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Stray Dog
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (26th January 2025). |
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The Film
 "Stray Dog" 「野良犬」 (1949) Detective Murakami (played by Mifune Toshiro) reports to his superior Nakajima that his handgun was stolen while riding a streetcar. Although he chased the suspect, the thief made a clean escape. To try to retrieve the weapon before any harm is done, Murakami goes undercover within the Tokyo black markets to search for possible leads in the distribution of acquired firearms. The more experienced detective Sato (played by Shimura Takashi) is assigned to a case involving the handgun, and the two detectives with their differing methods of action must work together to prevent further incidents and tragedies. Being produced and taking place in postwar Japan in 1949, “Stray Dog” is a snapshot of the country at a particularly difficult time for its identity. While it was time for peace and reconstruction, it was also a time that many displaced had few opportunities and conveniences were scarce. Black markets run by Yakuza organizations were sometimes the only way people could get their hands on necessary goods as government subsidies and rations were not reaching everyone that needed the help. In addition to the country adopting a newly established constitution created by the Allied Forces, it was also the period of the American occupation of the country, placing western ideals and culture, trying to further Japan from its imperial and militaristic past. Kurosawa Akira started directing films while the country was at war and during this time the military government censors were quite strict about what could and could not be shown on screen. Western ideals or even using English words were forbidden, and propaganda themes to raise military and civilian morale were praised. But following the war, there was now the censorship by the American forces, and this meant basically the opposite. There was emphasis for western and modern ideas into the stories. Mentions of war or even historical set stories that might reflect nationalism were forbidden, and this also led to censoring of wartime and pre-wartime films to accommodate the new rules. “Stray Dog” interestingly edges by the censors by including sequences from black markets caused by the war and showcasing the plights of former soldiers and the displaced while not explicitly stating the themes directly. Kurosawa originally intended to write "Stray Dog" as a novel, then adapt it into a feature film. The novel was never published and instead was directly turned into a screenplay with screenwriter Ryuzo Kikushima co-writing. Some changes were made to the sequencing and storytelling, though it seems almost all of the ideas remained intact. “Stray Dog” is a precursor to the buddy-cop genre, with one young rambunctious officer who plays with instinct and an older and wiser officer with better judgment. Murakami sometimes takes matters into his own hands without rational thought as he is filled with anxiety due to the loss of his gun. Going through dark alleyways, confronting anyone that might have some clues, some of his tactics are not the best ways to solve the crime, but he is filled with adrenaline. His anxiety is also coupled with the intense summer heat, with emphasis of characters always wiping sweat off their foreheads and people using fans continuously to beat the heat. Unlike 1948’s “Drunken Angel” or 1963's "High and Low" in which Kurosawa filmed in winter but made the actors pretend like it was hot, this time they actually filmed in the summer heat. When Sato is introduced nearly forty minutes into the film, he seems friendly and sweet, sharing ice cream and cigarettes with a suspect and smiling as they converse, which is the polar opposite of Murakami. But this is also part of his patience, as he is able to gain trust and obtain the necessary information through the more time consuming method. Like many other buddy-cop films, it is the dynamic between the two main characters and their differences and coming together that fascinate audiences. In fact “Stray Dog” might be the earliest in the genre altogether, and it is hard to think of what moves like “48 Hours”, “Lethal Weapon”, or “Se7en” would have been like without its influence. It is also a key film in the police procedural genre along with Kurosawa’s 1963 masterwork “High and Low”, showing the intricacies and methods of the police to solve the crime, sometimes even having to overstep the line. Countless television and film works can be traced back to the film. Kurosawa made sure to capture the intensity and the danger of the black markets by actually filming guerilla style in actual black markets. Assistant director Honda Ishiro and the second unit crew filmed the streets with a body double for Mifune, and the results astonished Kurosawa who used the footage in a lengthy montage of the character going deeper into the dark world without dialogue. Kurosawa was heavily inspired by the 1948 American feature “The Naked City”, which filmed its outdoor scenes on location in New York City rather than on soundstages in Hollywood, bringing gritty realism that was not seen in films of the period. The street scenes of Tokyo on the streetcars, the chases and walks throughout the city are all wonderfully captured by cinematographer Nakai Asakazu, who worked with Kurosawa on a number of films prior and later, including “Ikiru”, “Seven Samurai”, “High and Low” and “Ran” to name a few. This was the feature film debut of Awaji Keiko, who played the cabaret dancer Harumi. She was only sixteen years old at the time was chosen to play a crucial role, though there were some difficulties. Her bitter bitchiness and reluctance to help the detectives at first seems like a character choice, but in fact Awaji was quite arrogant at the time not wanting to do a film and was frequently scolded by Kurosawa for her reluctance. In a way it did cement her part and gave her character some weight, but it was not impressive enough for Kurosawa who never cast her in another film of his again. But for a better outcome, she continued acting on film, television, and stage for decades to come in Japan, and also was cast in the Hollywood production of “The Bridges at Toko-ri”. In addition to hundreds of roles, she was known as being an avid gamer starting in her fifties, especially with the “Dragon Quest” series with the PlayStation 2 outing “Dragon Quest VIII" being her favorite. Her last role was in the film “Mourning Recipe” which was released in November 2013. She died just two months later on January 11th, 2014 at the age of 80 from esophageal cancer due to decades of heavy smoking. The film was also the first time that actors Kimura Isao and Chiaki Minoru worked for Kurosawa. The two along with Mifune and Shimura make up four of the “Seven Samurai”, and also appeared in “Ikiru”, “Throne of Blood”, and “High and Low” among other films for the director. As Kurosawa worked in the studio system, mostly at Toho for the bulk of his career, it was common for productions to have the same cast and crew for their productions. “Stray Dog” was in fact not a Toho production, but a Shintoho production, a company that was founded by defectors of Toho during a studio strike in 1947. For a few years, Kurosawa was working freelance for differing studios, with “The Quiet Duel” (also 1949), “Rashomon” (1950) at Daiei, “Stray Dog” at Shintoho, and “Scandal” (1950) and “The Idiot” (1951) at Shochiku before returning to Toho with “Ikiru” in 1952. The film was released theatrically on October 17th, 1949 in Japan to high acclaim. It won four awards at the 4th Mainichi Film Concours, with Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Score, and Best Actor for Shimura. Kinema Jumpo magazine named it the 3rd best Japanese film of the year (while Kurosawa’s “The Quiet Duel” was placed 7th). It has ranked high on many Japanese “best of” lists over the years, with the highest being at #10 on Kinema Jumpo’s list of “All Time Best 200 Japanese Films” of 2009. It was not released outside Japan until 1961, more than a decade after Kurosawa broke through the international scene with “Rashomon” in 1950. Even with the accolades and the strong influence it had on subsequent filmmakers and in the crime genre, Kurosawa was more critical about the film itself in later years, seeing it more of a technical challenge of a young filmmaker rather than being in the caliber of his later works. But even some of Kurosawa’s lesser works are still miles ahead of what most could even dream of creating, and “Stray Dog” is an absolute essential work of the director’s impressive career. Note this is a region B Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The transfer is from a 4K restoration of a 35mm master positive by Toho, the rightsholder for the Shintoho productions. The original negative is considered lost. The film has had issues with previous transfers to home video formats due to the condition of the source materials, which had scratches, debris, missing frames, and a slight blurriness to the image. This new 4K restoration uses the best available element to produce the best looking version of the film available to date, though it does have imperfections. On the notable side, various instances of damage have been eliminated well, with scratches and debris being minimized. Stability is also excellent without issues of wobbling frames or shaky movements. The black and white levels are excellent with great depth with the black and white and greys in between. Missing frames have been digitally restored and there are no noticeable frame jumps or cuts to be found. Film grain is still visible and intact, without any distractions. There are still some examples of minor damage marks to be seen at times and the black and white image is not particularly deep in contrast due to the elements, but it is a significant improvement over previous transfers. A solid job on the restoration by Toho and an excellent transfer to Blu-ray by the BFI. The film's runtime is 122:22.
Audio
Japanese LPCM 2.0 mono The original mono track is presented in uncompressed form, restored from the best surviving elements. As is with most soundtracks of the period, there is significant limitations due to the limited fidelity and recording techniques. Dialogue is fair, though there is a bit of echo and flatness which is also due to the restoration tools removing unwanted noise such as hiss and crackle. This makes some of the dialogue, especially Mifune's grunting voice hard to decipher for Japanese audiences. Kurosawa was quite particular in the sound design especially with the music that was far ahead of its time, and sadly it was also limited to the monaural recording techniques of the period not being able to capture the depth fully. On the positive side, music, effects, and dialogue are well balanced against each other and there are no noticeable damage to distract from viewings. It may not be ideal, but the sound is significantly improved in comparison to past home video releases. There are optional English subtitles for the film in a white font which are easy to read, well timed, and without errors.
