Seven Samurai [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

Seven Samurai [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura
, Yoshio Inaba
Yoshio Inaba
, Seiji Miyaguchi
Seiji Miyaguchi
, Minoru Chiaki
Minoru Chiaki
, Daisuke Kato
Daisuke Kato
Seven Samurai [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

Seven Samurai [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

Director: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura
, Yoshio Inaba
Yoshio Inaba
, Seiji Miyaguchi
Seiji Miyaguchi
, Minoru Chiaki
Minoru Chiaki
, Daisuke Kato
Daisuke Kato

DVD (B&W /1.33:1 Full Screen)

$49.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Akira Kurosawa's epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down. The film opens with master samurai Kambei (Takashi Shimura) posing as a monk to save a kidnapped farmer's child. Impressed by his selflessness and bravery, a group of farmers begs him to defend their terrorized village from bandits. Kambei agrees, although there is no material gain or honor to be had in the endeavor. Soon he attracts a pair of followers: a young samurai named Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), who quickly becomes Kambei's disciple, and boisterous Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), who poses as a samurai but is later revealed to be the son of a farmer. Kambei assembles four other samurais, including Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi), a master swordsman, to round out the group. Together they consolidate the village's defenses and shape the villagers into a militia, while the bandits loom menacingly nearby. Soon raids and counter-raids build to a final bloody heart-wrenching battle.

Product Details

Release Date: 09/05/2006
UPC: 0715515019927
Original Release: 1954
Source: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Presentation: [B&W]
Sound: [Dolby Digital Mono]
Language: English
Time: 3:27:00
Sales rank: 9,392

Special Features

All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer, with an optional Dolby surround soundtrack; Two audio commentaries: one by the film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie; and one by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck; Theatrical trailers and teaser; Gallery of rare posters and behind-the-scenes and production stills; New and improved English subtitle translation; A 50-minute documentary on the making of Seven Samurai created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create; My Life in Cinema, a two-hour video conversation between Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima from 1993, produced by the Directors Guild of Japan; "Seven Samurai": Origins and Influences, a new documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that impacted Kurosawa's masterpiece; Plus: a booklet featuring essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, and Stuart Galbraith IV; tributes from Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet; and a reminiscence by Toshiro Mifune

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Takashi Shimura Kambei
Yoshio Inaba Gorobei
Seiji Miyaguchi Kyuzo
Minoru Chiaki Heihachi
Daisuke Kato Shichiroji
Ko Kimura Katsushiro,Katsushiro, young samurai
Kuninori Kodo Gisaku,Actor
Kamatari Fujiwara Manzo
Yoshio Tsuchiya Rikichi
Bokuzen Hidari Yohei
Yoshio Kosugi Mosuke
Keiji Sakakida Gosaku
Jiro Kumagai Gisaku's Son
Haruko Toyama Gisaku's Daughter-in-Law
Fumiko Homma Peasant Woman
Ichiro Chiba Priest
Tsuneo Katagiri Peasant
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi Peasant
Keiko Tsushima Shino
Toranosuke Ogawa Grandfather
Noriko Sengoku Wife from Burned House
Yu Akitsu Husband from Burned House
Gen Shimizu Masterless Samurai
Jun Tasaki Big Samurai
Isao Yamagata Samurai
Jun Tatari Laborer
Atsushi Watanabe Vendor
Yukiko Shimazaki Rikichi's Wife
Sojin Jr. Minstrel
Shimpei Takagi Bandit Chief
Eijiro Higashino Bandit
Kichijiro Ueda Bandit
Akira Tani Bandit
Haruo Nakajima Bandit
Takashi Narita Bandit
Senkichi Omura Bandit
Shuno Takahara Bandit
Masanobu Okubo Bandit
Eijiro Tono Bandit
Toshir? Mifune Kikuchiyo
Fumio Hayasaka Composer

Technical Credits
Akira Kurosawa Screenwriter
Hideo Oguni Screenwriter
Shojiro Motoki Producer
Shinobu Hashimoto Screenwriter
Yoshio Sugino Stunts

