A Pair Of Rarities From Kurosawa Kiyoshi In 2013 From Third Window

Our good friends at Third Window Films have given ScreenAnarchy the scoop on their latest acquisitions. Here's the word from TWF's Adam Torel on Kurosawa Kiyoshi's Eyes of the Spider and Serpent's Path:

Third Window Films are pleased the announce the acquisition of 2 lesser-known classics from Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Tokyo Sonata, Cure) - 'Eyes of the Spider' and 'Serpent's Path' for DVD releases in Spring 2013.

When oddball auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa received an eccentric offer to make two films in two weeks, on a low budget and using the same cast, the result was the cinematic equivalent of fraternal twins. Though both Eyes of the Spider and Serpent's Path are gangster films about the desire for revenge, and both films feature a protagonist named Nijima played convincingly by Sho Aikawa, the two films are completely different in tone and plot. Nonetheless, they seem freakishly interlocked in ways that defy the conventionally linear relationship of a sequel, as each of these enigmatic, absorbing films elucidates and alters our understanding of the other.

Eyes of the Spider concerns Nijima (Sho Aikawa), a white-collar worker who one day finds the man responsible for his young daughter's brutal rape and murder. He tortures and interrogates the man, who maintains his innocence, before killing and burying him. He returns to his ordinary life feeling listless and hollow, until he meets an old high school friend who introduces him to his hapless band of hired killers. His skill in the assassination business catches the attention of a bigger crime boss. For reasons that remain opaque, Nijima is assigned to investigate his friend, which ultimately results in a bloody confrontation.

Serpent's Path tells the tale of Miyashita (Teruyuki Kagawa), a former low level yakuza has tracked down his child's killer with help of his friend Nijima (Sho Aikawa) whom he met a year before. They've kidnapped a yakuza member believed responsible for the killing to take out revenge. But vengeance is neither simple or easy. Another person is soon implicated in the child's death leading the pair farther down a path of revenge and violence. And what darker secret has led Nijima, a lowly professor to help Miyashita in this affair.

With the release of Eyes of the Spider and Serpent's Path, Third Window shows their growing dedication to releasing not only the best in current Japanese cinema, but also to expanding their catalog of rare Japanese films from the '80s and '90s as well. Their recent release of both Tetsuo films on Blu-ray was one of my favorite releases of this year and I can't wait to check these films out. It's always great to see new films making it to English subtitled DVD, especially from such well established directors as Kurosawa. The presence of v-cinema king, Aikawa Sho (Zebraman, Dead or Alive, Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself), is just the icing on the cake.

This pair of rarities is due to hit UK DVD in Spring 2013.