During his wildly unpredictable career, director Nagisa Oshima (1932-2013) refused to make the same movie twice. Frequently changing aspect ratios, filming techniques, subject matter, and even color palettes, Oshima's most recent film perpetually stood in stark contrast to what he'd just completed...or what was lurking right around the corner. His twelfth feature-length production, 1968's Death by Hanging, was released right in the middle of the director's most prolific period: Oshima helmed more than a dozen productions between 1965 and 1972, each one more than a little different than the last. Though it wasn't his most controversial film, Death by Hanging definitely ruffled a few feathers upon its original release and still manages to challenge audiences almost 50 years later.

The story sounds simple on paper...but whatever first-time viewers are expecting from Death by Hanging, they'll get something different. Our central figure is known as "R", and he's been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of two young women; his story is based on the fate of Korean-born Japanese man Ri Chin'u, who was imprisoned as a minor and executed in 1962 for similar crimes. In Oshima's alternate universe, "R" survives the hanging: he's got a pulse 21 minutes after the failed execution but no memory of his crime or identity, and the bureaucrats in charge have no idea how to proceed. Known only by their titles ("Education Chief", "Priest", "Doctor", "Warden", etc.), they reluctantly agree to recreate the crimes to jog his memory and justify a second execution. This isn't exactly where Death by Hanging takes a sharp left turn: if we're being honest, the entire film is a series of sharp left turns. Yet from here onward, it moves further and further into the realm of pitch-black farce, never to return.

At once a scathing critique of the death penalty and an examination of the treatment of Korean-born Japanese citizens in the wake of World War II, Death by Hanging is an extremely tough film to process the first (or even second) time through. The film's wily, unpredictable nature runs the risk of alienating those who need to hear its message the most; as a result, only those sharp enough to connect all the dots might discover that Death by Hanging's finer points seem a little dulled by all the chaos. Luckily the terrific performances by almost everyone involved---none more than Do-yun Yu as "R", which was his only credited acting role---make the faces and characters almost impossible to forget, and the film's messy but efficient visuals complement many of its unspoken words and themes. As a whole, Oshima's film is a passionate and challenging production, which makes it easier to appreciate than enjoy.

Criterion's new Blu-ray edition of Death by Hanging actually marks the film's Region 1 debut, and this is a fairly well-rounded release that does it justice. The film's recent restoration looks great in high definition, and a handful of brief but appropriate supplements (including a terrific interview with Japanese film critic and historian Tony Rayns, who also discusses other segments of Oshima's career as a whole) that add another level of texture and background information for those intrigued by its interesting, unpredictable structure. Death by Hanging isn't exactly "blind buy" material for those new to Oshima's unique brand of filmmaking, but seasoned fans should enjoy this one.

From top to bottom, Death by Hanging's black-and-white imagery is rendered nicely on this crisp, dependable 1080p transfer (which, incidentally, was sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the original camera negative). Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the striking visuals retain excellent detail with strong textures, a healthy amount of film grain and deep black levels. Only trace amounts of print damage could be detected along the way...and you'd have to be incredibly picky to spot them, let alone consider this a distraction. Overall, it's an incredibly clean presentation that isn't as common with Japanese films from this era. But seeing as how this Blu-ray marks the film's Region 1 debut, to see Death by Hanging look this good right out of the gate should please long-time fans.

The uncompressed Japanese LPCM 1.0 mono track is perfectly acceptable overall, as neither the dialogue nor Hikaru Hayashi's sporadic music cues fight for attention. The dynamic range obviously runs a little thin at times, but there are no glaring technical issues to report and the studio undoubtedly did what they could to preserve the original audio's strengths. Optional English subtitles---advertised as a "new and improved translation" on the packaging, just for the record---have been included for Japanese audio and partial text translation during the film and extras.

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The main extra is a newly-recorded Video Interview with Japanese film critic and historian Tony Rayns (31 minutes), who goes into a good amount of detail regarding Nagisa Oshima's career (in which the director continuously refused to make the same movie twice), rebellious attitude, politics, and a fateful trip to Korea that inspired the film. On a related note is Diary of Yunbogi (1965, 25 minutes), a short documentary by Oshima that serves as something of a predecessor to Death by Hanging. Last but not least is the film's lengthy, over-the-top Theatrical Trailer (5 minutes). All bonus features are presented in 1080p with optional English subtitles for Japanese translation only.

Films like Death by Hanging are difficult to "enjoy" in the traditional sense: the story obviously comes right from the heart of rebellious, passionate director Nagisa Oshima, though some of its finer points are worn down a little by the abrasive, farcical structure. As a result, this wildly unpredictable film will attract, confuse, and repulse first-time viewers in equal measure (especially those new to the director's work), but can surprise and challenge in completely unexpected ways. With that said, there's not a tremendous amount of replay value here, but Criterion's excellent Blu-ray offers a sterling A/V presentation and a handful of brief but thoughtful extras. New viewers should definitely rent it first, but those won over by the film's unusual charms will get their money's worth. Recommended.