“Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” director Neo Sora’s posthumous documentary about Japanese musical luminary Ryuichi Sakamoto, will premiere online as a live event on The Criterion Channel.
On Sunday, June 30 at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. EST, Criterion will broadcast the film live via its Criterion24/7 service. Following the premiere, the concert doc will stream exclusively on the Criterion Channel beginning July 1.
Featuring Sakamoto’s final recorded concert before his death in March 2023, “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” first premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023. Sora, Sakamoto’s son, shot the film in black and white, capturing 20 selections personally selected by his father from across his 45-year musical career, from “Tong Poo” (from Yellow Magic Orchestra’s 1978 debut album) to his themes for the films “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” and “The Last Emperor” to “20220302 – Sarabande” from his final solo studio album “12.”
“A document of Sakamoto’s final performance before his death from cancer last March, the film provides no commentary or context for the enormity of his body of work, yet somehow encompasses it all as he performs a curated set list in a Japanese recording studio for an audience of one — himself,” Variety described in its September 2023 review.
Speaking to Variety in March ahead of the theatrical release of “Opus,” Sora discussed his aim to “record this performance in…
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The post “Ryuichi Sakamoto Concert Doc ‘Opus’ to Premiere on The Criterion Channel” by Todd Gilchrist was published on 06/21/2024 by variety.com