{"id":29090,"date":"2024-07-27T01:19:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-27T08:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29090"},"modified":"2024-07-27T01:19:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-27T08:19:43","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-eighteen-years-in-prison-1967","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29090","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: EIGHTEEN YEARS IN PRISON (1967)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is\navailable for purchase on July 30th<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prison has never sounded like a pleasant experience, but\nbased on movies of this era, being incarcerated in a Japanese penitentiary\ncertainly sounds like a worst-case scenario. Not only does have to deal with\ninfighting among inmates and cruel, corrupt wardens, but also a Yakuza element.\nThe period action drama Eighteen Years in Prison<\/em> aka Choueki\nJuhachi-nen<\/em>emphasizes just how rough it is. It\u2019s a well-regarded\npicture in Japan and, in that part of the world, is considered one of the best\nof its kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiance Films is now delivering a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray\nfor the first time anywhere so that we all can catch up with it. Indeed, while\nthe story itself is familiar, there are some unique elements to the story.\nAdditionally, the performances and photography help make the picture an\nexceptional example of its genre. The movie has a gritty look and the materials\nused for this high-definition transfer effectively carry this appearance,\nhelping with the tone and feel of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story begins after the end of World War II. Kawada\n(Noboru Ando) is a tough ex-soldier determined to help families suffering and\ndisplaced after the conflict. To do so, he\u2019s willing to use the black market or\nsteal from authorities to help others. One night, he and partner Tsukada (Koike\nAsao) get ambushed by military police. His friend escapes with supplies, but he\nis captured and sentenced to a lengthy term in prison. As expected, the\npenitentiary is a horrific place. The warden is cruel and guard Hayama\n(Tomisaburo Wakayama) has been bought by the Yakuza, supporting their members\nin the slammer. Beatings and inhumane treatment are rampant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kawada is immediately advised to maim himself on a prison\nshop blade so that he can help steal goods from the infirmary and earn the\nrespect of Yakuza gang members. He refuses and it\u2019s soon a war of wills between\nhimself, a few convict friends, and crooks on both sides of the law. Even\nworse, the lead learns that old pal Tsukada has also turned their organization\ninto a Yakuza outfit. Infuriated, the protagonist wants revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movie is noted for its star Ando, who had a checkered\npast and was an ex-Yakuza member. After serving a six-year prison term, he\ndissolved his gang and was recruited to star in a Yakuza picture. This film was\na surprise hit and the following decades were extremely lucrative for him.\nDespite having no previous acting experience, Ando appears to be a natural\non-camera. The actor is understated and solemn, not unlike a Hollywood action\nhero. But, he also possesses enough personal history to perfectly emulate\ntough-guy behavior. While the performer isn\u2019t the villain of this tale, he\neasily sells the part of being a prisoner dreaming of vengeance on his\nex-friend who has turned into a gang leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The other characters are compelling as well, especially the\nother inmates, most of whom get manipulated in some fashion or another by\nHayama or members of the Yakuza organization. Any act of defiance and rebellion\ncomes with beatings or threats towards loved ones outside the prison, making\none of them turn on Kawada. It\u2019s incredibly tense watching various characters\nbreak while the protagonist tries to protect them and find a way to confront\nTsukada. Without overstating it, all of the roles help detail the dark themes,\nas well as the similarities between the criminal underworld and prison system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also impressively shot. The director shoots wide from\nextremely low angles and often underneath blocky furniture. While the placement\nmakes all the characters look threatening, the fact that the ceiling or rigid\nlines are present everywhere in the frame creates claustrophobia and really\nadds to the atmosphere. This includes the various fights and beatings behind\nclosed doors that are truly menacing to witness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The film does offer some retribution, but it\u2019s ultimately a\nsad tale about a system that negatively impacts anyone trying to reform and do\nthe right thing. At 90 minutes, it also moves briskly and never lets up. In\nsummary, this is an excellent picture that is deserving of the accolades it has\nreceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiance Films also provides a couple of enlightening\nextras. A film historian talks about the movie\u2019s director and star Noboru Ando.\nAdmittedly, he ultimately focuses on Ando, but it is understandable given his\ncurious history. He notes how the ex-mobster turned his life around finding\nsuccess with earlier, acclaimed Yakuza-themed titles like By a Man\u2019s Face\nShall You Know Him<\/em> (1966). It seems that studios knew to give him parts\nthat weren\u2019t too far removed from his actual life, allowing him to perform with\nan authenticity that few could deliver. The expert also talks about the\ndistinctive scar on his face (obtained in a fight with a rival Korean gang),\nand how his life appeared to actually influence the scripts he appeared in. He\nnotes that this particular film was actually something of a departure. But it\nis obvious that prison life was familiar and thus his masculine mannerisms\nnaturally allowed him to play the part with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also an interesting visual essay detailing the\nhistory of Japanese prison films. This and the Yakuza films were treated with\nupturned noses by studios early on. They didn\u2019t gain a lot of traction until\nthe 1960s, when their success ramped up productions. Soon after, there was an\noverload of titles set around the criminal justice system. The speaker mentions\nthat both genres faded away for a period in the 80s before a resurgence came in\nthe 1990s. This authority does an excellent job of noting the best titles in\nthe genre (this one being considered among the prime examples of its era) and\nwill give viewers plenty of movies to catch up on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A trailer is also included on the disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was very impressed with Eighteen Years in Prison<\/em>\nand agree that it is a very strong prison drama\u2026 honestly, by just about any\nstandard in the world. While it has a specifically Japanese tone, this is a\nfilm that could be enjoyed on double-bills alongside the likes of Birdman of\nAlcatraz<\/em> or Cool Hand Luke<\/em>. The setting of the story adds some\nunique elements for North American viewers, the characters are compelling, and\nthe picture is beautifully shot and well-edited. Radiance Films have done their\nbest to present context for the movie and give it the best presentation\ncurrently possible. This disc is definitely worth picking up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is available for purchase on July 30th. Prison has never sounded like a pleasant experience, but based on movies of this era, being incarcerated in a Japanese penitentiary certainly sounds like a worst-case scenario. Not only does have to deal with infighting among inmates and cruel, corrupt wardens, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[64,97,2933,2939,6251,6765,6766,6767,6768,10385,14988,16584],"class_list":["post-29090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-18-years-in-prison","tag-97","tag-blasts-from-the-past-2","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-2","tag-drama","tag-eighteen-years-in-prison","tag-eighteen-years-in-prison-blu-ray-review","tag-eighteen-years-in-prison-movie-review","tag-eighteen-years-in-prison-review","tag-japan","tag-noboru-ando","tag-radiance-films"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}