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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a tale of mystery and murder, April 2, 2002
"Life is but an illusion, the dreams of night are real" wrote Hirai Taro (1894-1965), better known by his pseudonym Edogawa Rampo...a name inspired by his admiration for Edgar Allan Poe (edogaw-aram-po).
The film starts with a murder story (told in a wonderful animation sequence) of Rampo's, which is banned by the government for being "injurious to public morality"...he later reads in a newspaper of a real case identical to his story, tracks down the woman suspected of the murder, and she is the visual incarnation of how he imagined the protagonist of his story would be...and fact and fiction start to intermingle, with the fiction creating the fact. Rampo at times becomes the detective hero of his stories, in this beautiful and brilliant blend of realities.
This film was a huge success in Japan, but strangely, didn't get much attention in the U.S.
There's a myriad of symbolism in the imagery, fabulous cinematography using diverse techniques, some eroticism, a lovely soundtrack, and a gorgeous cast. It's a film I've watched many times, discovering more of its mystery with each viewing.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
On the line where reality and fiction converge..., February 22, 2004
This review is from: The Mystery of Rampo (DVD)
Rampo is a writer who has been censored by the government as his newest novel is deemed inappropriate and harmful for the moral welfare of the people. Rampo's assistant notices an article in a newspaper about an incident strikingly similar to the plot of the banned book, and he shares his knowledge with Rampo. Bewildered and curious Rampo seeks out the woman whose husband has died in the same way as in his novel, and he finds himself falling instantly in love with the woman. This leads to Rampo actively seeking out the woman and eventually expressing his affection for her. This emotional time gives Rampo strength and he begins to write again after his major setback with the government. Rampo begins to write about the woman that he has met, but soon he discovers that his writing turns into reality. In fear and curiosity Rampo continues to write with feverish obsession unknowing where it might lead him. Mystery of Rampo is a stunningly beautiful film as it depicts its surreal story through magical cinematography. The directors creates an atmosphere full of mystery and suspense that is similar to Edgar Allan Poe's short stories as it is based on a story by Edogawa Rampo who was an avid fan of Poe. In the beginning of the film the camera pans across a library and in the process gives recognition to Poe and Rampo, which lends a certain level of mystery to the story at hand. In the end, the audience is left with an excellent, yet bizarre cinematic episode that brings the viewers to a place where night and day converge.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
for fellow aficionados, February 13, 2004
This review is from: The Mystery of Rampo (DVD)
I own the VHS-version of this movie as well and pre-ordered the DVD. First, there is no extra/new feature (except for a short theatrical trailer and the widescreen format) in this DVD, which is not a big deal in itself; however, the DVD version of this movie has a couple of significant problems. (1) There's a problem with the color transfer that practically ruins the role that colors play in the movie. The problem is especially pronounced in those scenes around the Marquis' mansion. Colors change so drastically and erratically from scene to scene that they no longer have any coherent meaning at all. (2) The DVD has a new translation. On one hand, this could be a good thing for those of us who don't speak Japanese. It's good to have an alternative translation so we can triangulate the original meaning using this and the VHS version's translation. On the other hand, the new translation is very poorly done. For instance, Rampo's monologue near the beginning of the movie was artfully done (as it had to be to anchor the entire movie) in the VHS version, but in the DVD version it is incoherent and incomprehensible. If you are crazy about this movie, you might still want to buy the DVD just for the alternative translation and the widescreen format. Don't throw away your VHS copy though. You won't want to make this DVD the copy you show to your friends, who won't be able to appreciate the movie as fully as you were able to with the VHS version.
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