This DVD that brings back into print (and that is a vast improvement over the previous edition) the late-noir classic that was the breakthrough film for the director of Double Suicide is also among this month's new releases from Criterion.  Originally released in 1964, Pale Flower is a gangster romance noir that is shot in black and white (natch!) and features a soundtrack by the world renowned composer Toru Takemitsu.  It tells the tale of a yakuza just out of prision who falls hard for a femme fatale; what looks good gets bad (and so, as film noir, gets better).  Features include: new high-definition digital transfer; new and improved subtitle translation; new video interview with Shinoda; booklet with essay by Chuck Stephens.