Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion Collection Spine # 2)
by Akira Kurosawa
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DVD details
Actor: Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Takashi Shimura, Toshir? Mifune, Yoshio InabaDirector: Akira Kurosawa
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 207 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-05
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion Collection Spine # 2)
DVD Review: "Japan's Towering Achievement"
Summary: 5 Stars
This film arguably Kurosawa's greatest film. This particular version allows us to see his masterpiece in unprecedented clarity. The new translation provides the audience a greater emotional understanding of the plot.
The humor and action are timeless entertainment. I was honestly expecting to become bored given the extremely lengthy presentation, but not a scene is wasted. It tells a fairly simple story but develops each character meticulously. You will remember scenes from this movie for weeks to come and will be compelled to watch it again and again.
The documentaries are excellent additions. One provides information about early Japanese films and the other gives us an entertaining glimpse into what it was like to shoot Seven Samurai. There is a very dull interview with Kurosawa that should be skipped by all except the most avid of Kurosawa fans.
I also feel bizarrely inclined to mention the beautiful packaging. The fold-out DVD box is adorned with iconic scenes from the film. The color scheme is pleasant. The booklet that comes with it also looks very artsy. It comes with information to teach us about the creators of the film and essays from various movie buffs to provide different perspectives about the importance of the film.
All in all, a fantastic package that should not be missed by anyone who considers themselves a movie fan. As trailers of the movie gloated without restraint, it might be "Japan's Towering Achievement" in film. 5/5
DVD Review: A definitive edition of a definitive movie
Summary: 5 Stars
For purposes of this review, I'm going to assume you know the plot of "Seven Samurai" and its place as an esteemed film (do a little reading up on it if you don't). I will focus on the product itself.
This is one of those rare "remastered editions" that is actually worth the buy. The movie itself is incredibly crisp and has all the "lost" footage, allowing the viewer to see the entire movie in a detail not seen since its theatrical release. The clarity, however, never detracts from the movie itself - it takes multiple viewing the fully grasp the content of each shot, including many details that were too small to notice in the VHS release.
The subtitles are also crisp and clean, another vast improvement over the VHS. As another review already stated, the movie is only subtitled, not dubbed, so if you have poor eyesight keep that in mind.
The movie itself is split neatly at the intermission (which has been left intact at the end of disc one) into a pair of DVDs, with a third disc of special features. There are two excellent bonus commentaries by film scholars - one solely by Michael Jeck, the other by four scholars (one at a time, each getting 25% of the movie), including Joan Mellen (who wrote the book - literally - on "Seven Samurai"). These commentaries are very insightful and discuss both thematic and theatrical elements of the movie.
There is also a small booklet included that has various commentaries by film critics and a small piece by Toshiro Mifune. It's short but a nice little extra.
If you like "Seven Samurai," this is the edition you want, hands down.
DVD Review: Seven Samurai - Especially good for those understanding Japanese
Summary: 2 Stars
Seven Samurai is a truly great movie. Unfortunately, I am legally blind and am unable to read the English subtitles. If only there could have been an English-speaking version.
I'm very disappointed after paying the stiff price and receiving what I could barely understand by watching it but without any effective translation on what waws being said.
Unhappy Review
DVD Review: terrible
Summary: 1 Stars
7 samurai is probably the best film of all time. but this is not the version to get. it has been split up into 2 discs instead of being on 1 disc like the other release. this really ruins the experience. also, the grainy quality of the pre-restoration version added character and pathos. it looks too slick now. another huge problem is the low - resolution, jagged subtitles. couldn't they have gotten something better? its like looking at an ancient computer font and causes extreme eyestrain and headaches. Also, this film really should be dubbed into English. I want to focus on Kurosawa's masterful imagery but instead I find myself constantly staring at the ghastly subtitles. You can turn them off but then you cant follow the story, so really this should be dubbed. The extras here are mostly throw-aways and not worth the extra money. The best of them is michael jeck's commentary but that was on the older criterion release as well. i recommend getting that version instead as its cheaper and better.DVD Review: Truly inspirational
Summary: 5 Stars
This earnestly is one of the finest achievements of cinema, particularly of it's time. Though hailed as only the third greatest piece of Japanese cinema of it's year, it has easily outlasted it's two predecessors. This movie is basically flawless. Multi-layered and symbolic, there is no wasted film in the entire movie. Every shot has depth and the storyline is fascinating.
It's storyline has been ripped off and parodied numerous times, from The Magnificant Seven, to the often boring futuristic anime of the same name, to video games, This is character development and using the cinema as a medium to portray statements at it's finest.
No matter how many times you watch it, you WILL notice something different, and noting how revolutionary it was at the time, it is truly mindblowing. Kurosawa has always been a master, but this is truly his masterpiece, and watching the master at work is atrue pleasure.
