Directed and filmed by Kazuo Hara
Presented from a new director-approved HD remaster, Second Run present one of the most renowned, ground-breaking and inspirational documentaries of the past half-century.
Conceived by Shôhei Imamura, Kazuo Hara’s infamous and audacious documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki, an ageing Japanese WW2 veteran, on a mission to uncover the truth about atrocities committed as the war in the Pacific reached its bloody end. Ultimately, Okuzaki blames Japan’s Emperor Hirohito himself for these barbarities, and his obsessive pursuit of those he deems responsible soon escalates. Willing to confront the taboos of Japanese society in his fanatical quest for justice, Okuzaki is driven to unsettling acts of violence.Â
Harrowing and extraordinarily powerful, Hara’s film forces us to face the disturbing realities of war and, crucially, to question the complicity between filmmaker, subject and audience.
This region-free Blu-ray also features a new interview with director Kazuo Hara, shot by the filmmaker especially for this release; the 2018 Open City Documentary Film Festival Masterclass with Hara and a booklet featuring writing by film historians Tony Rayns, Jason Wood and Abé Mark Nornes.
Japan, 1987
Length / The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On: Blu-Ray (24fps): 121 minutes
Length / Special features (Blu-ray): 67 mins
Sound / Blu-Ray:Â
2.0 Mono LPCM (48khz/16-bit)
Sound / DVD: 2.0 Mono
Colour
Original aspect ratio: 1.55:1
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Blu-Ray: BD50 / 1080 / 24fps / Region ABC
• Presented from a new HD remaster approved by director Kazuo Hara.
• An exclusive, newly filmed interview with Kazuo Hara.
• Kazuo Hara Masterclass: the director in conversation at the 2018 Open City Documentary Festival.
• 20-page booklet featuring writing on the film by Tony Rayns, Jason Wood and Abé Mark Nornes.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• World premiere release on Blu-ray.
• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C)Â
