Review of Battle Royale: Special Edition

Introduction

Despite my appreciation for challenging and exciting cinema, I came to Battle Royale comparatively late. I actually waited for it to be broadcast on television before becoming acquainted with its mix of dark comedy, satire and ultra violence. Subsequently, the decision was not whether to buy, but which version. After Tartan`s initial problematic release of Battle Royale, a Special Edition was released in 2003. The apparent problem was that this was the Director`s Edition, a film that was recut to avoid the R15 rating that the film initially received. In that strange irony that censors possess, the film when initially released was closed to audiences of the same age as much of the cast. The Special Edition was Kinji Fukasaku`s attempt to appease the censors, a version that didn`t offend the supposed sensibilities of Japan`s youth. Of course in that strange way that highlights differences in culture, the version that is more acceptable to the general populace is one in which the running time is increased to just over 2 hours, and the violence and gore content has been raised with CGI blood spraying in virtual fountains through the film. The additional footage has been seamlessly cut into the existing film, an extended ending has been added, and CGI has been used to correct one or two shots in the film. In addition the opening titles have been redone in CGI splendour, beginning with a R15 logo being slashed asunder. The end result is a film that builds the characters more, ups the action quotient and is arguably a more intense experience. That realised, the Special Edition of Battle Royale was an easy purchase. For further reference, a partial list of the changes to Battle Royale SE can be found here: -

http://homepage.eircom.net/~screamanthology/br/spver.htm

What`s a millennium without a little social upheaval, and in Japan unemployment and apathy have caused a schism between generations, with the youth being blamed for much of the country`s problems. For that reason, the Millennium Educational Reform Act was ordained, where one school class is selected at random and taken in secret to a deserted island, where they have to battle each other for their very survival. Teacher Kitano`s class is a prime example of disruptive youth, and when he is stabbed by one of his students he quits. This very same class believe they are going on a field trip, when they are rendered unconscious on a coach. They awaken in an abandoned schoolroom on a deserted island, surrounded by armed soldiers and awaiting them at the head of the class is their old teacher Kitano, the lesson of the day, "kill each other".

The rules are straightforward; each student gets a kit bag of equipment to complement anything he or she may already have, as well as one random weapon. The weapon may be a machine gun, sword, pistol, or a pan lid or pair of binoculars. They have three days in which to kill all their schoolmates, the last pupil standing wins. If more than one survives, they all lose. They are all fitted with collars that explode if they break the rules, or attempt to remove them, or wander into a designated danger zone. Thrown into the mix are two last minute exchange students, both with ulterior motives to be on the island. But for most of the 42 students on the island, it boils down to a simple question, "Could you kill your best friend?"

Video

Battle Royale is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. It`s an NTSC to PAL transfer, meaning that while the disc is PAL compatible, there has been no corresponding speed-up applied to the film and it retains its theatrical running time. The picture quality is also consistent with an NTSC image, slightly lower resolution and softer in general. The detail levels could be stronger, as could black levels, but otherwise, the image quality is more than acceptable, certainly better than the television broadcast that I can recall. The print is unblemished and the colours are reproduced consistently. The CGI enhancements that could have potentially looked over the top are seamlessly blended into the original footage, and have been put to impressive use to correct a couple of minor visual goofs. Both discs are coded Region 0 incidentally.

Audio

This release of Battle Royale is blessed with DD 5.1 and DTS Japanese soundtracks. The surround is active in conveying the action with the bullets, explosions and other forms of violence making full use of the soundstage. Battle Royale makes copious use of classical music to contrast the on screen carnage; the Blue Danube features prominently in the film and on the discs` menus. The dialogue is clearly audible throughout, and the subtitles provided are comprehensive and free of grammatical and spelling errors. There was one numerical mistake though where the student number given in the subtitles failed to match that on the on-screen caption.

Features

The Special Edition of Battle Royale comes on two discs. Disc One is dual layer and is devoted to the film alone, while the second disc, single layer, holds the extras. Both discs have a rather unflattering menu design, with the options listed in red text, a spinning BR logo and a few clips of the film playing in a narrow strip across the screen to some background music.

The Making Of Battle Royale is perhaps the most substantial extra on this disc, lasting 50 minutes and presented in 4:3. It`s a comprehensive behind the scenes look, with interviews with the cast and crew. It`s informative, but there is no voiceover, merely captions.

The Battle Royale Press Conference lasts 10 minutes and the title is pretty self-explanatory. In the same vein, you`ll find a 5-minute piece from the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Behind the scenes featurettes in addition to the main documentary include Audition And Rehearsal Footage that lasts 7 minutes, a 10-minute Behind The Scenes Featurette, an 11-minute section titles Filming On Set and a 12-minute Battle Royale Documentary. Most of this material covers the same ground, showing director Kinji Fukasaku at work, and with input from the cast in brief interviews. Some of it is EPK stuff, some more detailed. In addition there is a section called Basketball Scene Rehearsals, 9 minutes long, that looks at the filming of the game specifically for the Special Edition 6 months after the initial shoot.

