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AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2497/Kurosawaset_w128.jpg[/img]

The creator of such timeless masterpieces as Rashomon, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and High and Low, Akira Kurosawa is one of the most influential and beloved filmmakers who ever lived—and for many the greatest artist the medium has known. Now, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, the Criterion Collection is proud to present this deluxe box set celebrating his astonishing career. Featuring twenty-five of the films he made over the course of his fifty years in movies-from samurai epics to postwar noirs to Shakespeare adaptations—AK 100 is the most complete set of his works ever released in this country, and includes five rare films that have never been available on DVD.

Special Features

- This deluxe, linen-bound collector’s set includes twenty-five films and an illustrated book featuring an introduction and notes on each of the films by Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa) and a remembrance by Donald Richie (The Films of Akira Kurosawa).

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Feel free to move it to the correct forum. Link

So no Blu....expected, but--

So this is a Janus box-set affair with bare-bones discs? And new transfers but not Blu transfers? Oh well.

I guess Miriam/Weinstein aint releasing Madadayo no more.

Umm... 25 discs... so... how will they fit Seven Samurai on one disc? Does that mean The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail and The Most Beautiful will have to share a disc? I want this horribly just for collectible purposes, but they should have done Kurosawa justice with special features, Ran and all of it on Blu. I'd pay more to see it done right.

garbage

How much is this monstrosity going to cost?

(* Never before available for home video) ...

# Includes 4 films never released on DVD

Not really true

frankblack wrote:How much is this monstrosity going to cost?

$399. At least it's not $400!

EDIT: If you believe the link, which also provides this heartening information:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 16x9: NO

If they make those four films exclusive to the box, I will be more dissappointed. I'm not sure I want to spill out $400 on most of the films I already own.

Gregory wrote:

(* Never before available for home video) ...

# Includes 4 films never released on DVD

Not really true

Indeed. I watched Sanshiro Sugata and The Men Who Tread... on Home Vision VHS tapes.

I hope there are some individual releases, because while I'd like to get my hands on Sanshiro Sugata 1 and 2, Most Beautiful, The Men Who Tread..., and Madadayo, I pretty much own every other release, as I'm sure many on this board also do. That Stephen Prince book looks tempting, tho'. Probably hasn't been in print for years.

Early indications are that HerrSchreck wins. Good thing I didn't bet anything.

: : stomps off in disappointment : :

Let's see… missing The Quiet Duel, Dersu Uzala, Ran, Rhapsody in August, and Dreams. I wonder what's up with The Quiet Duel?

And if CC's not putting these out on Blu-ray right now, who will? Toho's gone and digitally restored his whole body of work, and then transferred a good many to Blu-ray (dunno about the quality), and this is what CC comes out with? I really hope there's another announcement coming on these titles.

Always supposing it comes out on its own, "Madadayo" is certainly the best thing that could happen. Finally a good edition of this final statement by Kurosawa. That Stephen Prince book is excellent, btw. If you enjoyed his audiocommentary for "Ran", for instance, the whole book is on the same lines. Thoroughly researched, thoughtful interpretation, well written. For me, the best book on Kurosawa I've ever read.

In the words of Stuart Lee..another cold grey wet fart from Criterion

I'd buy this in an instant if it was a Blu-ray set. But I already have 21 of these on DVD, including 3 of the 4 allegedly

(* Never before available for home video)

Wow, talk about a pessimistic crowd. Did anyone really expect a bluray set? Jeff mentioned that bluray was expected to reach a 6.2 percent market saturation by the end of the year. Turell said that bluray wasn't earning them any new customers and they were making less on them due to increased production costs. As nice as a bluray set might have been, upping their monthly quota by 1000 percent seems a little outlandish.

To me, this means five new Kurosawas--at least two mainline releases next year (their usual quota), likely more with the centennial, with bluray being a real possibility. The 50 film Janus box set sold very well for them, so I expect this will as well. It works out to about $11 a disc (preorder) not including the book. Not abandoning a practice that made them a lot of money only indicates that they're not stupid. This is exciting news (though I've suspected that last point for some time now).

Doctor Sunshine wrote:To me, this means five new Kurosawas--at least two mainline releases next year

Which ones do you have in mind? "Madadayo" and "Dreams" (the latter of which is not even included in this set)? I simply can't imagine that they'd give "Tiger's Tail" an individual release in the mainline, although there were rumours about this some years ago. And the big question remains what will happen with "Quiet Duel", now that the R1 is OOP. Not to speak of "Dersu", of course.

Tommaso wrote:Which ones do you have in mind?

I can only speculate on actual titles but it's impossible to imagine Criterion forgetting or ignoring their regular customers--all of whom so interested will have already bought a good number of their Kurosawa releases. Personally, I think they'll release the set early in the year and segment the five unreleased films from the set somewhere between March and December. Maybe a boxset of the early films (still mainline, as what's-it already has a commentary recorded) and Madadayo's got to be blu.

Mr_sausage wrote: That Stephen Prince book looks tempting, tho'. Probably hasn't been in print for years.

I don't know about years, but you can currently order a new copy from Amazon for less than $30.

I'll echo the sentiments that the new titles need to be issued outside the box, though I never much liked Madadayo. It might be worth another look as Criterion's transfer is sure to be miles beyond the current, cruddy DVD version.

Doctor Sunshine wrote:Not abandoning a practice that made them a lot of money only indicates that they're not stupid.

The Doctor is right. We are not the market for this release, but there is a market for it. Just let it go and keep your ire on simmer until the new covers show up in 10 days.

Doctor Sunshine wrote:Did anyone really expect a bluray set?

Yes, actually. It's almost 2010.

This is available for 280 on Amazon. Pretty fucked up with the whole no SD Howards End spine and the fact that they put some of their best releases in this package but probably wont make any new films available separately. I know I will just wait and see what happens with this, it is one thing to have a cool 50-70 to spend on a box-set CC release, but 300-400, I wonder if this ends up costing CC more $$$$$ than they make?

psufootball07 wrote:This is available for 280 on Amazon. Pretty fucked up with the whole no SD Howards End spine and the fact that they put some of their best releases in this package but probably wont make any new films available separately. I know I will just wait and see what happens with this, it is one thing to have a cool 50-70 to spend on a box-set CC release, but 300-400, I wonder if this ends up costing CC more $$$$$ than they make?

I think the movies that aren't currently available from this will find themselves being sold separately eventually...either through the Criterion main line or Essential Art House.

Sounds like a nice collection for many people, and useful for libraries and films schools, etc.

The news about Madadayo is tremendous! There is not a single decent English-subbed edition of this sublime film available anywhere in the world to my knowledge. =D>

To those pouring ridiculously hyperbolic vitriol on this release: I think it's time you started your own DVD/Blu-Ray companies and run them in the impeccable way you clearly think you can, rather than just sitting back and whining because Criterion isn't fulfilling their obligation to deliver exactly what you want every month. Nobody is forcing you to buy this "garbage," to quote one of the more absurd posts above.