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 1
1. Main Titles [3:09]
2. "Is There No God to Protect Us?" [7:17]
3. Shopping for Samurai [6:41]
4. Death of a Thief [7:49]
5. A Master and His Disciples [7:58]
6. Samurai Auditions, Part I [7:34]
7. Samurai Auditions, Part II [9:20]
8. The Seventh Samurai [11:20]
9. Frightened Village [8:33]
10. False Alarm [4:29]
11. Making Plans [8:24]
12. "Still a Child" [3:52]
13. Samurai Armor [7:43]
14. The Secret Garden [6:10]
15. Training [6:13]
16. Intermission [5:14]
1. A Masterpiece/Time Period [3:09]
2. The Setup/Groups [7:17]
3. Lenses/Historical Models [6:41]
4. Izu No Kamu/Modern Movie Violence [7:49]
5. Tragic View of History/Kikuchiyo [7:58]
6. Shooting and Cutting [7:34]
7. Ellipses/Zen-Like Swordsmen [9:20]
8. Toshiro Mifune/Long Shots [11:20]
9. Social Chaos/Ways of Seeing [8:33]
10. Camera Movement/Kikuchiyo and Heihachi [4:29]
11. Process [8:24]
12. Teen Romance/What Makes a Samurai? [3:52]
13. Kurosawa's Position/Intersecting Subplots [7:43]
14. Repeated Motifs/Visual Foreshadowing [6:10]
15. Anti-High Noon/A Rejected Idea [6:13]
16. Reinventing the Jidai-Geki/Influences [5:14]
1. Opening Comments [3:09]
2. Kurosawa's Shooting and Editing Techniques [7:17]
3. Kurosawa as Orchestrator [6:41]
4. Mifune's Acting Style [7:49]
5. Musical Theme [7:58]
6. The Viewer as Omniscient Observer [7:34]
7. Shots for Dramatic Effect [9:20]
8. Extremes [11:20]
9. Dynamism in Shooting [8:33]
10. Pacing [4:29]
11. Compositions of Three [8:24]
12. Coming of Age [3:52]
13. Passion Directed Just Past the Lens [7:43]
14. Samurai Film Themes [6:10]
15. Mifune's Biography [6:13]
16. (No Commentary) [5:14]
Disc #2 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 2
1. Harvesting [3:30]
2. Night Watch [3:35]
3. Building Barricades [5:51]
4. The Scouts [7:16]
5. The Surprise Attack [7:54]
6. Funeral [2:16]
7. The First Battle [11:07]
8. Night Skirmish [7:37]
9. The Second Battle [7:47]
10. Behind the Lines [11:28]
11. That Night [13:12]
12. The Last Battle [8:57]
13. Finale [4:24]
1. Rikichi's Secret [3:30]
2. Character Formation [3:35]
3. Film Language [5:51]
4. The Unit/Mifune [7:16]
5. Soviet Sensibility [7:54]
6. Same Theme Repeated [2:16]
7. Known Tropes/Silent Roots [11:07]
8. Anonymity/Master-Disciple Relationships [7:37]
9. Heir to Eisenstein [7:47]
10. Guns/Solidarity [11:28]
11. Character/Criticism [13:12]
12. History Unfolding [8:57]
13. Elegy to Samurai Values [4:24]
1. Critical Reception of Mifune's Character [3:30]
2. Kurosawa's Mentor [3:35]
3. Kikuchiyo [5:51]
4. Kurosawa's POV Style [7:16]
5. Production History [7:54]
6. Parallells [2:16]
7. The Most Imitated Shot [11:07]
8. Kurosawa's Early Biography [7:37]
9. Kurosawa's Later Biography [7:47]
10. The One Technical Mistake [11:28]
11. The Japanese Film Industry [13:12]
12. Tension and Release [8:57]
13. Seven Samurai's Success [4:24]
1. It Was All There in the Script [3:52]
2. The Abandoned First Scene [1:35]
3. Hiring Samurai [7:23]
4. The Samurai Theme [1:51]
5. The Personalities of the Seven Samurai [11:32]
6. Capturing Light in the Eyes [1:41]
7. Problems Burning Down the Water Mill [1:48]
8. Tragedy at the Bandits' Fortress [6:11]
9. The Truth Behind the Battle in the Rain [13:10]
Disc #3 -- Seven Samurai: The Supplements
1. Childhood [5:40]
2. Painting and Illustrating [3:59]
3. Entering the Film Industry [4:17]
4. Life as an A.D. [7:19]
5. Scripts and Screenplays [5:46]
6. Toward a More Dynamic Cinema [5:13]
7. Facing the Censors [6:31]
8. Scripts, Drinks, Directors, Misinterpretations [6:49]
9. Special Exemption From the Military [5:11]
10. "Just Tell a Story" [5:28]
11. The Weight of Dostoyevsky [7:51]
12. Writing With Others [5:26]
13. A Day on the Set With
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews