Directed by Yasuzo Masumura (Giants and Toys, Blind Beast), Red Angel takes an unflinching look at the horror and futility of war through the eyes of a dedicated and selfless young military nurse. When Sakura Nishi is dispatched in 1939 to a ramshackle field hospital in Tientsin, the frontline of Japan’s war of with China, she and her colleagues find themselves fighting a losing battle tending to the war-wounded and emotionally shellshocked soldiers while assisting head surgeon Dr Okabe conduct an unending series of amputations. As the Chinese troops close in, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Okabe who, impotent to stall the mounting piles of cadavers, has retreated into his own private hell of morphine addiction. Adapted from the novel by Yorichika Arima, Masumura’s harrowing portrait of women and war is considered the finest of his collaborations with Ayako Wakao (A Wife Confesses, Irezumi) and features startling monochrome scope cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi (Fires on the Plain, An Actor’s Revenge).
For thoughts on Red Angel, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Red Angel comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Arrow Video sourced from a pleasing high definition master provided by Kadokawa in the original 2.35:1. There is an incredible amount of detail present with nice texture on the costumes and in the claustrophobic production design. The beautiful black-and-white photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact. The cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi has been brought to life with a stunning richness that you have to admire. The grain field can be a little clumpy when focusing on the open-air exteriors, but largely the film takes place inside and the grain is resolved well. The contrast is well defined, but there is the slightest bit of print damage found in moments of the presentations. Black levels are appropriately deep with no distracting trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The quality of the transfer is pretty outstanding and those who have been waiting for this one to get a proper release should be thrilled with the results.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 1.0 mono track in the original Japanese (with optional English subtitles). Dialogue sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information. The film employs some powerful sound effects in the form of war activity that are given the appropriate weight within the mix, but these moments are very brief. Mostly the film is more of a straightforward dialogue-driven drama without much in the way of action. The score from Sei Ikeno comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. This is not a particularly dynamic presentation, but it presents everything accurately with pleasing fidelity and without damage or other unwanted issues.
Special Features
The first-pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of Red Angel includes a booklet featuring the essay “In A Mad World, Only The Mad Are Sane” by film scholar Irene González-López. This piece provides a great analysis of the film through an exploration of its historical context, its themes, its critical reception and more. The booklet also contains the filmography of director Yasuzo Masumura. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Film Scholar David Desser provides a very informative commentary track in which he provides reach historical detail for the movie and its creative team, the shooting style employed by Yasuzo Masumura, the depiction of war, the segemented nature of the narrative, the links between war and sexuality and more. This really helps with getting so much more from the text of this film.
- Introduction By Tony Rayns: A 12-minute introduction is included from Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns in which he gives some historical context to the film, discusses how this film reflects on the Japanese during wartime, how this fits into the careers of the talent involved and more that makes you appreciate the film even more.
- Not All Angels Have Wings by Jonathan Rosenbaum: Film Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum provides a fantastic video essay in which discusses the career of Yasuzo Masumura in great detail, how he makes an impact with quick shocking images, his collaboration with Ayako Wakao, the shooting style of the director, metaphors within his work and more.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer 1 (1:18) and Original Theatrical Trailer 2 (2:19).
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the film are provided here.
Final Thoughts
Red Angel is a very tough film to settle into due to its unsparing depiction of war and sexuality, but once you take the time to reflect on it you find much to admire. Yasuzo Masumura has crafted a narrative that shows some of the worst aspects of the war efforts, a feat which is fairly astonishing given the tendency for Japan to want to provide an unblemished appearance. The performance from Ayako Wakao really makes this movie what it is, as she gives this protagonist depth and vulnerability which makes some of her decisions easier to process. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and some very worthwhile special features. There have been many films showing the horrors of war, but this one provides a more unique perspective if you think you have the stomach to handle it. Recommended
Red Angel is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