Extras
Audio commentary with Japanese-Australian filmmaker Kenta McGrath (2025) This new and exclusive commentary has McGrath discussing about the implied backgrounds of the characters, about the Tokyo heat and how it is depicted, the areas the film was shot in, the postwar environment, the American influence over the occupied country, Kurosawa's techniques and much more. It is well researched and well spoken, and like this review he names the cast and crew in their Japanese form, with family name first and given name second. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "A Japanese Tale" 2025 interview with Kurosawa scholar Jasper Sharp (30:27) This new and exclusive interview with Sharp has him discussing about Kurosawa's early career as an assistant director and eventual move to the director's chair, the formation of Shintoho and their output, about the writing process, the censorship and the production of "Stray Dog" and more. A great overview with a lot of information to be found. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.37:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create - Stray Dog" 2002 documentary (32:39) For their debuts on the DVD format in Japan, Toho produced a series of documentaries for each film Kurosawa directed for Toho (and this one for Shintoho), released in 2002 and 2003 as bonus features on their respective DVDs. This documentary looks at the creation of the film, from its start as a novel by Kurosawa which was never published, the differences from the draft and the feature, the American censors and their issue with the opening shot, secretly shooting in the black markets, the construction of sets, shooting during a real baseball game, the labor strikes at Toho, and much more. The documentary features interviews from a number of the cast and crew, including Awaji and also has vintage interviews with Kurosawa, Kimura and more. in 1080i60 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional Japanese subtitles Booklet A 16 page booklet is included with the first pressing. First is the essay "Kurosawa's Criminal Influences" by author Barry Forshaw which looks at what inspired the film and the influence the film has later had. Next is an article on the film written by Philip Kemp which was included in the BFI's DVD release of the "Kurosawa Crime Collection" from 2011. There is a spelling error as he notes one of Kurosawa's nicknames was "kazi-otoko" (wind-man) which should be "kaze-otoko". In addition, he refers to the character of the thief being played by "Ko Kimura". Actor Kimura Isao's name is written 木村功, with his given name 功 being read as "Isao". It can alternatively be read as "Ko", and it was a nickname that close friends and colleagues called him at times. Non-Japanese publications sometimes mistakenly credited his name as "Ko Kimura" due to this but he has always been credited in Japan as "Isao Kimura". Next is a short piece on the film written by Kurosawa himself and translated by Donald Ritchie, which originally appeared in Sight and Sound, Volume 33, No 3, July 1964. There are also full cast and crew credits, special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements and stills. The film was released on DVD by the BFI in 2002, which unfortunately had minimal extras and burned-in subtitles. It was also released on DVD in Japan by Toho in 2002 which had the "It Is Wonderful to Create" documentary. It was released by Criterion in the US in 2004 with the documentary plus an exclusive commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince. It was first issued on Blu-ray in Japan in 2009, but unfortunately it was not a pleasing one, as the transfer cleaned and scrubbed a bit too much with the image, and like all the other Toho Blu-ray upgrades that year, dropped the excellent "It Is Wonderful to Create" documentaries. Wild Side Video in France did release their Blu-ray of the film a few years later which included the documentary plus a French language featurette, though it unfortunately had forced subtitles. The 4K restoration of the film was released by Toho on Blu-ray as well as 4K UHD in 2023. Again curiously this lacked the 2002 documentary, but instead added an image gallery and a reconstructed trailer. The BFI opted not to release the film in the 4K format like Japan. The Criterion commentary is great with its scholarly information from Price, but as stated a few times before, his botching of Japanese words and names was irksome. In an unusual case from the BFI, there is no image gallery for this release (though one is available on the Japanese Blu-ray and UHD), and there are no extras from the vaults of the BFI National Archive. It would have been interesting to see some vintage films relating to police conduct and procedures from a British perspective at the time. An excellent trailer for BFI's Kurosawa retrospective from 2023, which included "Stray Dog"
Overall
"Stray Dog" is a tense police thriller under the excellent direction of Kurosawa in his early career that should not be missed. The build up, the payoffs, and the great performances by the leads are essential, and though it may not be as celebrated as highly as the director's later works, it is still a prime work in his filmography as well as the genre as a whole. The BFI's Blu-ray is excellent, with a great transfer from the 4K restoration, some new and exclusive extras as well as the great vintage documentary. Highly recommended. BFI Shop Link Amazon UK Link
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