• List Price: $39.95  
• Your Price: $23.97
• In Stock: 827

You must login to place orders.




Not purchasing for a business? See our consumer site.

In the aftermath of World War II, a writer's love affair with another woman drives his wife mad with distrust. Realising his errors, he tries all he can to save her from literally losing her mind. Kohei Oguri's haunting adaptation of the novel by Toshio Shimao is shot in a hyperreal style that is equal parts painterly and unflinching. Featuring striking set design, powerful lead performances and a vivid evocation of small-town life in postwar Japan, The Sting of Death won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival while stars Ittoku Kishibe and Keiko Matsuzaka won numerous awards for their performances. Radiance Films is proud to present this remarkable film on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Media

Watch trailer »

Bonus Materials

• Documentary on the Japanese film renaissance of the 1990s featuring interviews with Kohei Oguri, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kaneto Shindo and others (Hubert Niogret, 2011, 52 mins)
• Interview with film scholar Hideki Maeda (2023)
• Trailer
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Limited edition booklet featuring a newly translated interview with director Kohei Oguri
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Sales Points

• Director Kohei Oguri is the Terence Malick of Japan, winner & nominee of dozens of international awards
• Best Actor, Best Actress - Kinema Junpo Awards
• Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography Winner - Awards of the Japanese Academy
• First time on Blu-ray
• Winner of Grand Jury & FIPRESCI Prize and Palme d'Or Nominee - Cannes Film Festival

Press Quotes

[Sting of Death] is absolutely the work of an artist, both visually and emotionally

     —David Grote, Japan on Film

Sting of Death pulls no punches when it comes to describing the way in which adults wound each other with childish games but is also filled with quite beautiful, if sometimes unsettling, iconography

     —Hayley Scanlon, Windows on Worlds

I can't recall a movie that dealt with the issue of infidelity within a marriage more sharply than this

     —Stefan S, A Nutshell Review

Matsuzaka Keiko proves that she was the greatest Japanese actress of [her generation]

     —John Calvin Story, Cinephilia101

THE STING OF DEATH is a film that beautifully explores themes of human relationships, betrayal, and the scars of war. Oguri’s direction is a blend of innovation and tradition, resulting in a film that captivates both visually and emotionally. Its fusion of personal narrative with historical context and the blending of real and surreal elements mark it as a standout production in Japanese cinema, a testament to Oguri's artistic prowess and vision.

     —Chris Jones, Overly Honest Movie Reviews