Mapleton Mail

On 5/23, Shohei Imamura’s Digitally-Restored Final Film, WARM WATER UNDER a RED BRIDGE, Arrives on Blu-Ray!

“An enlightening, even liberating, experience.”

-- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

 

“A delirious celebration of the female orgasm.”

-- Ed Gonzales, Slant Magazine

 

“The best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made.”

-- Ella Taylor, LA Weekly

 

A DOWN-AND-OUT SALARYMAN TRAVELS TO A SEASIDE TOWN WHERE HE MEETS A WOMAN WITH UNUSUAL SEXUAL POWERS

IN THE DIGITALLY RESTORED FINAL FILM FROM

REVERED FILMMAKER SHOHEI IMAMURA – ON BLU-RAY

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN NORTH AMERICA

 

WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE

 

Street Date: May 23, 2023

Blu-ray/DVD/Digital: $34.95/$29.95

 

The Palme d’Or Nominated Classic Arrives on an Extras-Laden Release

Featuring a Specially-Produced Video Essay by Author/Film Curator Tom Vick and a 16-Page Collectible Booklet  

SYNOPSIS

 

Brimming with magical realism, sensuality, and humor, the final film by revered filmmaker Shohei Imamura tells the story of Yosuke Sasano (Koji Yakusho), an unemployed salaryman who arrives in a remote fishing village following a rumor of hidden treasure. Instead, he meets Saeko Aizawa (Misa Shimizu), a charming and unusual woman with a unique problem: a well of warm water inside her longing for release. Saeko faces both shame and adoration for her condition, which the local anglers believe feeds the river and its fish. Intrigued and enamored, Yosuke decides to take up a new life as a fisherman. Through their passionate affair, Imamura paints a picture of longing, fantasy, and the search for true happiness in the most unexpected of places that's both "nonchalantly freaky and uncommonly pleasurable" (Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice).

 

BONUS FEATURES

 

  • Messy and Juicy video essay by author and film curator Tom Vick
  • 16-page booklet with new essay by film scholar and writer Hwang Kyunmin 

 

PROGRAM INFORMATION

 

Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)

Genre: World Cinema/Drama

Running Time: 120 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen

Audio: 2.0 Stereo

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles