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A caption reads: Ministry of Education Arts Prize 1965 - Tomu Uchida. NHK Film & Director Prizes - Tomu Uchida. 11th White Bronze Prize Best Actor - Rentaro Mikuni. 16th Blue Ribbon Prize For Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. 5th Japan Film Critics Award for Best Film.
A caption reads: 20th Mainichi Film Competition Best Director - Tomu Uchida. Best Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. Best Male Lead - Rentaro Mikuni. Best Female Lead - Sachiko Hidari. Best Supporting Male Actor - Junzaburo Ban. Screenplay Writers Assc. Prize Best Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. 1964 Kinema Junpo Best Ten Ranked 5th.
A caption reads: Toei - Trailer
A man staggers through a mountainous landscape.
A caption reads: One of the most deeply moving, intense films in Japanese Cinema.
A caption in Japanese reads: The uncut version of three hours and two minutes.
A caption reads: A work by director Tomu Uchida
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
/A ferry is rocked from side to side in a harsh storm at sea.
A caption reads: In the midst of the tragic Hakodate Ferry disaster an inexcusable crime is perpetrated!
Three men fight with each other in a small boat at sea.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
A man runs down a train track chasing after a moving train.
A caption reads: During a time of hunger and turmoil.
An unkempt man, Takichi, sits on the floor of an open train carriage beside a woman in traditional Japanese robe, Yae. They both eat an apple.
- You're a nice person. - Who, me? - Yes, I can sense it.
A group of protesters chant and wave placards.
A caption reads: Men are being tracked down.
A couple writhe in bed under the covers.
A caption reads: Love and Hatred
A man approaches Yae working outside. He shows her a badge.
My name's Yumisaka. I'm with the Hakodate Police.
She looks at him curiously.
I'm looking for a man.
A caption reads: Best Supporting Actor Junzabaro Ban
He looks like a client that you had.
Yae reacts cautiously.
A caption reads: Best Female Leading Actor Sachiko Hidari
Takichi staggers outside in a haze. He has a headscarf wrapped around his head. The black and white colours reverse like a photo negative.
A caption reads: Filmed using the Toei W106 Method
Four men gather around a body on the floor. Two are clearly doctors. One of them is the detective Yumisaka. He holds a handkerchief to his mouth, repulsed by the smell.
A caption reads: Before a team of desperate investigators stands a wall of despicable crime
Takichi lifts up a big rock above his head then throws it down. From another angle we see he is throwing rocks onto a small wooden boat to smash it.
A caption reads: The truth has been hidden for the past ten years.
Takichi looks anxiously through a broken window.
An elderly woman looks terrified. We can only see the whites of her eyes.
I understood that I could never return. There are seven paths that lead to hell...
A caption reads: Through the words of a medium on Mount Osore
Close-up on the wheels of a train spinning round as it whistles.
A caption reads: Shot on location in Hokkaido, Shimokita, Tokyo, Maizuru
A man dressed in formal white shirt, Detective Ajimura, holds his jacket as he walks along a beach.
A caption reads: Ken Takakura.
A bald man with glasses stares intently at a document.
It's Inukai. It's definitely Takichi Inukai.
Ajimura sits opposite from him listening with intent.
Takichi Inukai?
The bald man takes his glasses off.
Ten years ago, I was looking for a very tall man who'd murdered two ex-convicts from Abashiri Prison. His name was Takichi Inukai.
Inukai, now tidied up, wears glasses and a moustache. He sits in a living room with a fan whirling behind him.
A caption reads: Best Male Leading Actor Rentaro Mikuni
My name is Tarumi.
Yae looks on confused
- Eh? - Kyoichiro Tarumi.
A light passes across Yae's face as she has a revelation.
Mr. Inukai...I knew it was you!
The two hug each other. Yae shouts.
- Mr. Inukai! - I'm not Inukai! - You're Mr. Inuaki! - I'm Tarumi. - Mr. Inukai! - I'm Tarumi. - Mr. Inukai! Mr. Inukai! You're Mr. Inukai...
The hug changes into something more sinister and we can see Takichi is hurting her. Yae begins to scream in pain before stopping suddenly with her arms becoming limp.
A caption reads: Born into the hell of starvation.
A caption reads: The Logic of Evil.
A truck drives along a bumpy beach, right beside the encroaching shoreline.
A caption reads: Original Story by Tsutomu Minakami
A sad looking Takichi wearing a white hat is behind the wheel. Wipers wipe away raindrops.
A fire engine with firemen hanging from it sounds its sirens. It parks by the road and the firemen as a group run off down a verge towards the beach.
A caption reads: From Tomu Uchida - Medal of Honor With Purple Ribbon Recipient
The men push a boat from the beach out to sea and jump in. It is already filled with people.
A caption reads: A work of great passion and tenacity.
We see another lifeboat being pushed out, also filled with people.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
We see the two boats out on the water with people rowing them further into the sea.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
Arrow Films
Considered the magnum opus of the five decades-long career of Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox), the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious Kinema Junpo magazine's 1999 poll of the Top Japanese Films of the 20th Century.
In 1947, a freak typhoon sends a passenger ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan plunging to the ocean depths, with hundreds of lives lost. During the chaos, three men are witnessed fleeing a burning pawnshop in the Hokkaido port town of Iwanai. The police suspect theft and arson, and when Detective Yumisaka (Junzaburo Ban) discovers the burned remains of a boat and the corpses of two men, he sets about tracking the shadowy third figure. Meanwhile, the mysterious Takichi Inukai (Rentaro Mikuni) takes shelter with a prostitute, Yae (Sachiko Hidari), a brief encounter that will come to define both of their lives. A decade later, long after the trail has gone cold, Yumisaka is called back by his successor Detective Ajimura (Ken Takakura) as two new dead bodies are found.
Making its home video debut outside of Japan, this adaptation of Tsutomu Minakami's 1700-page novel is a landmark in master director Uchida's oeuvre. Its gritty monochrome photography has the immediacy of newsreel as Uchida uses the landscapes of postwar Japan to explore the massive social upheaval and unspoken legacies of the war, and create an unsettling karmic allegory of a man's struggle to escape his past sins.
Product Features
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the restored 183 minute-long cut of the film
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Introduction by writer and curator Jasper Sharp
- Scene-specific commentaries from leading Japanese film scholars Aaron Gerow, Irene González-López, Erik Homenick, Earl Jackson, Daisuke Miyao and Alexander Zahlten
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Tomu Uchida filmography
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
- Arrow Video
- 183 mins approx
- 15
- 2.40:1
- Japanese
- 1
- Arrow Video
- Tomu Uchida
- Rentarō Mikuni
- Sachiko Hidari
- Kōji Mitsui
English
- 1965
- B
A Fugitive From The Past Blu-ray
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A caption reads: Ministry of Education Arts Prize 1965 - Tomu Uchida. NHK Film & Director Prizes - Tomu Uchida. 11th White Bronze Prize Best Actor - Rentaro Mikuni. 16th Blue Ribbon Prize For Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. 5th Japan Film Critics Award for Best Film.
A caption reads: 20th Mainichi Film Competition Best Director - Tomu Uchida. Best Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. Best Male Lead - Rentaro Mikuni. Best Female Lead - Sachiko Hidari. Best Supporting Male Actor - Junzaburo Ban. Screenplay Writers Assc. Prize Best Screenplay - Naoyuki Suzuki. 1964 Kinema Junpo Best Ten Ranked 5th.
A caption reads: Toei - Trailer
A man staggers through a mountainous landscape.
A caption reads: One of the most deeply moving, intense films in Japanese Cinema.
A caption in Japanese reads: The uncut version of three hours and two minutes.
A caption reads: A work by director Tomu Uchida
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
/A ferry is rocked from side to side in a harsh storm at sea.
A caption reads: In the midst of the tragic Hakodate Ferry disaster an inexcusable crime is perpetrated!
Three men fight with each other in a small boat at sea.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
A man runs down a train track chasing after a moving train.
A caption reads: During a time of hunger and turmoil.
An unkempt man, Takichi, sits on the floor of an open train carriage beside a woman in traditional Japanese robe, Yae. They both eat an apple.
- You're a nice person. - Who, me? - Yes, I can sense it.
A group of protesters chant and wave placards.
A caption reads: Men are being tracked down.
A couple writhe in bed under the covers.
A caption reads: Love and Hatred
A man approaches Yae working outside. He shows her a badge.
My name's Yumisaka. I'm with the Hakodate Police.
She looks at him curiously.
I'm looking for a man.
A caption reads: Best Supporting Actor Junzabaro Ban
He looks like a client that you had.
Yae reacts cautiously.
A caption reads: Best Female Leading Actor Sachiko Hidari
Takichi staggers outside in a haze. He has a headscarf wrapped around his head. The black and white colours reverse like a photo negative.
A caption reads: Filmed using the Toei W106 Method
Four men gather around a body on the floor. Two are clearly doctors. One of them is the detective Yumisaka. He holds a handkerchief to his mouth, repulsed by the smell.
A caption reads: Before a team of desperate investigators stands a wall of despicable crime
Takichi lifts up a big rock above his head then throws it down. From another angle we see he is throwing rocks onto a small wooden boat to smash it.
A caption reads: The truth has been hidden for the past ten years.
Takichi looks anxiously through a broken window.
An elderly woman looks terrified. We can only see the whites of her eyes.
I understood that I could never return. There are seven paths that lead to hell...
A caption reads: Through the words of a medium on Mount Osore
Close-up on the wheels of a train spinning round as it whistles.
A caption reads: Shot on location in Hokkaido, Shimokita, Tokyo, Maizuru
A man dressed in formal white shirt, Detective Ajimura, holds his jacket as he walks along a beach.
A caption reads: Ken Takakura.
A bald man with glasses stares intently at a document.
It's Inukai. It's definitely Takichi Inukai.
Ajimura sits opposite from him listening with intent.
Takichi Inukai?
The bald man takes his glasses off.
Ten years ago, I was looking for a very tall man who'd murdered two ex-convicts from Abashiri Prison. His name was Takichi Inukai.
Inukai, now tidied up, wears glasses and a moustache. He sits in a living room with a fan whirling behind him.
A caption reads: Best Male Leading Actor Rentaro Mikuni
My name is Tarumi.
Yae looks on confused
- Eh? - Kyoichiro Tarumi.
A light passes across Yae's face as she has a revelation.
Mr. Inukai...I knew it was you!
The two hug each other. Yae shouts.
- Mr. Inukai! - I'm not Inukai! - You're Mr. Inuaki! - I'm Tarumi. - Mr. Inukai! - I'm Tarumi. - Mr. Inukai! Mr. Inukai! You're Mr. Inukai...
The hug changes into something more sinister and we can see Takichi is hurting her. Yae begins to scream in pain before stopping suddenly with her arms becoming limp.
A caption reads: Born into the hell of starvation.
A caption reads: The Logic of Evil.
A truck drives along a bumpy beach, right beside the encroaching shoreline.
A caption reads: Original Story by Tsutomu Minakami
A sad looking Takichi wearing a white hat is behind the wheel. Wipers wipe away raindrops.
A fire engine with firemen hanging from it sounds its sirens. It parks by the road and the firemen as a group run off down a verge towards the beach.
A caption reads: From Tomu Uchida - Medal of Honor With Purple Ribbon Recipient
The men push a boat from the beach out to sea and jump in. It is already filled with people.
A caption reads: A work of great passion and tenacity.
We see another lifeboat being pushed out, also filled with people.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
We see the two boats out on the water with people rowing them further into the sea.
A caption reads: A Fugitive From The Past
Arrow Films
Considered the magnum opus of the five decades-long career of Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox), the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious Kinema Junpo magazine's 1999 poll of the Top Japanese Films of the 20th Century.
In 1947, a freak typhoon sends a passenger ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan plunging to the ocean depths, with hundreds of lives lost. During the chaos, three men are witnessed fleeing a burning pawnshop in the Hokkaido port town of Iwanai. The police suspect theft and arson, and when Detective Yumisaka (Junzaburo Ban) discovers the burned remains of a boat and the corpses of two men, he sets about tracking the shadowy third figure. Meanwhile, the mysterious Takichi Inukai (Rentaro Mikuni) takes shelter with a prostitute, Yae (Sachiko Hidari), a brief encounter that will come to define both of their lives. A decade later, long after the trail has gone cold, Yumisaka is called back by his successor Detective Ajimura (Ken Takakura) as two new dead bodies are found.
Making its home video debut outside of Japan, this adaptation of Tsutomu Minakami's 1700-page novel is a landmark in master director Uchida's oeuvre. Its gritty monochrome photography has the immediacy of newsreel as Uchida uses the landscapes of postwar Japan to explore the massive social upheaval and unspoken legacies of the war, and create an unsettling karmic allegory of a man's struggle to escape his past sins.
Product Features
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the restored 183 minute-long cut of the film
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Introduction by writer and curator Jasper Sharp
- Scene-specific commentaries from leading Japanese film scholars Aaron Gerow, Irene González-López, Erik Homenick, Earl Jackson, Daisuke Miyao and Alexander Zahlten
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Tomu Uchida filmography
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
- Arrow Video
- 183 mins approx
- 15
- 2.40:1
- Japanese
- 1
- Arrow Video
- Tomu Uchida
- Rentarō Mikuni
- Sachiko Hidari
- Kōji Mitsui
English
- 1965
- B
Customer Reviews
Top Customer Reviews
Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.
Capital "M" Masterpiece
As for the physical release itself, A Fugitive From the Past comes in of the best HD digital masters I've seen of a classic Japanese film like this (short of a full 2K or 4K restoration). A/V quality is amazing across the board, and despite the older source material used, I feel like that extra bit of restoration work on Arrow's part made the difference. But this disc also comes with some really enlightening commentaries that shouldn't be missed by any Japanese Cinema fans like myself. The movie, though... Honestly, I think this might be the best crime drama, the best murder mystery, the best procedural, the best tragic romance; very possibly the best movie. And a pleasant surprise, these three hours speed by with the most kinetic visual design to ever accompany such unbelievably epic, detailed storytelling. From start to finish, this is a deeply riveting, utterly haunting, absolutely transfixing experience that takes the conventions and expectations of pulp fiction cinema to turn that framework inside out and showcase a new kind of crime thriller. With A Fugitive From the Past, Tomu Uchida successfully crafted the most potently psychological study of criminal activity I think I've ever seen and its intersecting dynamics with family life, morality, responsibility, judgement and justice, truth, and the power words can have over others. With its undeniable post-modern arthouse sensibilities, this movie is a visual and sonic microcosm of investigations into perception, belief, human behavior, and the relationships that define everyday people. But even on top of that, A Fugitive From the Past also manages to have the courage to operate as a counter-cultural meditation on social inequity, the terrible consequences of a damaged social structure, and the dehumanizing, desensitizing effects of communal trauma, the growth of capitalism's global toxicity, and ethical corruption as an answer to real world issues and the animalistic side of humanity. The Buddhist elements, too, add an extra intriguing layer of spiritual adventure, as the visceral action of the story and its weighty emotional core mix with heavy, abstract inquiries of both philosophical and existential flavors, further emphasizing Uchida's interests in exposing the darkly poetic and often tortuous nature of this thing we call our existence and place in the universe. Imagine blending the styles and sensibilities of Scorsese and Fincher, Bergman and Antonioni, Kurosawa and Bong Joon-ho, and just funneling it all through a surrealist-tinged nightmare odyssey of love, betrayal, tragedy, and murder, with a good twist of mystic, socially-conscious tones and ideas. That's what you'll find here.
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