Profound Desires of the Gods (1968) (Blu-ray + DVD)

The culmination of Imamura s extraordinary examinations of the fringes of Japanese society throughout the 1960s, Profound Desires of the Gods was an 18-month super-production which failed to make an impression at the time of its release, but has since risen in stature to become one of the most legendary albeit least seen Japanese films of recent decades.

Presenting a vast chronicle of life on the remote Kurage Island, the film centres on the disgraced, superstitious, interbred Futori family and the Tokyo engineer sent to supervise the creation of a new well an encounter which leads to both conflict and complicity in strange and powerful ways.

A tragic view of a passing epoch that teeters on the edge of grotesque farce, Imamura s merciless gaze combines with spectacular colour Scope photography to create a mythic saga convulsing with earthly impulses.

SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT EDITION

• Spectacular new HD transfer in the film s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio
• New and improved optional English subtitle translation
• New video introduction by film scholar Tony Rayns
• Original Japanese theatrical trailer (in 1080p on Blu-ray)
• 44-PAGE BOOKLET with a new essay by Tony Rayns (to accompany his introduction); rare stills; two statements from Imamura; and a transcript of Imamura s introduction and Q&A session at the 1994 Edinburgh International Film Festival s screening of the film