Kurosawa Samurai Collection

[MichaelB]

Kurosawa Samurai Collection
5 films by Akira Kurosawa

The films of Akira Kurosawa, one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, have had a profound effect on audiences around the world, and his acclaimed samurai epics – featuring international star Toshiro Mifune – have inspired filmmakers as diverse as George Lucas and Sergio Leone.

This BFI DVD box set, which also contains film notes, is released alongside BFI Southbank’s Akira Kurosawa and His Influence, a season running throughout June, which marks the centenary of Kurosawa’s birth with a season of films made by both the seminal filmmaker himself and those he has influenced. It includes an Extended Run of Rashomon (1951).

Seven Samurai (1954)

When the residents of a small Japanese village seek protection, they hire seven unemployed ‘ronin’ (masterless samurai). Paid only in handfuls of rice, the samurai remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal. Unanimously hailed as one of cinema's greatest masterpieces, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films, including The Magnificent Seven.

Throne of Blood (1957)

In this brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Toshiro Mifune plays a samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility. Kurosawa's bloody tale is a triumph of economic style, and the climactic battle scene is full of remarkable, and brutal, imagery.

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

In this classic collaboration between Kurosawa and star Mifune, a warrior and a princess try against all odds to return to their homeland with their fortune. Acknowledged by George Lucas as the inspiration for Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress combines an epic tale of struggle and honour with modern comic sensibilities to masterful effect.

Yojimbo (1961)

A drifting samurai for hire plays both ends against the middle with two warring factions, surviving on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck. Eventually the samurai seeks to eliminate both sides for his own gain and to define his own sense of honour. Yojimbo provided inspiration for A Fistful of Dollars.

Sanjuro (1962)

This comedy of manners follows a man fighting corruption in local government offers a twist on the classic Samurai tale by gently, but perfectly parodying the conventions of the Japanese period action movie tradition.

Release date: 7 June 2010
RRP: £39.99 / cat. no. BFIVD867 / cert 12 / 5 discs
Seven Samurai: Japan / 1954 / 190 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
Throne of Blood : Japan / 1957 / 104 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
The Hidden Fortress: Japan / 1958 / 138 mins / Original aspect ratio 2.35:1 (16x9 enhanced) Yojimbo: Japan / 1961 / 106 mins / Original aspect ratio 2.35:1 (16x9 enhanced)
Sanjuro: Japan / 1962 / 95 mins / Original aspect ratio 2.35:1 (16x9 enhanced)

It is a very safe bet that this will mimic the Jacques Tati, Terence Davies and Film Noir boxes and consist of repressings of the original BFI DVDs in slimline cases and a cardboard sleeve, with a single booklet - but I'll let you know if I hear anything different.

[Fiery Angel]

No Blu?

[hearthesilence]

No Blu?

Of course there is a Blu-Ray edition. (Says me seven-and-a-half years later.) And just your luck, it's on sale at 50% off (30 quid) for Black Friday.

I'm curious as to how these compare to Criterion's BD reissues though. Same transfer?

[EddieLarkin]

Inferior transfers of Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood and Hidden Fortress. Superior transfers of Yojimbo and Sanjuro (albeit presented with the wrong black levels).

[yoloswegmaster]

Blu only set coming in November:



Extras:
 
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create (2002, 195 mins): five episodes of the Toho Masterworks series split over five discs, that take an in-depth look at each of the films included in this collection. Each episode includes interviews with not only Kurosawa himself but a host of cast and crew
 
Audio commentary on Seven Samurai by film critic Adrian Martin
 
Philip Kemp selected scenes commentary on Seven Samurai (1999, 20 mins): film critic and writer Philip Kemp analyses key scenes from the film
  
The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa's career and influence

My Life in Cinema (1993, 116 mins): a conversation between filmmakers Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan in 1993 - the two legendary directors discuss Kurosawa's life, career and legacy
 
Introduction to Throne of Blood by Sir Ian McKellen (2016, 2 mins)
 
Introduction to Throne of Blood by Mamoun Hassan (2012, 7 mins): the late writer, director, and producer introduces a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s film at the BFI Southbank
 
Audio commentary on Throne of Blood by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck
 
Macbeth (1945, 16 mins): two scenes from Shakespeare’s famous Scottish tragedy, with Wilfrid Lawson and Cathleen Nesbitt as a fine murderous duo
 
Audio commentary on The Hidden Fortress by Japanese-film expert Tony Rayns
 
BFI Screen Epiphanies: Steven Berkoff (2015, 18 mins): in a wide-ranging discussion with journalist Ian Hadyn Smith, the actor, writer and theatre director reflects on The Hidden Fortress, the talents of Toshiro Mifune and his first viewing of the film in the late 1950s
 
Interview with George Lucas (2001, 8 mins)
 
Original trailer
 
Sword For Hire (2024, 25 mins): Kurosawa scholar Jasper Sharp discusses Yojimbo and Sanjuro in this analytical assessment
 
Audio commentary on Yojimbo by film critic Philip Kemp
  
Introduction to Sanjuro (2003, 5 mins): filmmaker Alex Cox introduces Sanjuro

Audio commentary on Sanjuro by Japanese-Australian filmmaker Kenta McGrath
 
Out of the Dust Storm and into the Koi Pond (2025, 18 mins): Nic Wassell considers the role of nature as a background to the machinations of mankind in role of nature as a background to the machinations of mankind in Yojimbo and Sanjuro

Alex Cox on Kurosawa (2003, 9 mins): the director discusses the life and work of Akira Kurosawa
Original Japanese trailers
 
Seven Samurai trailer (2024)
 
Image galleries for Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro