Blu-ray Film Review | Radiance

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (1977) • Limited Edition Blu-ray [Radiance] — stylistically bold, unremittingly bleak drama

A talented female golfer has to contend with the men in her life, her neighbours, her brother, and a stalker.

The clue’s in the title, really, because the only joy to be found in Seijun Suzuki’s comeback movie is in its brash cinematic stylings. 10 years prior, the director had been unceremoniously dismissed by Nikkatsu for making insultingly unintelligible movies. Seems his innovation, experimentation, and slick Pop Art aesthetic were too much for the studio executives. So, it’s heartening to see that he hasn’t learned his lesson because A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness / 悲愁物語 / Hishu monogatari is an uncompromising return to form.

However, it can’t be called a crowd-pleaser and will appeal most to those with a keen interest in 1970s Japanese cinema, eager to place it within the context of Suzuki’s remarkable career. So, this nicely cleaned-up high-definition transfer, with new sympathetic subtitle…