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High and Low
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (26th January 2025). |
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The Film
 "High and Low" 「天国と地獄」 (1963) Gondo Kingo (played by Mifune Toshiro) has dedicated his life to his company National Shoes through hard dedication to their product and loyalty. But it is time for a change and he decides to invest all his savings into buying shares to take control of the company. Unfortunately when the deal is about to strike, he receives a phone call that his son Jun (played by Egi Toshio) has been kidnapped. In actuality, it was the son of Gondo's chauffeur Aoki (played by Sada Yutaka), young Shinichi (played by Shimazu Masahiko) that was abducted. The kidnapper regardless demands that 30 million yen must be paid for the ransom, but this goes against the 50 million yen that Gondo had painstakingly raised and is about to use for his stock transaction. The police, led by inspector Tokura (played by Nakadai Tatsuya) try to help Gondo to save the young boy, but Gondo is reluctant to throw away his lifelong dream after knowing it was not his own son that was taken. The household, including his wife Reiko (played by Kagawa Kyoko and his assistant Kawanishi (played by Mihashi Tatsuya) are on opposing sides of the situation. The 1959 novel "King's Ransom" by Evan Hunter under his pseudonym Ed McBain was the basis of filmmaker Kurosawa Akira's 1963 feature film "High and Low", with the story about a wealthy man being blackmailed through a kidnapping of a child. The basic premise is used for Kurosawa's adaptation, but there are a number of deviations from the original novel, with fascinating uses of cinematic techniques and essentially creating a film with two distinct halves with the peril of the victim in the first and the police tactics in the manhunt in the second. Many familiar faces from previous Kurosawa features made appearances again here in "High and Low", as well as a number of notable crew members, which was not a surprise considering that this was still under the studio system where many were contracted by Toho, but also Kurosawa's power at the time within the Japanese film industry. It was also one of the most expensive films made in Japan at the time with a budget of 230 million yen, due to the multiple intricate sets, plus numerous outdoor locations including a train sequence in which an entire express train was chartered for the filming, costing 20 million yen alone. The first hour of the film takes place almost entirely within one location - Gondo's lavish home on the top of a hill in Yokohama. Gondo is quickly established as a man of integrity towards product and his company, while also showcasing that he is willing to take risks through a standout performance by Mifune. When he is confronted by Kamiya (played by Tazaki Jun), Ishimaru (played by Nakamura Nobuo), and Baba (played by Ito Yunosuke) also from National Shoes in order to work together to take control of the company, Gondo is quite different from them. The three are more about cheaper costs for monetary gain, while Gondo is about higher quality to maintain integrity. While the opening segment is about business and their arguments on the future of the company, Kurosawa keeps things engaging and interesting for audiences and the stakes being particularly high with Gondo's plans to risk his entire fortune. The living room of the home is where most of the action takes place, and one of the most amazing techniques is the use of multiple cameras and the use of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio to keep all the characters and actions within the frame. The blocking of the characters and the movement of the camera is incredibly well choreographed, and this is also true for after the kidnapping, when the inspector and the rest of the police officers crowd the living room in addition to Gondo's family and others. Kurosawa directed as it was a stage play, with the actors having to do extremely long ten minute takes with lengthy dialogue plus specific movements and placements of characters and cameras during the filming. Although it takes place seemingly in one location, there were actually three different sets for the Gondo house. One was built on a hill in which the backdrop of Yokohama could be seen from outside the window. Another was built for outdoor scenes that could be seen from a distance. Finally there was an interior set of the living room built on the Toho studio lot, in which a miniature model of Yokohama was built having moving cars, trains, and lit buildings outside of the windows for a more controlled environment for lighting and time. An incredible sequence takes place an hour into the film in which it is the first time the cameras leave the Gondo household, and that is on the express train where the ransom exchange is set to take place. A full train was booked by Kurosawa's team carrying the cast, crew, and extras which had one chance to film the entire section using eight cameras, and crucially at the bridge where the exchange is done. While