A review of The Criterion Collection Blu-ray of DEATH BY HANGING (1968) by the spring 2017 Editorial Board of the magazine FILM MATTERS.

1. Death by Hanging (1968)
A Criterion Collection Blu-ray
(Spine #798) Review in Fifteen Frames

2. The negative space within this frame from Death by Hanging (Nagisa Oshima, 1968) is telling of the dispute
that goes on throughout the rest of the film between life and death and good and evil. The gray-scale coloring
and the perpendicular lines within the frame create a brutal, stark image, which emphasizes the contempt
that Oshima felt toward capital punishment. The grid-like lines of the window in the top, middle space of the
frame, as compared to the open space in the bottom, middle where R’s (Yung-do Yun) body hangs, reflect R’s
“freedom,” and suggests that R is more free in death than in life. ~Lizzie Bankowski

3. The framing in this screen grab from the film Death by Hanging (1968) gives the
viewers a sense of disassociation by putting a barrier between the camera and the
subject, while the blindfold keeps us unaware of the subject’s eyes, furthering
detachment between the subject and the audience. Moreover, the prisoner is placed
strategically within the grid so that our eye is drawn to him and the soft spotlight
directs our attention to him, as none of the officials is looking directly at the prisoner.
~Tayler Camplin

4. In this image from Death by Hanging (1968), director Nagisa Oshima executes one of
the most grotesquely penetrating images of the film through nothing more than a
wide shot and very little narrational dialogue, mise-en-scene, or pronounced lighting.
~Chandler Mackenzie Comes

5. One of the final scenes of Death by Hanging (1968) finds R (Yung-do Yun) and his sister (Akiko
Koyama) alone on a prison floor, lying in a loving embrace, surrounded by the very things
attempting to break them apart forever. The noose, which has been a recurrent symbol of death
throughout the film, floats eerily above the pair, while the flag of Japan lies at the couple's feet,
representing the captors, oppressors, and people of a nation which seeks R’s final execution.
The flag and the noose visually squish the pair, in the frame, giving them no room to breathe
and emphasizing the isolation, suffering, and “us against the world” mentality the couple must
be experiencing. ~Michael Edwards Jr.

6. In this scene from Death by Hanging (1968), the anger of the Education Chief (Masao
Adachi) is made evident through extreme close-up eye contact that is intensified by the
lowering of his glasses, close proximity to R (Yung-do Yun), and harsh lighting on his
face, which is defined by his hands in front of his face casting sharp shadows.
~Kenneth L. Freyer

7. In this frame from Death by Hanging (1968), the officers attempt to recreate the criminal activities
of R (Yung-do Yun). It is to no avail as the hanging survivor-turned-amnesiac reverts to childlike
innocence while playing with a stray cat. The balance of the authoritarian figures and the structure
of the bridge in the frame contradict the playful and light nature of R. The radiant light shimmering
off the river leading eyes to the cat and R, mixed with the humorous “meows,” distracts the
audience away from the knowledge of the terrible acts and spectacles that occurred previously.
~Bobby Hartman

8. In Death by Hanging (1968), the high contrast of the Japanese flag hanging behind
darkly dressed R (Yung-do Yun) as he attempts to walk away from his sentence and
accusations, as well as his country, symbolizes that although he wants to leave and
believes he can, the nation of Japan and his actions are unavoidable and must be
faced. ~Claire Kalb

9. In this image from Death By Hanging (1968) the different mental states of R (Yung-do Yun)
and the Japanese official (Masao Adachi), as R remains stoic while being interrogated,
are conveyed in a close-up on their facial expressions. ~Megan Kiss

10. In this frame from Death By Hanging (1968), with the Japanese flag in the background,
director Nagisa Oshima positions the guards to place emphasis on the reluctant District
Attorney (Hôsei Komatsu), who represents the nation of Japan. ~Jeremy Meyers

11. This frame from Nagisa Oshima’s Death by Hanging (1968) experiments with depth of field as
the noose encloses R’s (Yung-do Yun) face, foreshadowing his fate and reinforcing the
reenactment aesthetic of the film. Prior to this frame, the government officials reenact R’s
crimes in hopes of triggering his memory. The noose transforms from a weapon into a prop as
the noose encircles R, further setting up the theatrical, atmospheric tone.
~Kimberly Mariah Smallwood

12. 7:13
The blindfolded R (Yung-do Yun) frantically pushes against the guards, unable to see the
spectators who sit and face him immobile: their eerie framing in the window, and harshly
blown-out backlighting pull attention from the motion in the foreground. They act as a
comparison to the impassive voyeurs of the film. ~Chamberlain Staub

13. 7:44
In this tight framing, a jagged shadow is thrown upon the prison guard’s face as he signals to
complete the execution. This contrast enhances the theme between morality and
transgression; as the lighting lands upon his rigid expression, it amplifies the static nature
in which he carries out the desensitized murder of a murderer. ~Chamberlain Staub

14. In this frame of Nagisa Oshima’s A Death by Hanging (Koshikei, 1968), the noose is used to
frame the subjects of the shot. It draws extra attention to the men, their expressions, their
body movements, and their positions on the stairs – which also emphasize the deep focus.
~Stephanie L. Triplett

15. The noose appears again in this scene to pull attention to certain subjects. In this
frame, it focuses on one person/face while blocking others from view.
~Stephanie L. Triplett

16. In this frame, information is thrown at you in all directions, from the newspapers
covering the walls, to the flag of Japan in the top right corner, to the placement of each
actor within the frame. The subtitle, “get mad,” hangs there like a monolith, adding a
heavy and direct tension to the frame. ~Emmett Williams

17. In this shot from Death by Hanging (1968), the camera is angled up at the stairs
while our eyes are focused on the men standing at the top. We see their reaction to
the man they just hanged. The staircase accentuates distance, which detaches the
officers from any emotion while keeping us engaged with what has just happened.
~Kelli Wofford

18. Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection
DISC FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural
soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interview with critic Tony Rayns
• New high-definition digital transfer of director Nagisa Oshima’s
1965 experimental short documentary Diary of Yunbogi
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by critic Howard Hampton and a 1968 director’s
statement by Oshima
• New cover by Adam Maida
For more information about this product, please visit:
https://www.criterion.com/films/28360-death-by-hanging