Considered the magnum opus of the five decades-long career of Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox), the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious Kinema Junpo magazine’s 1999 poll of the Top Japanese Films of the 20th Century. In 1947, a freak typhoon sends a passenger ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan plunging to the ocean depths, with hundreds of lives lost. During the chaos, three men are witnessed fleeing a burning pawnshop in the Hokkaido port town of Iwanai. The police suspect theft and arson, and when Detective Yumisaka (Junzaburo Ban) discovers the burned remains of a boat and the corpses of two men, he sets about tracking the shadowy third figure. Meanwhile, the mysterious Takichi Inukai (Rentaro Mikuni) takes shelter with a prostitute, Yae (Sachiko Hidari), a brief encounter that will come to define both of their lives. A decade later, long after the trail has gone cold, Yumisaka is called back by his successor Detective Ajimura (Ken Takakura) as two new dead bodies are found. Making its home video debut outside of Japan, this adaptation of Tsutomu Minakami’s 1700-page novel is a landmark in master director Uchida’s oeuvre. Its gritty monochrome photography has the immediacy of newsreel as Uchida uses the landscapes of postwar Japan to explore the massive social upheaval and unspoken legacies of the war, and create an unsettling karmic allegory of a man’s struggle to escape his past sins.
For thoughts on A Fugitive from the Past, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
A Fugitive from the Past comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Arrow Video sourced from a gorgeous high definition master provided by Toei in the original 2.40:1. The grain field has brief moments where it appears slightly clumpy when focusing on the open-air exteriors, but largely the film takes place inside where the grain is resolved well. The contrast is crisply defined, but there remains a minuscule bit of print damage found in fleeting moments of the presentation. There is a strong amount of detail present with fine texture on the costumes and in the varied production design. The lovely black-and-white photography shines in high definition with no hint of digital tinkering. The stylized cinematography has been brought to life with a stunning richness that you cannot help but admire. Black levels are nice and deep with no distracting trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The quality of the transfer is pretty outstanding and should please any fan of the director quite a bit.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 1.0 mono track in the original Japanese (with optional English subtitles) which presents this feature without fail. The atmospheric score from Isao Tomita comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. Dialogue renders perfectly clear without sound effects or the score overwhelming important information. The film employs some notable sound effects in the form of torrential weather which is given the appropriate weight within the mix, but these moments are mostly contained to the first portion of the tale. The film is more of a straightforward dialogue-driven drama without much in the way of kinetic thrills. This track presents everything accurately with pleasing fidelity and without damage or other unwanted issues. Arrow Video should be applauded for this one.
Special Features
The first-pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of A Fugitive from the Past includes a booklet featuring the essay “A Tale Of Guilt and Dread: Tomu Uchida’s A Fugitive from the Past” by film scholar David Baldwin. There is also the essay “Tomu Uchida’s Salvation From Evil” by film scholar Inuhiko Yomota. Both of these pieces provide a great analysis of the film and its director through an exploration of its historical context, its themes, its critical and public reception and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Introduction By Jasper Sharp: A substantial 27-minute introduction is included from cinema expert Jasper Sharp in which he gives some historical context to the film, explores the career of director Tomu Uchida, discusses how the filmmaker evolved after his experiences with war, how this fits into the careers of the talent involved and more that makes you appreciate the film even more.
- Scene Specific Commentaries
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- The Fugitive Past of Tomu Uchida and Modern Japan: An 18-minute audio essay from Professor Aaron Gerow in which he discusses the place of Uchida in Japanese cinema, the themes of interrogating the past and memory, the personal aspects in the narrative and more.
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- Chaos and Order in A Fugitive From The Past: A 23-minute audio essay from Professor Earl Jackson in which he discusses the tension between the irrational and reason, the historical background of the events depicted, how characters are shown to be reacting to various societal tensions and more.
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- Cinematography of Hunger – Tomu Uchida and the Toei W 106 System: An eight-minute audio essay from Professor Daisuke Miyao in which he discusses the importance of the cinematography to Uchida, the new system from Toei implemented with this picture, the palpable depiction of peasant life and hunger within the image, and much more.
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- Sachiko Hidari – Stardom and Characterisation in A Fugitive From The Past: A 16-minute audio essay from Dr. Irene González-López in which she discusses how the depiction of certain characters on screen offer an intriguing mirror to real life elements in these performers’ lives.
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- The Haunting Voice of Karma – Isao Tomita’s Music in A Fugitive From The Past: A 32-minute audio essay from Professor Erik Homenick which focuses on the music of the film, the background of the composer, the themes interwoven into the score, analysis of the narrative and more.
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- In-Betweenness In A Fugitive From The Past: A 14-minute audio essay from Professor Alexander Zahlten in which he offers an analysis of the final stretch of the film including the framing of the shots, the narrative developments, the complex performances and more.
- Trailer: The four-minute trailer is provided here.
- Tomu Uchida Filmography: You can skim through the career of Uchida.
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the film are provided here.
Final Thoughts
A Fugitive from the Past is a sprawling epic which gives the internal moral struggle of an individual the same dramatic importance usually reserved for wartime conflicts or other such big budget spectacle. Director Tomu Uchida expertly builds up this narrative by giving breathing room to each pivotal act which lays the groundwork for a gripping resolution steeped in character. Whether you admire this for its technical prowess or achievement in dramatic storytelling, there is little doubt that this is a very special piece of Japanese cinema. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and some amazing special features. If you appreciate when a film takes the time to build over time and crescendo into something amazing, be sure to give this a shot. Recommended
A Fugitive from the Past 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.