Anatahan: Director's Cut (2K Restoration) — Re-Release Trailer

source:   kinolorber.com/film/anatahan, youtube.com

added: Tue, Jan 17th '17

U.S. specialty distributor Kino Lorber presents a brand-new 2K restoration of noted 1930s Hollywood filmmaker Josef von Sternberg's groundbreaking final film, "Anatahan."

Filmed in Japan, this 1953 black-and-white drama is the fictionalized version of a real-life WWII tale concerning a group of Japanese sailors who, while not knowing the war had ended, spent several years stranded on a deserted tropical island. Among the survivors was a woman, who eventually became the source of much jealousy and competition among the men.

"Anatahan" was produced, directed, written, photographed, and also narrated by Josef von Sternberg, a known eccentric stylist who is perhaps best remembered for directing a string of classic 1930s films with German actress Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel, Morocco, Shanghai Express).

Though now considered as a lost classic and overlooked gem, "Anatahan" was originally a commercial and critical failure. But in an effort to give it a second life, Von Sternberg, always the perfectionist, re-edited the film in 1958, adding additional footage that included risque nude scenes featuring the film's leading lady, Japanese actress Akemi Negishi.

Kino Lorber is planning re-release that "Uncensored Director's Cut" version in select U.S. theaters, beginning in New York on February 3rd. A Blu-ray release is expected to follow later in the year. In the meantime, watch the newly-released trailer, above.

synopsis:
NEW RESTORATION! Inspired by an actual event during WWII, Josef von Sternberg's Anatahan, tells the story of a dozen Japanese sailors who are stranded on the remote island of Anatahan during the waning days of the war. The war ends, unbeknownst to the men, and they engage in their own private war for dominance of their island domain and possession of the sole woman in their midst, Keiko (Akemi Negishi), the so-called "Queen Bee" of Anatahan.

 

directed by   Josef von Sternberg

starring   Akemi Negishi, Tadashi Suganuma, Kisaburo Sawamura, Shoji Nakayama, Jun Fujikawa, Hiroshi Kondo

release date   February 3, 2017 (Re-Release in NY; other cities to follow)