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Release: August 8, 2023

$7.99

Description

Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker’s artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Shoji Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince Feature-length documentary from 1990 shot on set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi Interviews with production manager Teruyo Nogami and assistant director Takashi Koizumi Documentary from 2011 by director Akira Kurosawa’s longtime translator Catherine Cadou, featuring interviews with filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese, Hayao Miyazaki, and others Trailer PLUS: An essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and Kurosawa’s script for a never-filmed ninth dream, introduced by Nogami

Release: November 15, 2016

$7.99

Description

Unfolding in a series of mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Ran) brings eight of the beloved director s own nighttime visions, informed by tales from Japanese folklore, to cinematic life. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master s unconscious, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic visions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of art, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker s imagination at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Masaharu Ueda, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack - New audio commentary featuring film scholar Stephen Prince - Making of Dreams (1990), a 150-minute documentary shot on-set and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi - New interview with assistant director Takas

Release: October 6, 1960

$7.99

Description

A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai) could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo) as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.

Release: November 15, 2016

$7.99

Description

Unfolding in a series of mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Ran) brings eight of the beloved director s own nighttime visions, informed by tales from Japanese folklore, to cinematic life. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master s unconscious, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic visions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of art, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker s imagination at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New, restored 4K digital...

Release: September 9, 2025

$7.99

Description

Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low, the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa. Adapting Ed McBain’s detective novel King’s Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on class and contemporary Japanese society. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Audio commentary featuring Akira Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince Documentary on the making of High and Low, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create Interviews with actors Toshiro Mifune and Tsutomu Yamazaki Trailers and teaser PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and an on-set account by Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie

$7.99

Description

A wealthy industrialist faces a moral and financial crisis after kidnappers mistakenly abduct his chauffeur's son instead of his own.

$6.99

Description

Facing a terminal diagnosis, a weary bureaucrat searches for one meaningful act before he dies.

Release: June 1, 2010

$6.99

Description

When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, and then finds himself haunted by the warlord’s spirit as well as his own ambitions. In his late color masterpiece Kagemusha, Akira Kurosawa returns to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his career—the play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal Japan and the pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a historical epic that is also a meditation on the nature of power. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES Restored high-definition digital transfer, with DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 soundtrack. Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa, an interview piece from 2005 in which directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola discuss Kurosawa and Kagemusha Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity, a piece from 1993 reconstructing Kagemusha through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches Suntory Whisky commercials made on the set of Kagemusha Gallery of storyboards painted by Kurosawa and images of their realization on-screen Theatrical trailers and teasers PLUS: An essay by scholar Peter Grilli and an interview with Kurosawa by renowned critic Tony Rayns

Release: February 16, 2010

$6.99

Description

EPIC DRAMA/ADVENTURE OF A SIXTEENTH CENTURY JAPANESE WAR-LORD AND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN HIM AND HIS THREE SONS. INSPIRED BY 'KING LEAR' AND DIRECTED BY THE LEGENDARY AKIRA KUROSAWA

Release: November 16, 2021

$8.99(Not Free for Subscribers)

Description

EPIC DRAMA/ADVENTURE OF A SIXTEENTH CENTURY JAPANESE WAR-LORD AND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN HIM AND HIS THREE SONS. INSPIRED BY 'KING LEAR' AND DIRECTED BY THE LEGENDARY AKIRA KUROSAWA.

Release: December 26, 1951

$6.99

Description

Three parties and a witness have four versions of a rape/murder in ninth-century Japan.

Release: March 23, 2010

$6.99

Description

Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa's oeuvre, YOJIMBO surpassed even Seven Samurai in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai SANJURO, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune, that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, SANJURO matches YOJIMBO's storytelling dexterity, yet adds a layer of world-weary pragmatism that brings the duo to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion.

Release: May 7, 1963

$7.99

Description

A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.

Release: November 12, 2024

$7.99

Description

One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour-plus ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with the original uncompressed monaural soundtrack and an optional 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film (in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1) and two Blu-rays with the film (in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1) and special features Two audio commentaries, one featuring film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie, and the other Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck Making-of documentary, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create My Life in Cinema (1993), a two-hour conversation between director Akira Kurosawa and filmmaker Nagisa Oshima “Seven Samurai”: Origins and Influences, a documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that helped shape Kurosawa’s masterpiece Trailers and teaser Gallery of rare posters, behind-the-scenes photos, and production stills PLUS: Essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, P

$7.99

Description

A poor village hires seven masterless samurai to defend it from repeated bandit raids.

Release: May 5, 2026

$7.99

Description

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop’s and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side. Starring Toshiro Mifune as the rookie cop and Takashi Shimura as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law, Stray Dog goes beyond crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa Short documentary on Stray Dog, from the series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, featuring interviews with director Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, actor Keiko Awaji, and others Plus: An essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty and an excerpt from Kurosawa’s book Something Like an Autobiography

Release: May 5, 2026

$7.99

Description

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop’s and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side. Starring Toshiro Mifune as the rookie cop and Takashi Shimura as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law, Stray Dog goes beyond crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa Short documentary on Stray Dog, from the series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, featuring interviews with director Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, actor Keiko Awaji, and others Plus: An essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty and an excerpt from Kurosawa’s book Something Like an Autobiography

Release: January 7, 2014

$7.99

Description

A ruthlessly ambitious lord, egged on by his wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become Emperor.

Release: March 23, 2010

$6.99

Description

Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa's oeuvre, YOJIMBO surpassed even Seven Samurai in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai SANJURO, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune, that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, SANJURO matches YOJIMBO's storytelling dexterity, yet adds a layer of world-weary pragmatism that brings the duo to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion.

Release: January 7, 2025

$7.99

Description

Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa’s oeuvre, Yojimbo surpassed even Seven Samurai in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai Sanjuro, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, Sanjuro matches Yojimbo’s storytelling dexterity yet adds a layer of world-weary pragmatism that brings the two films to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 4K digital restorations, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks Two 4K UHD discs of the films and two Blu-rays with the films and special features Optional DTS-HD Master Audio Perspecta 3.0 soundtracks, preserving the original simulated stereo effects Audio commentaries by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince Documentaries on the making of Yojimbo and Sanjuro, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create Teasers and trailers Stills galleries of behind-the-scenes photos PLUS: Essays by film writers Alexander Sesonske and Michael Sragow and comments from Kurosawa and members of his casts and crews YOJIMBO The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time. SANJURO Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa’s tightly paced, beautifully composed Sanjuro. In this sly companion piece to Yojimbo, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a “proper” samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character’s return is a masterpiece in its own right.