Audition, 1999.
Directed by Takashi Miike.
Starring Ryô Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, and Tetsu Sawaki.
SYNOPSIS:
A widower has his film producer friend organize a fake audition as a means of helping him find a new girlfriend, but the woman he selects is not who she appears to be.
It has been 10 years since Arrow Video released Takashi Miike’s proto-torture porn classic Audition on Blu-ray – reviewed elsewhere on this site – and as if to celebrate (although it was probably just good timing) Arrow have decided to put it out again, but this time on 4K UHD in a brand new restoration so you can enjoy the madness all over again.
If you are not familiar with Audition then it tells the story of widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) who, whilst looking to join the dating game again, is convinced by his friend friend Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) to hold auditions under the pretence of casting for a TV show but really it is for a new wife. Despite not really enjoying the experience, one applicant who catches Shigeharu’s eye is Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), a beautiful and softly spoken young woman who seems perfect, and the couple begin a relationship. But when Asami leaves after a night of passion the smitten Shigeharu goes searching for her and discovers that she has been a little economical with the truth and is not exactly who she claimed to be.
And if you don’t know how it plays out you can be sure you’ve seen plenty of horror movies that have been inspired by it, because Audition is now nearly 30 years old, pre-dated torture porn and is still disturbing, as it was back in 1999, although watching it now in this age of social media and when every other TV show is about dating and being as sexually explicit as broadcasters can allow, Audition also has a certain charm about it. It was a standout movie from the J-horror boom that was popular at the time and led the charge in so many ways, but after all these years it also has the air of something from a different age, something that was considered extreme and dark when there was little else to compare it to but nowadays, if you were watching it for the first time, could feel a little underwhelming if you were expecting hardcore gore, and considering the movies that Audition inspired then that isn’t an unreasonable reaction.
That said, however, the shocking moments still shock and the final 30 minutes is still one of the best payoffs after having sat through 80-odd minutes of a romance that you thought was kind-of sweet but didn’t feel quite right. Despite Asami’s ultimate actions the star of the show is Ryô Ishibashi, who gives one of the most natural performances of a grieving man looking for love that no rom-com or melodrama has captured in quite the same way, and even if you know how the movie plays out it you still feel for him as he goes through what Asami puts him through.
To make what she puts him through a little edgier, the 4K UHD restoration delivers. Audition was never a colourful or glitzy movie but the natural colour palette shines, and Arrow have mercifully kept the grain levels whilst sharpening the edges so the image looks noticeably better than the previous Blu-ray release. There are one or two moments where the image goes a little soft, but not enough to distract, and when combined with the newly restored lossless audio it certainly makes for a more immersive experience, especially during the final confrontation when sound is key to filling in the gaps that Takashi Miike’s camera doesn’t show you. All of the previous Blu-ray extras have been ported over, along with a new interview with actor Ryô Ishibashi and an audio essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, so there is plenty of context from previous years and today to reflect upon.
So if you already own the Blu-ray, is this new edition worthy of a purchase? As with all of these Arrow Video 4K upgrades, it depends on how much you love the movie and how much cash you are willing to part with to indulge in that love, but in the case of Audition it is definitely worth checking out at some point (i.e. when Arrow have a sale on). However, if you are investigating for the first time then this is the version to pick up. Either way, Audition is still a fantastic horror movie that anyone calling themselves a horror fan needs to own.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