everything was rehearsed and choreographed, it created nervousness on set, leading to some actors continuously flubbing and at the section a the bridge, one of the cameras jamming and not getting the necessary shot as Kurosawa intended. Eventually the shot with the one malfunctioned camera had to be taken again on a differing day, but thankfully without the full cast or crew. Following the scene, the reunion between Gondo and Shinichi is interesting as instead of the camera following the two embracing each other, it stops along with the police officers who watch in the distance. It signifies the change in perspective, as the first half of the film was through Gondo's eyes, but the second half is from Tokura and his team of detectives in trying to find the kidnapper and accomplices. The second half of the film becomes something different altogether. It is a prime example of a police procedural film in which evidence is gathered, meetings are held, information is shared, and clues lead closer to the capture of the kidnapper, closer to the tone of a documentary with its uses of flashbacks and more cuts and cutaways than what was seen earlier at Gondo's house. It's unusual for a film to suddenly shift style and tone completely midway through without losing a step, but Kurosawa keeps audiences locked in by giving audiences full information through the police meetings. These could have ended up being boring, but the editing style and the fascinating insights into how the police obtained the information is key. At the same time, the film does reveal who the kidnapper is, and shows his reactions and his truth, with the character of Takeuchi (played by Yamazaki Tsutomu) in a near dialogue free character for most of his time onscreen. This was the 25 year old actor's first film for Kurosawa, and he would continue working with the director in "Red Beard" (1965) and "Kagemusha". He continued to grow in popularity and to this day he is one of the most recognizable actors in Japan with his hundreds of credits in film, television, stage, and commercials, still performing to this day. His only major dialogue in the film comes just at the end, which incredibly powerful, similar to the vein of Chaplin speaking at the end of "The Great Dictator", but in a suspenseful and shocking form. While there was a scene that was shot that was to follow Yamazaki's final shot to end the film, Kurosawa decided to excise it and leave the film to end with Yamazaki's exit, as it was so powerful that placing any coda after would have done the performance a disservice. The final confrontation does give answers but also raises questions about the character of Takeuchi and his motivations. Gondo himself did not come from a wealthy background but started from the bottom at the factory of National Shoes, experienced the war as a soldier, but eventually went to the executive status of the company through hard work. Though in Japan, hard work alone cannot grant such a status change, as it is pointed out that much of Gondo's wealth came from his wife's family. For Takeuchi, he lives in a slum at the bottom of a hill, freezing himself in winter and sweating profusely in summer. Even though he has work at a hospital which is fairly respectable, he is an intern and it is not much in comparison. Class divide has been part of Japanese culture for generations, though after World War II, there seemed to be a lessening of the divide as the country was devastated for all citizens. But with the reconstruction of Japan and the entering of capitalism, class divide seemed to be on the rise, with many major corporations being founded while many people were left to lower positions on the ladder without chances to reach higher. Takeuchi is an intelligent young man with his knowledge of medicine as well as planning, and his kidnapping plans and his way to evade the law was quite ingenious, even with the missteps along the way. But frustration of society led him to pick on one man who did not deserve the punishment of losing his job and losing his home. The two men in the end had much in common with lower class backgrounds and frustration personally and professionally. Kurosawa brilliantly frames the final sequence with the glass barrier reflecting each other's faces, which is a technique that has been numerously copied in films and television, and is one of the most powerful portions to be seen. While there are many technically challenging scenes to be found in the film, the one that was the most surprising was the use of pink smoke in a black and white film, with the one segment showing color only for the smoke from the chimneys. Kurosawa originally intended to use the technique in his previous film "Sanjuro" (1962) with the red camilias floating down the stream to be actually colored red but it was too difficult to do technically. Instead it was used in "High and Low" by coloring the frames for the short sequence. This also caused problems as this one tiny segment had to have black and white film that was partially colorized to be printed on color film stock, then spliced into the black and white negative. This would