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Mr_sausage wrote:Kurosawa only co-directed it, so I can see why they'd leave it out of a Kurosawa centenary set.

And Kurosawa hated it so its inclusion would only have angered his ghost.

swo17 wrote:Which sounds fishy to me. I mean, are they going to use a transfer for Dodes'ka-den or High and Low that's newer than the extant one?

I can almost believe it. If everything's been touched up in Japan in preparation for major retros, etc., why not take advantage. Criterion's certainly got a number of HD transfers and even subtitles kicking around that they haven't really done anything with--the new Branded to Kill steaming on their website, their The Warped Ones transfer appeared on VoomHD as early as 2006--new digital transfers probably ain't no thang with all that sweet BB money. Of course, they may just mean relatively new.

captveg wrote:I see the following happening:

Box Set released

In following months, Eclipse set of the earlier 4 titles.

At some point a Criterion/Essential Art House release of Madadayo.

Additional Blu-ray releases of the bigger titles (Seven Samurai, High & Low, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, etc.) throughout 2010.

This would be fine by me. I would probably only upgrade Seven Samurai, Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Rashomon, and Ikiru to Blu.... at least immediately.

If these are the barebones versions its very disapointing.I dont own any Criterion Kurosawa DVD's but have some of the BFI realeases and Optimums Region 2 Edition of Rashomon (which has more extras then then Criterion edition).This is a lot of money just before christmas aswell if the December date is correct.This isnt very good for loyal customers who probabaly own half of these titles on DVD.I wish Criterion would give us all there collectors editions then that would be a bargain more or less.I hope this is the start of more realeases like this.If this was an Optimum Realease i could assure you it would be under £60.You cant have a Kurosawa boxset without Desru Uzala it is in my opinion hes greatest work.

This is a set that I would expect to see in an executive suite at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, or a very upscale serviced apartment, not at the home of a serious film enthusiast.

Matango wrote:This is a set that I would expect to see in an executive suite at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, or a very upscale serviced apartment, not at the home of a serious film enthusiast.

Why, exactly?

Because a box set like this is the kind of thing that interior designers snap up and then overcharge their rich clients for, thereby making the client feel like a film buff without having to actualy collect, or indeed watch, any films. Same thing happens with books, artwork, etc. Also, any serious Kurosawa fan would already have most of these films in his collection, in superior (i.e. extras-filled) versions.

Matango wrote:Also, any serious Kurosawa fan would already have most of these films in his collection, in superior (i.e. extras-filled) versions.

I'm ambivalent about Kurosawa -- and yet already have virtually all of Criterion's DVD releases.

I agree that a set like this is more useful for decorating purposes than cinemaphile purposes. So, I hope the gambit work -- and Criterion makes scads of money -- thus funding release of at least one or two more Naruse films. AK would have wanted Naruse to be better appreciated abroad. ;~}

Criterion will do this every year for a new Japanese director. Next year will be 25 from Naruse, then the year after will be 25 from Imai, and so on...

..that was very mean of me.

Matango wrote:Because a box set like this is the kind of thing that interior designers snap up and then overcharge their rich clients for, thereby making the client feel like a film buff without having to actualy collect, or indeed watch, any films. Same thing happens with books, artwork, etc. Also, any serious Kurosawa fan would already have most of these films in his collection, in superior (i.e. extras-filled) versions.

I'll be be buying this set for my poor school teacher brother for Xmas.

Anecdote and anecdote alike...

I'm buying this so I'd better change my major to Interior Design.

It's possible for a "serious film enthusiast" to be interested in obtaining a fairly comprehensive collection of well-presented Kurosawa films and not be bothered by the lack of extras. Scholars and enthusiasts have made use of books, and their own intellects, to enrich their understanding of films and filmmakers long before commentaries and the like were available.

I'm not devaluing supplement-rich special editions: they're what I tend to prefer and I'm unlikely to purchase this set. But I wouldn't presume to reduce the purchasers of this collection to a bunch of superficial status-seekers. [-X

I glad we've always had dvd supplements since the beginning of time because reading books and essays along with other ways of research is just too darn hard! Plus who wants just the movies. Why won't Criterion just release movieless supplements gosh darn it!

Exactly. A lot of film enthusiasts will be pleased with this collection. Most home theater enthusiasts may not be.

Why won't Criterion just release movieless supplements gosh darn it!

Funnily enough, there was a now-OOP, 3-disc set released in Japan, Kurosawa Akira: Souzou no Kiseki [The Wonder of Creation], that consisted entirely of Kurosawa documentaries and supplements.

oldsheperd wrote:I'm buying this so I'd better change my major to Interior Design.

Be sure to incorporate these other fine AK 100 products into your design scheme!

I'm going to buy up all the AK-47s in Albuquerque!

I think that's actually what AK would want you to do!

Kurosawa never used a home video camera!

He probably also never voided on a heap of writhing unagi.

Good point, Gregory.
This is basically an Essential Arthouse release with the Stephen Prince book. I think it's a pretty good deal. One can easily go out and get the countless Kurosawa books, the autobiography or the 7000 page long Emperor and the Wolf if they want to find out more. The "It's Wonderful to Create" programs are good but I'm not going to throw a fit if they're not there.

captveg wrote:I see the following happening:

Box Set released

In following months, Eclipse set of the earlier 4 titles.

At some point a Criterion/Essential Art House release of Madadayo.

Additional Blu-ray releases of the bigger titles (Seven Samurai, High & Low, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, etc.) throughout 2010.

This little scenario or something similar to it makes the most sense to me given the sketchy facts we are dealing with. The original Image press release is a confusing affair saying things like the set is not presented in 16x9 and yet has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. A cursory look at my collection shows that Rashomon, Straw Dog and Throne Of Blood are all 1.33:1. Criterion, of course, won't have a word to say about this until the ides of September.

It is certainly very possible that the final project will be a variant on the Essential Art House: Fifty Years Of Janus Films. I do agree that will be a coffee table affair that will look very nice, but unwatched in some of the wealthier penthouse suites of the upper crust. But I do believe it is a handy way for libraries and schools to get a pretty good deal for around eleven bucks per film.

Also, remember the Janus Film Set got broken up into sections and then individual releases rather quickly. I can't see why that wouldn't happen here. Criterion's new m.o. seems to try to cover a whole lot of bases and price points that it never even reached for a year or two ago.

I also think that it is inconcievable they would release all in Blu-Ray, but I don't think it is too far away before we see the old war horses get their extra hi-def day in the sun (like The Seven Samurai, etc.)

I will be curious to see what Criterion has to say when mid September rolls around, but by waiting patiently I have managed to get most of what I wanted from the Essential Film Set without having to buy the original hulk. Patience may be a virtue in this case.

so lightly here wrote:Also, remember the Janus Film Set got broken up into sections and then individual releases rather quickly.

Only if thirty-five months (the time between the release of the Janus box and Le jour se leve, the last of the features within to get a standalone release, this month) fits your definition of quickly. Not to mention those still-MIA Saul Turell shorts!

Waiting three years to get the four early Kurosawas or Madadayo will not be acceptable. Although, I lean towards optimism on this one, in terms of an Eclipse box of the early ones happening sooner rather than later.

Just how devoted to Kurosawa would you have to be to buy this?

Devoted enough to defend the length of the montage sequence in Stray Dog?

So devoted you regard General Yamagata's costume, make-up and acting in Kagemusha as credibly nuanced?

I don't really understand this as a marketing decision. If you love Kurosawa enough to lay out this kind of dough, you no doubt already have all (or most) of the Criterion Kurosawas, so the set is redundant, save for the four or five items as yet unreleased. So WHO is going to purchase this set? I suppose the same might be asked about the giant Janus set - was this a big seller? It would seem to me that it might be for some one who had seen these films theatrically, liked them a lot, had a DVD player, but had never bought a Criterion disc. An unlikely combination. How well did the Janus set do? If quite well, maybe there is a market for the Kurosawa set.

For the record, I have all the Criterion Kurosawas and would duplicate in Blu-ray in a second.

Caged Horse wrote:Just how devoted to Kurosawa would you have to be to buy this?

Devoted enough to defend the length of the montage sequence in Stray Dog?

So devoted you regard General Yamagata's costume, make-up and acting in Kagemusha as credibly nuanced?

I will happily defend the montage section of Stray Dog -- but am less happy with the similar segments of Ikiru and High and Low. I leave the defense of Kagemusha to those who like the film.

So -- I flunk your test (I guess). ;~}