DVDFile

Video: How Does the Disc Look?

Presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p presentation will knock your socks off. There’s such a willfully controlled sense of color and contrast at hand here – it’s really something. Color quality is vivid and well-balanced both in terms of saturated hues and more delicate flesh tones, and black levels are consistent throughout. The transfer print utilized is also impressively free of dirt and grime. The Ballad of Narayama may be boring in parts, but it’s never less than stunning in terms of video presence.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The LPCM 1.0 Japanese sound mix included here captures the movie perfectly, too. Dialogue is always audible and clear, and the movie’s haunting musical score has a fine, firm presence on this lossless track. It’s not a technical marvel, but there’s no question that the movie won’t sound much better than this any time soon.

English SDH subtitles are included.