Shohei Imamura box set coming from the Criterion Collection in May

by Chris MaGee

Damn! I knew I shouldn't have dropped all that cash on those Shohei Imamura DVD-Rs all those months back! Granted I picked them up at the one remaining location of Suspect Video after its Queen West location (a landmark of independent video stores here in Toronto for all you international readers) was destroyed by fire early in 2008; but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that the Criterion Collection was going to expand on its middling selection of Imamura's works eventually. Our own Bob Turnbull was the first to call it in terms of what film they may release next from the Japanese New Wave master. The Criterion Collection sent out a teaser image that was pretty damn obvious back in December. It showed a pig on a little battleship. Well, hmmmmm.... I wonder what that could have meant?

Now word has come down at the Criterion Collection's official site that Imamura's 1962 film "Pigs and Battleships" will be only one film in a three film box set that will be hitting stores on May 19th. Titled "Pigs, Pimps & Prostitutes: 3 Films by Shohei Imamura" the other two films will be 1963's "The Insect Woman" starring Emiko Aizawa and "Intentions of Murder" starring Masumi Harukawa. Of course the collection will be padded out with the usual Criterion Collection extras including introductions for all three films by critic Tony Rayns, the inclusion of a French TV documentary titled “Imamura: the Free Thinker” and a booklet featuring essays by Audie Bock, Dennis Lim, and Cinematheque Ontario's James Quandt.

Time to start saving your money, Everyone... Thanks to KFC Cinema for pointing the way to this.