Source: Radiance Films, MVD Entertainment
Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski
Shochiku's acclaimed film THE EEL (うなぎ, Unagi, 1997) will be released March 25 in a limited edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films. From the star of PERFECT DAYS and the director of BLACK RAIN, THE EEL won the Palme d'Or, Independent Spirit Award, and over a dozen other international accolades. It is available for the first time on Blu-ray, 4K restored, and loaded with extras.
Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Shochiku
After serving time in prison for murdering his unfaithful wife, Yamashita (Koji Yakusho, PERFECT DAYS, CURE) is released on parole, accompanied only by his pet eel. Hoping to stay out of trouble, he takes over a rural barber shop that quickly becomes a gathering point for the eccentric locals. However, the discovery of a woman's failed suicide starts a chain reaction that brings back past demons - and not just his own.
THE EEL won master filmmaker Shohei Imamura his second Palme d'Or, after 1983's THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA and was the breakthrough of its star Yakusho.
Radiance's Blu-ray of THE EEL is a limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with a removable OBI strip, leaving the packaging free of certificates and markings.
THE EEL Limited Edition Blu-ray
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Number of Discs: 1
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mono
US
Region Code: 0
SKU: RAD093BDLE
UPC: 760137174431
Street Date: 03/25/25
List Price: $39.95
UK
Region Code: A/B
Product Code: RAD093BDLE
UK Rating: TBC
Street Date: 03/24/25
RRP: £14.99
BONUS FEATURES
- High-Definition digital transfer
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Interview with critic Tony Rayns
- Interview with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan
- Visual essay by Tom Mes on the year 1997 as a turning point in Japanese cinema
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring an archival interview with Imamura
Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Shochiku
About Radiance Films
Radiance Films is founded on a passion for cinema. A series of films, books, merchandise and more curated from a variety of genres and modes of filmmaking, from arthouse provocateurs to genre classics. Each release is created from the best available materials and includes a wealth of supplementary features on disc and extensive booklets featuring new and archival writing, where applicable.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is a full service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing thousands of audio and visual products for DVD, Bluray, CD, vinyl, and digital rights, worldwide. MVD also exclusively distributes a growing line of merchandise including limited edition collectibles, tee shirts, and more. "Serving Artists and Audiences" is MVD's purpose statement; it represents a commitment to the interests of the musicians, filmmakers, record labels, producers, managers, and every link in the supply chain. The customers are the Audience, from wholesalers, sub-distributors, major retail chains, online retailers, specialists, and independent mom and pop stores, all the way to the consumer. MVD Entertainment Group was founded in 1986 by Tom Seaman, an industry veteran with prior experience with The Record Hunter, Sam Goody, CBS Retail, and JEM Distribution. Tom, along with his family Elinor, Eve and Ed, initially focused on music videotapes. At the turn of the century, with the advent of DVD, MVD built a large catalog of exclusively distributed audiovisual content on DVDs, with special strength in music concert films, horror movies, documentaries, comedy, cult classics, and much more.