Yoshie Nomoto (Miyuki Kuwano) is a young and naive woman from the countryside who has come to the big city and fallen for Eiji Kitami (Mikijiro Hira), a young gangster who pushes her into a life of ill repute. But when we first meet her, she’s already been living this life for some time and despite Hiroshi Fujii (Keisuke Sonoi) thinking he can save her from it, it seems like she’s trapped forever.

Directed by Noburo Nakamura, The Shape of Night is a gorgeous film, one that is filled with the most lush colors and a filmmaking style that makes the heart sing. Speaking of the heart, this proves that love can’t stop an unhappy ending, but such is how it works sometimes in the movies.

Yoshie loves Eiji, no matter how harsh the life he has led her into. There’s a harrowing scene where his bosses take advantage of her and he must watch. It’s not an easy scene to sit through, which is something one can say for the drama of this entire film.

This limited edition of 3,000 Radiance Films release comes with a isual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes, a trailer, a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow, a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Chuck Stephens and it’s all presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

You can get it from MVD.