A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. As a parting gift, just months before his death in 2023, Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and a piano, directed by his son, Neo Sora. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty of his pieces played in the film wordlessly tell the story of his life and his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci and Nagisa Oshima to his meditative final album, 12. Captured in intimate black and white, and surrounded by trusted collaborators, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing that this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

For in-depth thoughts on Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, please see my colleague Cody Allen’s review from its original theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of a stellar transfer from Janus Contemporaries. The film features an array of expertly captured performances from the master that is simple yet captivating in its execution. This footage looks incredibly crisp and clear within the carefully composed filming conditions. The documentary concert film is presented in black and white with steady gradients and detailed textures within the clothing and setting. The movie is orchestrated to work within a stable environment that allows for a more consistent viewing experience. The footage looks as technically pristine as you can reach in high definition. Janus handles the encoding with ease and allows the film plenty of room to breathe. There are no indications of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances. Janus Contemporaries has bestowed a formidable outing upon the physical media landscape.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a transcendent Dolby Atmos track that manifests this material perfectly. This feature is entirely about the performance of these moving compositions, and every piece transports you in the most rewarding manner. The music is resolved pleasantly here as it saturates the room from all directions. The height channels rarely steal focus in an unnatural way, but they are used to complement the sonic journey as necessary. The layered sound design makes the space feel more three-dimensional. Ambient noises are given ideal placement within the soundscape. There is not one area where this track comes up short. The audio track is a peerless representation of the film. Optional English subtitles are included for those who desire them.

Special Features

The Janus Contemporaries Blu-Ray of Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus includes a leaflet featuring the essay “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus: To Live” by Michael Joshua Rowin in which he provides some good insight into and analysis of the film and its iconic subject and how it acts as a culmination of his life’s work. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Meet The Filmmakers: A great 16-minute conversation with director Neo Sora (and son of Ryuichi Sakamoto) and cinematographer Bill Kirstein in which they discuss how this project came about, determining what was going to take precedence in this feature, deciding on the aesthetic of the film, references they used within the composition, how their artistic inspiration impacted the setlist, and more.

Trailer (1:52)

Final Thoughts

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is a special performance documentary that demands you leave the world behind and give yourself over to the power of a legendary artist honoring and cementing his legacy with a performance that we as viewers are lucky enough to be able to view in some form. While it would certainly help if you have a preexisting interest in the composer, the music is so powerful on its own that you should be able to get overwhelmed by its beauty regardless. This is a very special experience. Janus Contemporaries has provided this film with a Blu-Ray that sports a fabulous A/V presentation and an engaging additional featurette. If the subject piques your curiosity, be sure to check it out. Recommended

The Janus Contemporaries edition of Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Janus Contemporaries and The Criterion Collection have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.