Yojimbo / Sanjuro: Two Samurai Films by Akira Kurosawa (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

Akira Kurosawa is a director that anyone seriously interested in film has heard of, but not a filmmaker whose works I am particularly familiar with. As I have spent the past year purchasing new release Criterion blu-rays, I decided to take a chance on a collection of two of Kurosawa's best known films -- Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Suffice it to say, I am not the least bit disappointed. Yojimbo is without a doubt the rosetta stone for a single archetype -- the antihero. In this case, masterless samurai (or ronin), Sanjuro played by the charismatic actor Toshiro Mifune. As a fan of comics, science fiction, fantasy and action films, I have seen variations of Sanjuro throughout my life, but never realized that so many characters began with the protagonist of Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Most notably, Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name" in Sergeio Leonne's remake of Yojimbo (re: rip-off), A Fist Full of Dollars. And it's a testament to Kurosawa's skill as a director that with so many derivative descendants, Yojimbo is still an incredibly compelling film, surprisingly modern in its sensibilities and most importantly, funny and entertaining. Yojimbo is set in a town beset by two rival factions of Yakuza. Sanjuro, an aging wandering samurai, arrives in the town and decides to set both sides against each other for nothing more than his own personal amusement. What follows is a dark comedy as Sanjuro acts as an agent of chaos, shattering the delicate balance of power in the town. Created as a quick follow up to capitalize on the popularity of Yojimbo, Sanjuro is a very different story and casts Sanjuro in a slightly different role. Nine young samurai discover corruption within their local clan. As they begin to align against the suspected source of the corruption, they stumble upon Sanjuro, who quickly realizes that they have the situation entirely wrong. Unlike Yojimbo, where Sanjuro acts alone, here he serves a mentor figure and leader to the nine samurai. In addition, Sanjuro is portrayed more of a traditional hero, motivated by altruism rather than boredom and money, though still shabby and uncouth. Sanjuro is an entertaining film, but not the classic that Yojimbo is. The transfers on the two blu-rays are top notch -- there's a little flicker here and there, but overall Kurosawa's black and white compositions look phenomenal. Extras are sparse for a Criterion edition, but include segments from a Japanese documentary on Kurosawa's career, as well as commentary tracks from Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince. Although a little dry, Prince's commentaries are very illuminating, providing important context for both the historical period in which the two films are set, as well as for the production of the films. All in all, the Yojimbo & Sanjuro two-pack is well worth your money -- and at $50 on Amazon, is also an incredible bargain.

