Battle Royale - 3 Disc Box Set (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]

Product Description

At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is in a a state of near-collapse. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and violence among the nation's youth is spiraling out of control. With schoolchildren boycotting their classes and physically abusing their teachers, a beleaguered and near-defeated government decides to introduce a radical new measure: the Battle Royale Act Overseen by their former teacher ( Beat Takeshi) Kitano and requiring that a randomly chosen school class is taken to a deserted island and forced to fight each other to the death, the Act dictates that only one pupil is allowed to survive the punishment. He or she will return, not as the victor, but as the ultimate proof of the lengths to which the government is prepared to go to curb the tide of juvenile disobedience. One of the most controversial films of all time, clever, creepy and ultra-violent, Battle Royale is the jewel in the crown of Japanese Shock Cinema.

3 DISC LIMITED EDITION SET FEATURES:

• BRAND NEW RESTORED TRANSFER IN GLORIOUS HIGH DEFINITION 1080P OF BOTH FILMS
• BRAND NEW SUBTITLE TRANSLATION ON BOTH FEATURES
• LIMITED EDITION PACKAGING NUMBERED #/5000 WITH CERTIFICATE
• LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC 1 THEATRICAL CUT: SPECIAL FEATURES

• ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER
• THE MAKING OF BATTLE ROYALE: THE EXPERIENCE OF 42 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
• CONDUCTING BATTLE ROYALE WITH THE WARSAW NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

DISC 2 SPECIAL EDITION [DIRECTOR S CUT]: SPECIAL FEATURES

• SPECIAL EDITION TRAILER
• TV SPOT: TARANTINO VERSION
• SHOOTING THE SPECIAL EDITION
• TAKESHI KITANO INTERVIEW
• THE CORRECT WAY TO MAKE BATTLE ROYALE [BIRTHDAY VERION]
• TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTATION

DISC 3 SPECIAL FEATURES

• OPENING DAY AT MARU NO UCHI TOEI MOVIE THEATRE
• THE SLAUGHTER OF 42 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
• PREMIERE PRESS CONFERENCE
• THE CORRECT WAY TO FIGHT IN BATTLE ROYALE
• ROYALE REHEARSALS
• MASAMICHI AMANO CONDUCTS BATTLE ROYALE SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPARISON
• BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE
• FILMING ON SET
• TV SPOTS, PROMOS AND COMMERCIALS
• KINJI FUKASAKU TRAILER REEL

32 PAGE COMIC

36 PAGE BOOKLET INCLUDING:

• A BATTLE WITHOUT AN END BY TOM MES, AUTHOR OF THE MIDNIGHT EYE GUIDE TO NEW JAPANESE FILM
• PRINTED INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR KINJI FUKASAKU
• TODAY S LESSON IS... YOU KILL EACH OTHER BY JAY MCROY, AUTHOR OF JAPANESE HORROR CINEMA [LE EXCLUSIVE]
• EXTRACT FROM KOUSHUN TAKAMI S ORIGINAL NOVEL [LE EXCLUSIVE]
• ORIGINAL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL INCLUDING DIRECTOR S STATEMENT, CAST AND CREW BIOGS [LE EXCLUSIVE]

16 PAGE BOOKLET INCLUDING:

• CONCEPT ARTWORK AND DRAWINGS FOR THE LIMITED EDITION SET [LE EXCLUSIVE]

5X7 POSTCARDS OF STILLS FROM THE FILM [LE EXCLUSIVE]

FOLD-OUT REVERSIBLE POSTER OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK

From Amazon.co.uk

With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence it’s only fitting that Kenta Fukasaku’s Battle Royale is being touted as A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese school kids, whose bad behaviour provides a justification for the "punishments" which will ensue. To be honest, anyone who has grown up with Grange Hill will view these aggressive teenagers’ acts as pretty moderate, but in the context of Japanese culture, their lack of respect is a challenge to the traditional values of respecting ones elders.

Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ("Beat" Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate: after an impartial lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the "Battle Royale". Their only chance of survival in the "Battle" is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love.

The film looks like a war-flick on occasions, with intense Apocalypse Now-style imagery (check out the classical score blasted over the tannoys with sweeping shots of helicopters). Yet, Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities’ desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. But whether you view the film as an important social commentary or simply enjoy the adrenalin-fuelled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. --Nikki Disney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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