The acting is also sensational, particularly Toshiro Mifune (One of my favorite actors period) and Seiji Miyaguchi who until this movie has never touched a sword before. Still, every actor down to the most insignificant extra adds depth to the world of Seven Samurai. The script is fantastic, and no line is wasted in this three and a half hour film.
The class statements are just as relevant today as the time it was based in, and you really see see the main three classes (peasent, nandit, and samurai) as human. You even understand the plight of the bandits before the film is over. There is no black and white only gray circumstances, and ultimately that's what the movie is about more than anything.
There truly cannot be enough good things to say about such an epic masterpiece, and it will be continued to be revered in the future.
Description of Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion Collection Spine # 2)
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 09/05/2006Hailed as the greatest film in the history of Japanese cinema, Seven Samurai is director Akira Kurosawa's undisputed masterpiece. Arguably the greatest of all jidai-gecki (or historical swordplay films), Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set during the civil unrest of 16th-century Japan, as the cowering residents of a small farming village are seeking protection against seasonal attacks by a band of marauding bandits. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a peasant farmer's son, desperately seeking glory, acceptance, and revenge against those who destroyed his family. Led by the calmly strategic Kambei (Takashi Shimura, star of Kurosawa's previous classic, Ikiru), the samurai form mutual bonds of honor and respect, but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal.
Kurosawa masterfully composed his shots to emphasize these group dynamics, and Seven Samurai is a textbook study of the director's signature techniques, including extensive use of telephoto lenses to compress action, delineate character relationships, and intensify motion. While the climactic battle against raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed, Seven Samurai is most triumphant as a peerless example of character development, requiring all of its 2-hour, 37-minute running time to illuminate every essential detail of villagers and samurai alike, including an abundance of humor as Kambei's defense plan unfolds. In terms of its overall impact, Seven Samurai spawned dozens of copycat films (notably the American Western remake The Magnificent Seven) and cannot be adequately summarized by even the most comprehensive synopsis; it must be seen to be fully appreciated, and the Criterion Collection's 2006 DVD reissue is an essential addition to any definitive home-video library. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVDs
According to the accompanying booklet, "the picture has been slightly window-boxed (in correct original 1.33:1 aspect ratio) to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors." The two-disc format was necessary "to maintain optimal image quality throughout the compression process," with dual-layered DVD-9's encoded "at the highest possible bit rate for the quantity of material included." The picture and sound quality are simply amazing compared to Criterion's one-disc release from 1998. The all-new, fully restored high-definition digital transfer takes full advantage of HD's clarity and crispness, resulting in picture detail far surpassing the previous DVD. This also applies to the soundtrack, presented in optional Dolby surround in addition to the remastered original mono track. The new transfer "was mastered in 2k resolution from a duplicate negative created with wetgate processing from the original fine-grain master positive" (the film's original negative is no longer available), and "several different digital hardware and software solutions were utilized for flicker, instability, dirt, scratch, and grain management."
The complete 207-minute film is accompanied by two full-length commentary tracks, including a new track combining the critical insights of film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Price (author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa), Tony Rayns, and the dean of Japanese film experts, Donald Richie (author of The Films of Akira Kurosawa). Each scholar is given approximately 40 minutes of film-time, and their commentaries represent a unique opportunity to appreciate Seven Samurai from distinct yet complementary critical perspectives. The commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck (from Criterion's original 1988 laserdisc release) remains useful as a thorough analysis of Seven Samurai, primarily in terms of visual composition.
The 50-minute "making of" documentary, from Japan's 2002 Toho Masterworks TV series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create emphasizes Kurosawa's collaboration with co-screenwriters Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni, including production footage, crewmember interviews, and a reverent visit to the rural inn where Seven Samurai was written over a six-week period of intense seclusion. The two-hour "My Life in Cinema" interview with Kurosawa was recorded in 1993, with fellow filmmaker Nagisa Oshima serving as a gentle admirer, colleague, and well-informed historian of Kurosawa's career. "Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences" is a richly informative documentary that places Kurosawa's classic in both historical and cinematic context, examining its place in the jidai-gecki (swordplay) genre, its accurate depiction of samurai codes and traditions, and its stature as the prototype for many films that followed. The lavishly illustrated 58-page booklet includes eight brief essays on various aspects of Seven Samurai, each written by noted film scholars or film directors (including Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet). Also included is a reminiscence by the great actor Toshiro Mifune, excerpted from a conversation recorded in 1993. Taken as a whole, the remastered three-disc Seven Samurai ranks as one of the finest DVD sets ever released. --Jeff Shannon
Stills from Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Click for larger image)
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