also cause issues with the grain structure becoming thicker for that one portion, but the technicians did their best to minimize grain for this minor point. The impact is certainly striking, much more than if the scene was just left in black and white, or if they entire film had been in color. Another technical achievement was that this film was the first time Kurosawa experimented with surround sound, and the film was recorded with 4 channel surround sound. The sound design is quite important in the film and it is one of the most effectively mixed films in his entire career. Kurosawa first used Perspecta-Sound on "The Hidden Fortress", "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro", which took the mono channel and electronically dispersed the sound to three channels, but this would be the first time it was using discreet four channels. Filmed in the fall and winter of 1962 and early 1963, the film was released theatrically in Japan on March 1st, 1963 and became a massive hit, grossing 460 million yen, making double its budget and was one of the highest grossing films of the year. The film was a critical hit as well, winning both Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Mainichi Film Concours, Best Film from the Tokyo Rodo Million Pearl, Best Film from the Kawasaki Citizens' Film Concours, Best Film and Best Director at the NHK Film Festival, an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, and many more. In addition, kidnapping laws and punishments became stricter in Japan due to the film's highlighting of the lax laws at the time. But unfortunately the film also gave attention to the dealing of ransom exchanges by the train sequence, with a number of tragic incidents copying the technique. The film was remade as a television movie for TV Asahi in 2007, and there have been many talks of a Hollywood remake for years. It seems that the remake is finally being produced, under the title "Highest 2 Lowest" for a 2025 release, starring Denzel Washington and directed by Spike Lee, who like Kurosawa and Mifune have had an excellent director/actor relationship with their many works together. It will be hard to surpass or come close, as Kurosawa's "High and Low" is not only one of the director's finest films, but one of the most thrilling and influential films of all time, with its incredible technical work and the fantastic storytelling. Note this is a region B Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The transfer comes from Toho's 4K restoration of the original camera negative. While the film has had a number of home video releases over the years, they have not been incredibly ideal. Previous transfers had issues with the black and white levels being contrasty through crushed blacks and blown out whites, a lack of detail in the greyscale, and damage marks being visible. The 4K restoration does the film justice finally, as it restores the film from the negative for the first time. (The Criterion Blu-ray used a master positive element that and it is noticeable. Stability of the image is exceptional, especially scenes at Gondo's home, and the striking black and white is beautifully reproduced with excellent greys in between. The crushed blacks found in previous transfers now show gradual grey levels, and detail is excellent. Damage marks have been basically removed entirely, with no scratches or large debris to be found. Film grain is left intact and there are no distractions to speak of. It's a fine restoration that the film has deserved for many years and the transfer to disc by the BFI is excellent. The film's runtime is 143:29. Note the film's opening starts with the Toho logo, then followed by a Toho 30th anniversary logo (commemorating the founding of PCL Studios in 1933), which the latter has been missing from previous home video releases of the film.
Audio
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1* Japanese LPCM 2.0 stereo The film is offered in 5.1 and 2.0 stereo options, though it is not truly a 5.1 track. The film was the first time that Kurosawa utilized a 4 track surround mix, with three speakers in the front and a mono rear channel. The 5.1 track is actually the 4.0 track, with the two rear tracks being mono surround and the LFE channel being silent. The surround mix is noticeable with the music cues by composer Sato Masaru spreading in the left and right directions, and certain effects, such as when Gondo opens his windows to let the sounds of the outdoors into his home. The train scene is effective as well with the ambient sounds of the train surrounding the audience. Dialogue is almost always centered while the surrounding channels are used for the music and effects. The dialogue is exceptionally clear and the music cues such as the dancehall sequence come in loud and clear, with no issues of hiss, pops, or other damage to be heard. The stereo track is a downmix of the 4.0 track and is also great, though people with a proper surround setup should use the full surround option. There are optional English subtitles for the film in a white font which are easy to read, well timed, and without errors.