The Instructional Video Birthday Version (3 minutes), sees the perky character from the film pop up again to provide a how to guide for making a movie, this precedes the birthday celebrations for the director.

Special Effects Comparison Featurette takes 4 minutes to show the work done to create the various explosions, bullet hits, and blood fountains used in the film, as well as how a couple of mistakes were corrected, all to the delicate strains of classical music.

You`ll find the original theatrical trailer as well as two television spots for the Special Edition, one with Quentin Tarantino popping up.

Finally, there are three pages of text for Kinji Fukasaku`s statement, how he was inspired by his experiences as a teenager in the Second World War, 6 pages of filmography for the director, and 3 pages of filmography for Beat Takeshi.

All in all, the extras amount to over two hours of material, the problem is that much of it is repetitive, covering the same ground. There is little need for more than the 50 minute main documentary covering the behind the scenes material and once you`ve seen one press conference, you`ve seen them all. It appears that this disc is a case of quantity over quality and Tartan have tried to give value for money by jamming as much as possible in. Also not everything is subtitled, and minutes of speech will pass without a caption. The Filming On Set featurette lacks subtitles entirely. Also conspicuous by its absence is a feature commentary, something that I would have appreciated.

Inside the Amaray case you will find a four-page leaflet with short filmographies for Takeshi Kitano and Kinji Fukasaku, Also the Chapter Listings are printed next to a map of the island, just in case.

Conclusion

I think it`s fair to say that Battle Royale is one of my favourite films of recent years. The first time I saw it, I was blown away by its passion, innovation and sheer fearlessness. This is a film that will never be remade or plundered by Hollywood. The very idea of teenaged schoolchildren being forced to fight to the death is something that pretty much guarantees the 18 rating that this disc carries in the UK. As far as I know the film still lacks a distribution deal in the US. Comparisons have been made quite naturally to The Lord Of The Flies, but the fundamental difference here is that the societal breakdown that allows for the victimisation of children in this manner is a warping of adult values, not those of the children. The very premise of the film implies a schism between generations, not all that surprising when you take into account the attitudes that exist between generations in real life. Teens often see adults as the enemy, while adults are all too eager to blame the ills of society on the young. Parents are quick to abrogate responsibility over their own children, blaming educational standards, lax policing or anything but their own failure as parents. We live in a society where disruptive children are recipients of ASBOs, can be named and shamed, evicted from their homes, and criminalized without ever being convicted. The culture in Battle Royale is one where what is practically a state of undeclared war exists between adults and youth, who are blamed for the all the ills of society.

As a lesson to unruly children throughout the nation, the class that is the most disruptive through the year is selected to take part in Battle Royale, where the last one left alive is judged to be suitable to re-enter society as a productive citizen. Just how such a killer could become a productive citizen is glossed over. Nonetheless, it is the imposition of violence from without that marks this story as separate from The Lord Of The Flies and leaves it as something more akin to The Running Man. In a similar way, it is a rather blunt satire on the state of society today, and the humour that results is deliciously dark and macabre. I love the perky video character that pops up to explain the rules of the game, while the students watch on, horrified. Similarly, the film follows a video game convention in keeping score as the game progresses, familiar to any in the videogame generation.

For those anticipating gore and blood in gallons, Battle Royale doesn`t disappoint, but the film is much more than that, taking time to develop the characters and explore how they do in fact react to the situation they are in. While the film throws the students straight into the deep end, we learn of their character and motivation through flashbacks, neatly woven into the narrative and never overpowering the main story, It`s an interesting examination of beliefs and motivations as we can see who will fight each other, who attempt to band together, who can be trusted, who will betray, and those rare few that will attempt to fight the system that put them in the predicament. Also thrown into the mix are two apparent veterans of Battle Royale, Kawada who is trying to understand the events of the last time he fought, and Kiriyama who is in the contest just to satisfy his bloodlust. Perhaps the most interesting of the characters is the Teacher Kitano, whose experiences at school teaching this class seem to have provoked an initial thirst for vengeance that prompts his participation, but as the story unfolds, his motivations become more ambiguous. We see the film through the eyes of Shuya Nanahara, who loses his best friend early on, and thereafter tries to keep his promise to look after Noriko. Quite understandably he is bewildered by what is going on, and we follow him as he battles through the game and learns just what he is capable of.

Battle Royale is a stunning piece of cinema, though not for the faint-hearted and certainly not for everyone. The performances are spot on, the action relentless, and the film has a dark streak of humour that never fails to entertain. If you are tired of Hollywood clichés and are looking for something that challenges as well as entertains, then you can`t go far wrong with this film. This two-disc set looks ideal on the surface, but the pick and mix nature of the extras lets the package down. The film though cannot be faulted, which is something that cannot be said for the disappointing sequel. Battle Royale is the best film of the century so far, pass it on.