The BFI’s new 4K Blu-ray release of High and Low (1963), directed by Akira Kurosawa, presents his most striking contemporary drama in a beautifully restored edition. Freely adapted from Ed McBain’s hard-boiled crime novel King’s Ransom, the film transforms a procedural thriller into a bold exploration of social and moral dilemmas – and this restoration makes a strong case for this being Kurosawa’s finest film.
High And Low is the story of Gondo, a high-flying show company executive who, on the brink of a decisive all-or-nothing move to seize financial control of the company, finds that his son has been kidnapped for a ransom of 30 million yen. Willing to effectively implode his career to get his child back, moral complications ensue when it transpires the kidnapper has not snatched his son, but that of his chauffeur. Torn between paying off the kidnapper or calling his bluff, with his own future hanging in the balance between wealth and penury, Gondo must decide what kind of a man he really is.
The first 55 minutes of High and Low, set entirely at Gondo’s home, are a masterclass in blocking and editing. Seamlessly incorporating both a stage set and a second set build atop a Yokohama hillside, so that the real Yokohama can be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Kurosawa moves his camera and actors so as to flow effortlessly from one dynamic composition to another, with every shot proving that yes, you can shoot interiors in widescreen and make it seem like the best possible choice.
As Gondo discusses a business deal with his faintly sinister co-executives, ejects them from his home, reveals his own plans to his assistant, plays with the children, receives news of the kidnapping, wrestles with his conscience, argues with his chauffeur, calls in the police, wargames potential responses and receives calls from the kidnapper, every shot, cut, and beat is precision-tooled for maximum impact. It’s as if Kurosawa saw Hitchcock’s Rope and decided to show him how a single location should really be mined for tension.
But this is only the opening. High And Low‘s narrative is structured in four parts—once we leave the confined setting of Gondo’s luxurious home, there’s a tense action sequence for the handoff set onboard a speeding train, a meticulous docudrama-style police investigation, finally a stylised, noir-inflected stakeout as the net closes around the sinister, seemingly psychopathic kidnapper. Each sequence showcases a distinct mood and stylistic approach – as Kurosawa moves from moral drama to action, procedural and horror-noir. it’s as if he is showing off his mastery of form.
The Japanese title of High And Low, “Tengoku to Jigoku,” translates literally as “Heaven and Hell,” and it’s the contrast between Gondo’s air-conditioned modernist hilltop mansion and the sweaty, inhospitable urban wreckage of Yokohama below it that establishes the film’s central dynamic. All of this is rendered vividly in the restored visuals. The 4K restoration, undertaken by Toho Co., Ltd., beautifully shows off the TohoScope 2.35:1 aspect ratio as it contrasts the claustrophobic drama of the house scenes and the sprawling chaos of Yokohama’s urban landscape below. The sound design, rendered in a choice of DTS-HD MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo, immerses the viewer in the oppressive atmosphere of the sweltering city and the understated tension of Masaru Sato’s score.
A newly recorded commentary by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp, offers detailed insights into the film’s production and cultural significance. Additionally, the High And Low episode of the 2002 Japanese documentary Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create provides firsthand reflections from Kurosawa and key collaborators, adding valuable context to the film’s creation. Anecdotes from Tatsuya Nakadai, who was cast as Chief Detective Tokura based on a physical similarity to Kurosawa favourite Henry Fonda (that is, once Kurosawa had arranged for his hairline to be shaved back), provide especially good value.
A detailed booklet also offers essays that tease open the thematic and stylistic complexities of the film, exploring Kurosawa’s engagement with noir, his adaptation of Western literary influences, and his distinctive approach to portraying societal dichotomies.
While High and Low may not carry the global recognition of Kurosawa’s period epics such as Seven Samurai or Ran, it is his most powerful contemporary-set work. Its moral and existential themes resonate as strongly today as they did upon its release, ashes its ending delivers a stark, almost nihilistic confrontation that’s reminiscent of Nagisa Oshima’s hammer-blow cinematic full stops.
The BFI’s 4K Blu-ray edition of High and Low stands as the definitive presentation – for both dedicated admirers of Kurosawa and new audiences discovering his films, this release is an essential acquisition.
High And Low is released as a Blu-Ray by the BFI on Jan 27 2025.
Whitlock&Pope 