a film that, at least in this reviewer's mind, still stands as Kitano's crowning achievement), this movie does have a lingering effect - a hypnotic visage that creeps back into your thoughts for re-evaluation long after it has run its course. Certainly the mark of a fine film.

    Much of this film's enjoyment is owed to cinematographer Katsumi Yanagishima, whose ability to capture the stunning seasonal scenery of Japan, and subtle facial expressions that so often mean so much, is truly impressive in the celluloid medium. While I must confess that I am not a fan of the atonal traditional Japanese music used in the opening sequence depicting the puppet play, the original score by Joe Hisaishi (who also scored Hana-Bi and Sonatine) is excellent. And the cast, largely populated by relative newcomers whose faces are undoubtedly recognisable from Japanese TV, but are less recognisable beyond their native borders, do a fine job in their roles.

    For fans of Kitano, this is a no-brainer - get your hands on it now. For those who like Asian cinema that is not solely epitomised by the ruthless bloodletting of gangsters and dismemberment by samurai sword, and who also enjoy the more downbeat philosophising of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (not to draw a parallel, as, in this reviewer's opinion, Ikiru is certainly the better film), then this movie is worth the two hours of your attention. It's not a rapid journey by anybody's interpretation, preferring the slow languid pace of a collection of poetry; but it is nevertheless engaging.

Video

    Presented in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, 16x9 enhanced, I watched this projected on a 100" matt white screen via Sony VLP-HS60 projector, scaled at 1080i by my DVD player over HDMI (and therefore rescaled to 720p by the projector).

    This is one of the most lushly saturated images I've seen transferred to DVD for a while. The image glows with the intensity of seasonal change in Japan, cinematographer Katsumi Yanagishima using full potential of the aspect ratio like a canvas to create a vivid if sometimes surreal experience.

    Shadow detail is excellent, and image detail is exceptional. Madman Entertainment can definitely be proud of this transfer.

    No film artefacts or film-to-video artefacts with mentioning – any faults were so subtle you would only do better with HD-DVD or Blu-Ray high definition mastering.

    Subtitles are available in English, and are white with a grey border, and clear and easy to read.

    Though it’s hard to tell with so many static scenes, many of which do not have sound, I believe the dual layer pause is at 44:09 on a scene change. It is very subtle, and barely perceptible.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audio is available in Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo.

    The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is definitely the better of the two. While this is no action blockbuster with “whiz-bang” sound effects from every direction, there is a surprising amount of surround presence, usually from things like wind or water – natural elements that are almost a part of the score in themselves.

    Dialogue is sharp with no hint of sync faults.

    The aforementioned score by Joe Hisaishi is subtle and used judiciously where it has the most effect.

    The subwoofer gets some minor work with waves crashing and some low level sound effects that I will not discuss for fear of giving away salient plot points. Otherwise, it was largely dormant.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menus

    All menus are presented in 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced. The main menu has a scene with an Autumn leaf in a river with sound in 2.0 Dolby Stereo. The other menus are static and silent.

Booklet

    The disc comes with a 20 page booklet that discusses the film in length and aids to understanding of the themes and elements that Kitano was trying to explore with this unusual film.

Interviews

    Presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame, subtitled in English with a Japanese 2.0 Dolby Stereo soundtrack, there are the following interviews available:

• Director Takeshi Kitano (15:21)
• Designer Yohji Yamamoto (10:02)
• Lead Actress Miho Kanno (3:57)
• Lead Actor Hidetoshi Nishijima (3:42)

Featurette: “Behind The Scenes Footage” (18:03)

    Presented 1.33:1 Full Frame, with a Japanese 2.0 Dolby Stereo soundtrack and no subtitles, this is just the filming of a few key sequences.

Featurette: “Venice Film Festival 2002” (8:01)

    Presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame, with a Japanese 2.0 Dolby Stereo soundtrack and no subtitles, this is footage of Kitano and crew attending the Venice Film Festival where the film was nominated for the Golden Lion.

Original Theatrical Trailer (1:38)

    Presented in 1.78:1 letterboxed, non-16x9 enhanced, 2.0 Dolby Stereo soundtrack with English subtitles.

Stills Gallery (2:21)

    Presented in 1.33:1, 2.0 Dolby Stereo soundtrack.

Directors Suite Trailers

    Trailers for:

• Exils
• Mystery Train
• Happy Together

    The R1 release has none of the R4 extras. The R2 UK release has an additional interview with Kitano, but is otherwise identical. The R1 Japan and R3 Korean versions have some more extras, but none have English subtitles. Aside from NTSC/PAL differentials and Region Coding, there’s not much to differentiate the versions. Buy whichever is cheapest

    Dolls is a fascinating, hypnotic and heartbreaking journey, but one that’s nevertheless worth the voyage. If you’re a fan of Takeshi Kitano or arthouse cinema, this is a must. The R4 release is one of the best out there, with extras that aid and enhance the viewing of the movie.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall