New Arrival The Human Condition (#480)

This mammoth humanist drama by Masaki Kobayashi is one of the most staggering achievements of Japanese cinema. Originally filmed and released in three installments of two parts each, the nine-and-a-half-hour The Human Condition, adapted from Junpei Gomikawas six-volume novel, tells of the journey of the well-intentioned yet naive Kajiplayed by the Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadaifrom labor camp supervisor to Imperial Army soldier to Soviet prisoner of war. Constantly trying to rise above a corrupt system, Kaji time and again finds his morals to be an impediment rather than an advantage. A raw indictment of Japans wartime mentality as well as a personal existential tragedy, Kobayashis riveting, gorgeously filmed epic is novelistic cinema at its best.

SPECIAL FEATURES

On the Blu-ray: High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural (Parts 14) and 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio (Parts 5 and 6) soundtracks

On the DVD: Restored high-definition digital transfer

Excerpt from a 1993 Directors Guild of Japan interview with director Masaki Kobayashi, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda

Interview from 2009 with actor Tatsuya Nakadai

Appreciation of Kobayashi and The Human Condition from 2009 featuring Shinoda

Trailers

PLUS: An essay by critic Philip Kemp