Watcher in the Attic – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1976
Director: Noboru Tanaka
Writers: Rampo Edogawa, Akio Ido
Cast: Junko Miyashita, Renji Ishibashi, Hiroshi Chô, Kyôichi Mizuki, Aoi Nakajima, Toshihiko Oda, Kazuko Tajima, Tokuko Watanabe, Kôji Yashiro, Shiro Yumemura

Release Date: December 16th, 2024
Approximate running time: 76 Minutes 30 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"A perverted loner roams the rafters of a boarding house in 1920s Tokyo." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition Blu-Ray Presentation In 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio."

Watcher in the Attic comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.3 GB

Feature: 22.1 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, black levels are strong, and image clarity and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable), an interview with filmmaker Hisayasu Sato titled Who’s Watching Who? (8 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Jasper Sharp and Amber T., removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 16-page booklet with cast & crew information, and an essay titled Sex in the Eye of the Beholder - Exhibition and Voyeurism in Watcher in the Attic written by Earl Jackson.

Included is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray.

Summary:

Noboru Tanaka directed Watcher in the Attic. In the 1970s he was one of the more prominent directors making romantic pornography films for Nikkatsu. The films The Hell-Fated Courtesan, A Woman Called Sada Abe, Angel Guts: Nami, and Village of Doom are among his other notable works. Two Rampo Edogawa short stories, "The Human Chair" and "The Attic-Stroller," are the foundation of Watcher in the Attic’s narrative. Other notable films that adapted from Rampo Edogawa's writings include "Black Lizard" (directed by Kinji Fukasaku), "Horrors of Malformed Men" (directed by Teruo Ishii), and "Blind Beast" (directed by Yasuzo Masumura).

A peeping tom tenant witnesses a woman committing a murder. Instead of being revolted by what he had witnessed, his infatuation with the woman brings out his darker side.

When compared to other romantic pornography films, Watcher in the Attic’s carnal moments are not as graphic; there is an arthouse quality to them. That is not to say that the carnal moments do veer into the bizarre; in one scene a man disguises himself as a chair so he can feel the flesh on naked women. A man in a clown costume visits a married woman in another scene. These are just a few of the unusual carnal delights that await you in Watcher in the Attic.

Though Watcher in the Attic is filled with unsympathetic characters, none of the performances are lacking; Junko Miyashita (The Woman with Red Hair) and Renji Ishibashi (Wolves, Pigs & Men), the two leads, are exceptional. In the case of the latter, he delivers an unnerving performance in the role of Saburo, aka the watcher in the attic. Minako Sayanomiya delivers an equally compelling performance in the role of Junko, the woman caught up in Saburo’s obsessions.

From a production standpoint, Watcher in the Attic is a well-made film whose artistic ambitions often exceed those of other similar films. The thing that immediately impressed me about Watcher in the Attic is just how much production value this period-set film had, considering that Nikkatsu’s romantic pornography films are known for their anemic budgets. Visuals are another area where Watcher in the Attic excels; they do a superb job reinforcing the theme of voyeurism. Also, the use of classical music in romantic pornography films always offers a stark juxtaposition between its beauty and the harshness of the erotic imagery on display.

There are two themes on display throughout: voyeurism and sexual desire. These two themes collide when the watcher emerges from the shadows and becomes a participator. Ultimately, Watcher in the Attic is an unsettling exploration of loneliness and obsession whose final moment serves as a perfect coda for the events that have unfolded.

Watcher in the Attic gets an exceptional release from 88 Films that comes with solid audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer