Death by Hanging

Nagisa Oshima's 1968 drama opens with a stark, documentary-style presentation of the execution by hanging of a Korean known only as R., who was convicted of the rape and murder of two Japanese schoolgirls. But something goes very wrong: the condemned man comes down from the gallows unconscious but still alive, creating chaos since the law does not allow for a do-over and both the Catholic chaplain and the doctor witnessing the execution prevent any attempt at a second try. Complicating matters is R. himself, who awakens from his ordeal with amnesia. Working with the police, the prison team concludes that the only way for R. to be executed again is for him to confess a second time to his crimes—but in order to restore his memory, they engage in an elaborate role-playing game that re-enacts the crime that brought R. to the gallows. Both a harsh commentary on capital punishment and a sour satire on the Japanese legal system (as well as prejudice faced by Koreans in Japan), Death by Hanging is a minor but intriguing early work by Oshima that is notable for its efforts (not wholly successful) of transferring Brechtian absurdist theater techniques to the cinema. Presented with a handsome 4K digital restoration that displays the black-and-white cinematography with a sharp crispness, extras include Oshima's 1965 documentary short Diary of Yunbogi, an interview with critic Tony Rayns, an essay by critic Howard Hampton, and Oshima's 1968 statement on his work. Recommended. (P. Hall)