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David Beckett

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16-2-2009 11:52

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, 2009, Akiko Tamura, DVD, English, Eureka, Japanese, Katsuhito Inomata, Keiji Hasebe, Keiji Itami, Kokoro, Kon Ichikawa, Kumenobu Fujioka, Masanori Tsujii, Masao Oki, Masayuki Mori, Masayuki Takagi, Masters of Cinema, Michiyo Aratama, Mutsuhiko Tsurumaru, Region 2, Shoji Yasui, Soseki Natsume, Takeo Ito, Tanie Kitabayashi, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tomoko Naraoka, Tsutomu Shimomoto, Yasushi Akutagawa, Zenji Yamada

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Synopsis:
Brimful with brooding psychological torment, Kokoro is vintage Kon Ichikawa (An Actor's Revenge, The Burmese Harp, Tokyo Olympiad). Based on a novel by celebrated Japanese author Natsume Soseki, the director foregrounds its themes of individual isolation and social estrangement, most notably in a central protagonist stricken by existential demons and stranded by changing times.

Why does Nobuchi (Masayuki Mori) visit the grave of his old friend Kaji (Tatsuya Mihashi)? Why is he so secretive with his wife Shizu (Michiyo Aratama)? And how does Nobuchi's friendship with the young student Hioki (Shoji Yasui) – for whom the older man acts as reluctant sensei – relate to his time with Kaji? As the Meiji Era draws to a close with the emperor's death and the suicide of General Nogi, a fateful tale of tainted love, failed friendship, and redemptive honour unravels with tragic consequences.

Special Features:
• New high definition digital transfer
• New and improved optional English subtitles
• A lavish 48-page booklet with archival publicity stills, a newly written essay by Tony Rayns (critic and curator of East Asian cinemas), and an extended interview with Kon Ichikawa by Yuki Mori (The Films of Kon Ichikawa) on the "Beginnings" of the director's involvement in cinema

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