Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III
Red Peony Gambler I - III

Film Movement Classics

Red Peony Gambler I - III

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Edition Type: Standard Edition

FMC-004
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This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!

Details

This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Poochamin) was limited to 2,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.

Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month Film Club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. In 2015, Film Movement launched the reissue label Film Movement Classics featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on home video, with an emphasis on films by auteur directors such as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway and Takeshi Kitano.

Produced during the heyday of ninkyo eiga (chivalrous yakuza films), the seminal Red Peony Gambler series has had a lasting influence on cult cinema. The illustrious Junko Fuji stars as the beautiful and badass Oryu, the eponymous and benevolent female gambler who uses her incredible might for right. In the series’ premiere she rambles into town searching for her father’s killer with a wallet left at the crime scene as her only clue. At a card game she meets a kindred spirit, the noble and handsome yakuza Katagiri (Ken Takakura) and soon they are a force to be reckoned with. Part 2 finds Oryu under the arm of the kind gang boss of a silk farming town. When ruthless loan sharks encroach and their treachery leads to murder, it is Oryu’s sworn duty to exact justice. Maestro of Japanese cinema Tai Kato simultaneously satiates and transcends genre tropes in his masterful direction of the celebrated third film in the series. From its classically melodramatic opening set piece involving an oncoming train, the stage is set for a visually rich tale of good versus evil.

directed by: Kosaku Yamashita, Norifumi Suzuki, Tai Kato
starring: Junko Fuji, Ken Takakura, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kyosuke Machida, Michitaro Mizushima, Kanjuro Arashi, Teruo Ishiyama, Bunta Sugawara, Koji Tsuruta
1968 - 1970 / 291 min (combined) / 2.35:1 / Japanese DTS-HD MA 1.0

Additional info:

  • Region A 3-disc Blu-ray
  • New video essays on Red Peony 1 & 2 by TokyoScope author Patrick Macias
  • Video introduction to Red Peony 3 by director Alex Cox (Repo Man)
  • New audio commentary on Red Peony 3 by Chris Poggiali These Fist Break Bricks) and John Charles (The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997)
    • Booklet with new essay by Mark Schilling (The Yakuza Movie Book)
    • English subtitles

    Overall rating: 4.775 / 5 from 120 reviews.

    AI Generated Review Summary

    This limited edition Blu-ray collection of the Red Peony Gambler series is highly praised for its exceptional transfer, top-notch packaging, and spectacular artwork. Customers appreciate the presentation and the look of the product, and the film is well-received for its quality and appeal.

    Summary topics

    • Trilogy Release (11%): It was highlighted by customers that this collection is great and amazing, with a solid trilogy release.
    • Spectacular Artwork (12%): Customers expressed appreciation for the spectacular artwork, which was described as spectacular, top notch, and outstanding.
    • Product Appearance (12%): Customers expressed satisfaction with the look of the product, stating that it looks awesome and fantastic.
    • Product Presentation (8%): Customers expressed appreciation for the presentation, with many describing it as nice, great, and amazing.
    • Blu-ray Transfer Quality (15%): Many customers brought up that the transfer to Blu-ray is exceptional and delivers high-definition viewing experience.

    Review topics: ["quality","looks","packaging","service","value","sound","depth","set","buy","film","release","transfer","artwork","collection","trilogy","movie","slipcover","series","restoration","flick","gambler","presentation","yakuza","cinema","story","drama","guy","acting","pacing","booklet"].

    Review highlights

    • "The transfers look great, and the overall package has a wonderful presentation with amazing artwork." — Steven B.
    • "The transfers look outstanding and the limited slipcover artwork outshines the standard artwork on the case." — Russel H.
    • "ALWAYS RELEASE GREAT TITLES FANTASTIC ART WORK AND EXCELLENT QUALITY VINEGAR SYNDROME ARE THE BEST AROUND" — MICHAEL T.

    Reviews

    Impeccable restoration

    "Stunning visually, this restoration is impeccable. Just gorgeous. The stylized acting and plots are intriguing. The enclosed booklet is informative and beautifully done - as is the slipcover."

    — Donald M. (5/5)

    Red Peony Gambler

    "Slow paced but well made early Yakuza films that hint toward the shift to modern Yakuza."

    — Drew G. (4/5)

    FMC-004

    "Tried the Hong Kong movies, can’t take to them. This was a sale purchase and great value for the 3 movies, nicely packaged !!"

    — richard c. (3/5)

    Nice Trilogy

    "The slipcover is awesome, as always with anything VS or their awesome partner Labels release! It is a cool movie that was a lot of fun to watch! I always love the unique VS service of allowing you to stack as many movies as you like in your cart during any release period and ship them for free! The peerless VS restoration process was on full display with stellar sound and picture! Thank you, VS, for continuing to lovingly restore and release so many wonderful films from every conceivable genre! You are keeping physical media alive in this streaming world we now live in! Highly recommended!"

    — Paul K. (5/5)

    Yakuza Goodness

    "Three entertaining Yakuza films set in the Meiji era. The stories play out like a female led version of the Zatoichi films. In addition, all three films are of similar quality. The films look great and is highly recommended for fans of these films."

    — Stephen P. (5/5)

    Roll the Dice!

    "Great collection of Japanese historical yakuza films! High cinema, they're not, but they're darn fun with some great action. Picture and sound are great with the new restorations."

    — William Z. (5/5)

    Another win

    "Can never pass up a box set/complete set so I bought this blind based off other reviews, if you're a big collector of the Japanese arrow titles, go ahead and snag this one. Didn't not disappoint"

    — Tenzin T. (5/5)

    Good films, hope to see more

    "Although a big fan of yakuza films set in the "modern" era after WW2, these are the first "ninkyo eiga" I have seen and I'm hooked. Everything I've read on ninkyo eiga talks about how formulaic they are, but I must have a more narrow definition of that word than most because I found all three of these films to be different enough. Only the basic structure is the same; the lead character bonds with a good gang, a bad gang does a bad thing, the lead teams up with a handsome guy and defeats the bad guys. The towns, secondary characters and secondary plots are all different; the second film has the bad guys abusing workers at a silk mill that was loosely based on real events, while the third has someone impersonating our protagonist and a young couple who want to get married but are being kept apart. That does not qualify as "formulaic" to me, that'd be like complaining that a song follows verse-chorus format! The music in the films is good btw. Now, naturally these films are a little different than most ninkyo eiga for the simple fact that they are female-led. Junko Fuji was great throughout--aside from the action scenes, but everything else about the films is good, so I can overlook one female actor being relatively bad at action when compared to the men--and I loved seeing how many legends are in these films like Bunta Sugawara (fun to see him be a proper bad guy), Ken Takakura, Koji Tsuruta, Asao Koike, and Nobuo Kaneko (for a small bit). I was pleasantly surprised that the films are set in the Meiji era and therefore feature some Western clothing and guns. Kind of cool that Wakayama and Machida play recurring characters as this prevents the films from being completely episodic. I really, really hope Film Movement releases the rest of the Red Peony Gambler series."

    — Kevin L. (5/5)

    Awesome Trilogy!

    "Just getting into Yamashita films this is a great introduction. If Yakuza films are your thing, get this immediately. The restorations are stunning."

    — Patrick D. (5/5)

    Classic Japanese Cinema

    "Great restoration and complete collection of these Japanese films. First time watching and great blind buy."

    — Chip C. (5/5)

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