Kurosawa: Samurai Coll.

Akira Kurosawa is one of the world’s greatest filmmakers.

His films have been acclaimed by critics the world over, and his celebrated samurai epics – featuring international star Toshirô Mifune – have inspired filmmakers as diverse as Steven Spielberg and Sergio Leone, and inspired countless films, including The Magnificent Seven. This indispensable Blu-ray collection contains digitally remastered High Definition presentations of five of Kurosawa’s greatest films, are accompanied with extra features including interviews with directors George Lucas and Alex Cox, feature-length audio commentaries and original theatrical trailers.

Seven Samurai 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 fatal. Unanimously hailed as one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films, including The Magnificent Seven. Japan | 1954 | 207 minutes | Japanese language, with optional English subtitles | Original aspect ratio 1.33:1

Throne of Blood In this brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth Toshirô 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. Japan | 1957 | 108 minutes | Japanese language with optional English subtitles | Original aspect ratio 1.33:1

The Hidden Fortress 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…