woman in the dunes review

I was baffled when I first saw this on DVD; OK, so it was the theatrical cut of the movie and not the (superior) directors cut  which was released later. Also of note was the picture quality...not bad given the film's age but with the advancements in technology nowadays: you know that it could be better. Thankfully the new release of the movie has a pristine picture as well as giving us the full 147 minutes and as the director intended. This review will be of the newer CRITERION COLLECTION release and not the older DVD release. Firstly, this movie is dark...not only in subject matter but also is shot with a dark picture on purpose so be prepared to turn up the brightness. Secondly, I have to applaud director Hiroshi Teshigahara on making a 2 hour plus movie revolving around 2 people and keeping it interesting (no easy feat I'm sure). Even though I'm not at all familiar with any of his other movies, it would be interesting to see some others of his work for comparison. This film is a slow burner and not for everyone but as it is such an interesting watch; I would recommend this highly especially if you enjoy the genre ("kwaidan"). Why do I compare it to "kwaidan"? Simple, because both films have the power to captivate the viewer with the story. If you would like to get into foreign movies then this is a good choice. Also of note is "Kwaidan", "Kaiji", "Hara-kiri", "Onibaba and "A moment to remember". These are THE foreign films that I would consider essential viewing.