We all know yakuza films a la Fukasaku, Kitano or Miike. Kind of violent and nihilist stories. But what about classic yakuza films? ‘Chivalry films’ about honor…?
On December 1st, french fans will have the pleasure to discover that genre with the Red Peony Gambler series! Retitled “Lady Yakuza: La pivoine rouge“, HK Video plans to release a boxset (8 films; 149,99€) & simple edition (19,99€) for:
- The 1st ep; Red Peony Gambler, by Kosaku Yamashita
- The 3rd ep: Flower Cards Match, by Tai Kato
- The 6th ep: Oryu Returns, by Tai Kato (best film of the series)
The DVDs should/may feature short presentations from Nicolas Saada. And because you’re curious, listen to the Lady Yakuza theme song! More details coming soon.
(English-friendly bootlegs are available, sourced from the japanese remastered prints)
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
IMO, Oryu Returns is one of the weakest films in the series. The 1st, 5th and 8th film are the best.
While I’m not a fan of HK Video’s transfers, I must say their film selection is fantastic. They’re releasing a lot JP treasures ignored by other companies in the west.
Reasons why I love the 6th film:
- The sexual subtext;
- The astonishing framework composition;
>195€
a typo?!
Worst, it’s the price! To be confirmed.
More expensive that the japanese DVDs (185 euros) O_o
Qu’ils ne viennent pas de plaindre de ne rien vendre !
(sans compter que la série n’est finalement pas un must have)
Un futur échec commercial, quoiqu’il arrive, étant donné que le grand public ne connait pas cette licence. Et, franchement, les masters chez HK Video sont loin d’être dégueux.
Ah, ouais quand même… c’est pas donné. L’amour du cinéma a bien un prix alors. HK Video n’a pas échappé à la crise apparemment, ils ont besoin de se refaire, il n’est pas sûr que ce soit la bonne solution.
Official retail price: 149,99€
ça reste quand meme assez cher, j’avoue ne pas trop comprendre le pourquoi d’un tel prix ??
Cover & details (8 films box set)
• Limited to 1500 copies
• 60 pages booklet
• original posters
(And they say, Kill Bill was also a tribute to these films)
(via)
The booklet cover (coming with the boxset):
And the first page;
Finally, the box set cover:
Resist, resist, resist…