Extras
Audio commentary by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp (2025) This new and exclusive commentary has Sharp discussing about Kurosawa's early career and his international breakthrough, differences between the original McBain novel and the film, information on certain actors, the widescreen framing, the parallels with "Stray Dog", the economic growth of Japan at the time and the wealth divide, Kurosawa's reception at home and abroad, the influence the film had, and more. It's an excellent listen with a lot of great information included. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create - High and Low" 2003 documentary (37:00) For their debuts on the DVD format in Japan, Toho produced a series of documentaries for each film Kurosawa directed for Toho, released in 2002 and 2003 as bonus features on their respective DVDs. This documentary discusses about the three sets constructed for the production, the lengthy opening at the Gondo home and the long takes, the making of the train scene on an actual borrowed train, shooting the film in winter while making it look like summer, the abandoned original ending, and more. There are interviews with numerous actors and crew sharing their experiences, including the bad ones such as one of the cameras not working on the train scene, the extremely hot interior set, and the tense environment due to the difficult dialogue and long takes. in 1080i60 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Japanese LPCM 2.0 with optional English subtitles Booklet A 16 page booklet is included with the first pressing. First is the essay "Double Take" by filmmaker and critic Alex Barrett on the film's themes, importance and comparisons to the original novel. Next there is "An Anatomy of Heaven and Hell" by Philip Kemp, which is a look at the film's themes and structure. There is also a review of the film from Monthly Film Bulletin, June 1967 by David Wilson. Then there are a full cast and credits list (which incorrectly lists Ito's character of Baba as "Babe"), special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements, and stills. The film was given a DVD release by Criterion in the US back in 1998, and it was unfortunately a barebones disc that used their non-anamorphic Laserdisc master with mono audio only. The Japanese DVD from Toho came in 2003 which included the "It Is Wonderful to Create" documentary and had an anamorphic transfer with the original 4.0 audio track. The BFI issued the film on DVD in 2005, and while it had an anamorphic transfer, it had minimal extras, mono audio, and burned-in subtitles. Criterion revisited the film in 2008 and gave it an excellent 2-disc edition, with an anamorphic transfer, 4.0 audio, the documentary, plus some additional extras including a commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince, a new interview with Yamazaki, and a vintage television interview with Mifune along with trailers. Toho gave the film its Blu-ray debut in 2009 but unfortunately it lacked the DVD's documentary, and also had a scrubbed clean transfer that was not particularly pleasing. Criterion upgraded their set to Blu-ray in 2011. In 2023, Toho reissued the film on Blu-ray and gave it its 4K UHD debut with a 4K restoration. Unfortunately these also lacked the documentary and only had a gallery and trailer as the sole extras. The BFI has opted not to release the film in the 4K format, but on Blu-ray only for this release. The Price commentary on the Criterion release is great, but as stated before, his pronunciation of Japanese words and names were troublesome as he did not seem to confirm them or try to research basic pronunciation rules of roma-ji. The Yamazaki interview found on the Criterion disc is excellent, as he was not interviewed for the documentary itself. As busy as he was and still is in the acting world, it may have been difficult to secure time for an interview to discuss his role at that time. The television interview with Mifune is not particular to "High and Low", but it is a fun discussion nonetheless. In an unusual case from the BFI, there is no image gallery for this release (though one is available on the Japanese Blu-ray and UHD), and there are no extras from the vaults of the BFI National Archive. It would have been interesting to see some vintage films relating to police conduct and procedures from a British perspective at the time, or even something dealing with shoes or heroin use perhaps. It is also a loss that the trailers were not included, as the original Japanese trailers had some unique footage such as glimpses of the original ending and some alternate takes. Notable clips: Critic AO Scott on the film Locations then and now, courtesy of こたつ / 旅・鉄道・ロケ地巡り
Overall
"High and Low" is Kurosawa at his finest, rewriting the rules for police procedural works on film and influencing countless thrillers over the years. The BFI's Blu-ray features an excellent transfer of the 4K restoration and has a great new commentary and the excellent vintage documentary. Highly recommended.
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