REVOLUTION: SPECIAL EDITION DVD REVIEW

 Format: PAL DVD (Special edition)
Stockists: Virgin Music, HMV and most other reputable dealers. Released UK: November 2002

Looking back on it now, I think fate destined me to watch Battle Royale. As an avid customer of certain 
competing music store giants in my nearest city centre (The ever grimy and wonderful Liverpool) I'd been 
craving a number of DVDs ever since I first bought my Playstation 2 last Christmas. Naturally being a penniless student who can't be bothered to find motivation for more than eating wotsits and writing too many yaoi fanfics let alone a job I mostly had to content myself with gazing longingly at the plastic boxes and running out of the shops before I did something my parents and I would regret.


On one of the days I actually had a bit of cash to spare and two fresh, shiny vouchers for use in Woolworths or MVC I took the train to Liverpool and hit the DVD counter hard- In the first store, Woolworths I discovered copies of 'Beat' Takeshi's Violent Cop and Red Wolf in the two for twenty pounds offer- with a scream loud enough to deafen my poor friend Steph, who I'd dragged along, I ran for the checkout. 

Fifteen minutes later and with less grace than a bull in a china shop I exited Woolies DVD-less. According to the helpful, but ultimatly clueless assistant they couldn't find either DVD. I was slightly disheartened, but carried on shopping and searching for a branch of MVC. Unfortunatly it was nowhere to be seen and after bidding a hasty farewell to Steph I jumped on the train and raced to nearby Birkenhead, hoping to make it in time to barge through the doors just before they shut- grab a DVD and run. Luckily it was late night shopping and I arrived with more than half an hour to spare. However, by this time I was so desperate to find a DVD and scoot back home to watch it I would probably have beaten a Grandmother to death for the last copy of 'Ring' (Even elderly people should watch Japanese horror ne?) After a hasty perusal of the shelves and several minutes of agonising decisions I chose 'Ring'- I'd already purchased the sequel and sat for a baffling hour and a half trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I assumed that this might enlighten me and make 'Ring 2' seem slightly less bizarre. 

No such luck! When the poor assistant told me they didn't have a copy of 'Ring' instore I nearly prostrated myself in horror. This was the third DVD to escape me in less than two hours! Trudging back to the martial arts and horror section I scoured it in search of something else to take my fancy. Now, I'd picked up copies of Battle Royale a couple of times in HMV, read the back and gone 'Hmm...'
 
Now, with the cash in hand I took the plunge, figuring if it was really bad I could just scratch the disc with my keys and return it! I approached the counter with trepidation, gearing myself up to find out that this DVD had also disapeared off the face of the Earth- but 
I was in luck! Clutching my MVC carrier bag I trotted back home, not for once thinking that I was about to watch the best Japanese movie I'd ever had the pleasure (or nightmare)of purchasing.

Moving on to the actual contents of the DVD- well I'd purchased my first normal version copy two weeks before I sold it to buy the special edition. Not, being a video technician or having any actual knowledge of picture quality beyond the- "I can see them!" or "He's so orange he looks like a tangerine", I'm no authority to talk about picture quality etc. 
 
The film looks, sounds and smells just as it does on the normal DVD except for the added scenes and Requiems of the ending which enrich our understanding of Fukasaku's vision further. As usual we are presented with a poignant and spectacularly violent social and moral commentary wrapped up with moving performances from the youthful cast. Despite my personal dislike of the two main heroes- Nanahara and Noriko (I'm biased towards Mimura and the wonderfully creepy Kiriyama) This is still the best and most original movie I've seen in a long time.

Even spotting the bloophers in this ground-breaking movie is a joy- as few and far between as they are you can create a great drinking game out of both the idioscyracies and flaws in BR. (See my new page)

Putting the film itself aside before I start ranting about Kiriyama again, the first thing that strikes you as being different about this Special Edition is the packaging. Coming in a swanky silver case, with the BR logo blazoned proudly on the front this really does make the repackaging a classy affair. After stripping off several annoying layers of plastic wrap I opened up my case to discover a film cell!

Set on a piece of card decorated with the adorable (if not a tad creepy BR Video gal) and with it's own personalized serial number this is a random prize that could be any shot from Kiriyama to someone's foot. 

Inside the double DVD case is a leaflet with some biographical information on 'Beat' Takeshi (Kitano) and the sadly recently deceased director Kinji Fukasaku which is elaborated on in the Biographies section of the extras. And a postcard with the island map on the back ^_^

The disks themselves are nicely decorated in the typical red and black BR logo.

Extras:

On the extras for the original edition I hoped for alot more--sadly there was only a small filmography section, disppointing stills gallery and the original trailer. However this feast of BR loveliness more than makes up for an original failings.

First of all there is a fifty minute look behind the scenes of BR, showing what happened throughtout the making of this incredible movie, with candid interviews from Fukasaku and snippets of most of the cast on set and off. Although some of this is not subtitled it still gives a unique insight into how BR was formed. 

Along with this there is footage from rehearsals and the actual audition for the cast members which provides us with a view of the actors before they took on the roles that have become genre icons. 

As for post BR footage there are the press conferance and premiere films that again show us the actors and their commitment to BR-- throughtout the extras the whole sentiment is that everyone was very proud of their achievements and that BRs legacy will live on for a long time to come. (Also it's a delight to see Masanobu Ando acting almost in character at the press conferance)

On the stranger side there is a Birthday Special of the BR video for Kinji Fukasaku's birthday which seems quite poignant and touching in light of his recent passing. 

Two TV spots-- including a recommendation from the emminent director Quentin Tarantino and a Special Effects featurette (Which contains interesting details on how the more grisly side of BR was created) round off the package.

Being biased as I am I could just declare this the best £30 pounds (or however many dollars) a BR fan could spend, but for the sheer variety and extra amount of footage you get with this DVD as well as the treat of a film cell it is a worthwhile addition to anyone's collection.
Now if only I could get my hands on the sound track too.

(Big Thanks to Mandiapple.com for the caps used on this page.)