Eclipse Series 28: The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara (Intimidation, The Warped Ones, I Hate But Love, Black Sun, Thirst for Love) (Criterion Collection)

well done
I hadn't the faintest clue who Kurahara was. Now I think that "Black Sun" is one of the best films ever. And "Thirst for Love" is almost in the same league. If you like film noir, you'll enjoy "Intimidation." "The Warped Ones," with its anti-hero - reemerging in "Black Sun" - can certainly hold its own against any nouvellevagueish souffle. Maybe I'm a sucker for jazz movies - check also Basil Dearden's "All Night Long," with a devilish Patrick McGoohan (http://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Underground-Gentlemen-Criterion-Collection/dp/B0047P5FTK), and Danska's "Sweet Love Bitter" (http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Love-Bitter-Don-Murray/dp/B00024IQFU/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1325570056&sr=1-1) - but "The Warped Ones" and "Black Sun" really work as be-bop cinema. But this was easy! What must have been difficult was to do something with the material of "I Hate But I Love," and Kurahara manages to create the most bizarre "romcom" ever.

An absolutely amazing collection ~
Buy this collection for one film: Thirst for Love. This is a film which I believe could stand on its own as a full fledged Criterion release. But all of the films are of great quality and very enjoyable. This is another release in a strong lineup of collections under the Eclipse label, and another solid collection of Japanese films. Some of the other Eclipse sets I have purchased include: Postwar Kurosawa, Late Ozu, and Nikkatsu Noir. I am looking forward to the upcoming 'When Horror Came to Shochiku' release.

Intimidation (1960) - a film about a mid level banker who is constantly abused by his boss (who, incidentally, was his childhood friend). His wife is even having an affair with the boss man. So when the boss becomes the target of an extortion plot, the employee is caught in the middle of a botched burglary of the bank by the boss. A witty story, with some great acting. This film shows a lot of influence by earlier French heist masters such as Dassin (Rififi),...

Hey, speak for yourself!
What kind of person would want to view someone's "warped world"? I suppose that's one reason we have movies...and we actually watch them, too. While these films are not so warped as one thinks, they can be revealing of some fascinating but very strange behaviors and dynamics within Japanese society.

Cinematography is a pleasure to watch and the stories are, well, unusual. These movies are definitely dated, but that adds to their quirkiness without diminishing their impact. Thanks to Criterion for keeping these in print. Only drawbacks are that there are no extras and the paper slipcase housing the individual cases has no bottom, allowing all five films to drop out when taking the set out from a shelf.

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