Eclipse from the Criterion Collection

The First Films of Akira Kurosawa

Edition no. 23

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Release Date: Tuesday, 03 August 2010
Country of Release: USA
MSRP: $59.95

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Sanshiro Sugata | The Most Beautiful | Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two | The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail

Licensor Information

Toho Co.

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Featuring: Denjiro Ookouchi, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Soji Kiyokawa, Tadayoshi Nishina, Yukiko Todoroki, Ichiro Sugai, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ranko Hanai, Takako Irie, Akitake Kono, Masayuki Mori, Sayuri Tanima, Sachiko Ozaki, Kenichi Enomoto, Sugisaku Aoyama, Asako Suzuki, Atikake Kono, Kokuten Kodo, Haruko Toyama, Yoshio Kosugi, Yôko Yaguchi, Dekao Yokoo

Years before Akira Kurosawa changed the face of cinema with such iconic works as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, he made his start in the Japanese film industry with four popular and exceptional works, created as World War II raged. All gripping dramas, those rare first films—Sanshiro Sugata; The Most Beautiful; Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two; and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail—are collected here and include a two-part martial arts saga, a portrait of female volunteers helping the war effort, and a kabuki-derived tale of deception. These captivating films are a glorious introduction to a peerless career.

Year: 1943 | 1944 | 1945
Time: 79 | 85 | 83 | 59 min.