MOVIES: Introduction: When you talk about an Akira Kurosawa film there is very little to say because his films speak way more than what any reviewer can write. Any filmmaker or film enthusiast can tell you that Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors to have ever made films. Not only is he able to tell grand and epic stories but he is able to keep his characters intimate with the audience. He is probably the single most influential director to have ever lived. Now the good folks over at Criterion have blessed us with remastered editions of Yojimbo and Sanjuro, two classic samurai masterpieces by the great director. Criterion wowed us last year with their remastered release of Seven Samurai, which was my favorite DVD of the year. This release, while not as extensive as the Seven Samurai three disc set, is still something to jump over. Since Sergio Leone is my favorite director you can assume that Akira Kurosawa is close behind in my taste in film, especially these two films. The two films can be purchased separately, but I highly recommend buying this box set as it will not only save you money but save you shame when you tell people that you own one but not the other. Yojimbo: The thing that surprises me the most about Yojimbo was that it was a film that was inspired by American westerns yet was even a bigger inspiration for the genre after it was made. The story is about a masterless samurai who wanders into an old town looking for food and shelter, maybe a job if he can find one. He notices that the entire town is deserted and the first thing he sees is a small dog happily trotting down the dirt street with a severed human hand in its mouth. That image right there sets the entire tone for this fun adventure film with a slight comedic side to it. The masterless samurai who is known as Sanjuro then realizes that the town is in the middle of a gang war with two feuding sides. He takes refuge with an old shopkeeper and decides to use this feud to his advantage. He plays both sides and manipulates each of the gangs in hopes of ridding the town of both groups and making a little profit during the process. Even though the film was made in 1961 it's still as accessible today as any other film would be. Kurosawa was ahead of his time when it came to pacing films and structuring them. His characters were also so boldly developed that they became unforgettable. His visual style is probably the most unique of any director. The reason why Sergio Leone is my favorite director is because of his appreciation for cinematography and Akira Kurosawa had the same appreciation. While Leone may have been inspired by Kurosawa it was Leone who pushed the limits of the widescreen frame in terms of composition. Kurosawa was never as extreme as Leone was, but his films were nonetheless interesting to watch due to the brilliant cinematography. The final showdown at the end of the film is breathtaking all due to what is captured within the frame. Truly impossible to describe, it must be seen. When you talk about iconic actors you always come across Toshiro Mifune who embodied the role of the masterless samurai to perfection. Just the mannerisms he uses in the film are entertaining to watch. He'll scratch his beard leisurely in the tensest situations, or even roll his shoulders around as he walks about. While Clint Eastwood without a doubt created his own icon in the Leone westerns, it is without a doubt heavily inspired by Toshiro Mifune. Sanjuro: With the immediate success of Yojimbo in Japanese cinema it was inevitable that a sequel was wanted by the studio. When Akira Kurosawa was approached to do a sequel he assured them that he didn't want to do any old sequel, and he didn't. Sanjuro has no relation to the previous film except for the main character. The first scene of the film finds a group of nine samurai in a small abandoned house waiting to be contacted and all the while discussing the state of their clan. Of course our "hero" is sleeping in the closet and ends up hearing their situation. Sanjuro emerges from the closet and tells them they are about to be betrayed and since they are blind to the world he decides to help them weed out the evil and corrupt members of their clan. Sanjuro is slower paced than Yojimbo, and I suppose there are less swordfights. However, just because there are less swordfights in the film does not mean the film has less action. Kurosawa cranked up the intensity of the battling and it makes the scenes all the more exciting. The film also keeps up with the comical side that we saw in Yojimbo. In the end it all dials down to one final samurai duel that will leave you breathless. Kurosawa paced this film a little differently than Yojimbo. We are almost thrown right into the action with no detailed introductions to our characters. We already know our main hero well, so there is no need to introduce him again. The nine young warriors almost act as one character so just explaining their situation was enough. Sanjuro teaches these young warriors the way of honor and to be weary of their surroundings. It's truly a magnificent film. By the end of the film you will know exactly where Tarantino got his inspiration for Kill Bill and for the style of blood used in the film. VIDEO: The highlights of these brand new sets are definitely the new high definition transfers, absolutely flawless in every sense of the word. The image could not get any better. Grain and dirt are practically non existent and no signs of any digital flaws. The image itself is not faded and textures come through crisp and clear. I never knew black and white could look so good. Both films are presented in their full 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratios. AUDIO: Sound is almost as perfect as the picture. We have included the original mono track in Japanese as well as a little bonus. Criterion knows that more and more homes are getting bigger and badder surround systems, but mono tracks on such a big screen may feel uninvolving for today's audience. So, we have an optional 3.0 Dolby track that was created to preserve the original Perspecta simulated stereo effects. Perspecta was a technology that embedded three separate audio tones into a mono track. It was a cheap alternative at the time since projectors did not need a new sound head. So the DVD is basically using 3 speakers to simulate this early technology that was used during the films' theatrical distribution. Bravo Criterion. Bravo. I'd also like to applaud the effort to provide newly translated and more accurate subtitles for both films. SPECIAL FEATURES: Yojimbo's Special Features: Commentary by Film Historian and Kurosawa Scholar Stephen Prince: The audio commentary is chock full of important facts and great analysis behind certain techniques used in the film. A must listen for film students and film enthusiasts because I bet anywhere else you'd pay lots of money to hear a professional speak at a seminar or a class to get information like this. The Making of Yojimbo: A 45-minute in depth documentary that goes behind the scenes of Yojimbo. There are plenty of interviews with crew members. They speak so much about Kurosawa that by the end you may feel like he was interviewed too. Lots of info such as using a telephoto lens for most of the film to get the look that Kurosawa wanted. Plenty of fun stories from crew members, an especially interesting one from the focus puller. Theatrical Trailer & Teaser: The original theatrical and teaser are included. They are nothing like what we know now as the theatrical trailer. It's fun little extra. Stills Gallery: Lots of pictures from the set of Yojimbo. Booklet: Includes an essay written by critic Alexander Sesonske and some notes from Kurosawa and his cast and crew. Sanjuro's Special Features: Commentary by Film Historian and Kurosawa Scholar Stephen Prince: The audio commentary is chock full of important facts and great analysis behind certain techniques used in the film. A must listen for film students and film enthusiasts because I bet anywhere else you'd pay lots of money to hear a professional speak at a seminar or a class to get information like this. The Making of Sanjuro: A 35-minute in depth documentary that goes behind the scenes of Sanjuro. There are plenty of interviews with crew members. They speak so much about Kurosawa that by the end you may feel like he was interviewed too. Lots of info such as using a telephoto lens for most of the film to get the look that Kurosawa wanted. Plenty of fun stories from crew members, especially one story about painting flowers for the highly demanding Kurosawa. Theatrical Trailer & Teaser: The original theatrical and teaser are included. They are nothing like what we know now as the theatrical trailer. It's fun little extra. Stills Gallery: Lots of pictures from the set of Sanjuro. Booklet: Includes an essay written by critic Michael Sragow and some notes from Kurosawa and his cast and crew. BOTTOM LINE: As a filmmaker and a film critic, I am simply floored by this set. I love Kurosawa's work, but these films especially since they went on to inspire my favorite director. Sergio Leone remade Yojimbo as A Fistful Of Dollars and added a whole new element to the story to make is just as great as the original. Leone used elements of Sanjuro for For A Few Dollars More and then he created his personal masterpiece with The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Walter Hill remade Yojimbo with Bruce Willis taking the lead role in Last Man Standing. So, you can see that Kurosawa is simply one of the best filmmakers to have ever lived. Criterion continues to raise the bar in terms of home video distribution of important classic and contemporary films. This set is a must buy.

I'll admit up front I consider myself a Kurosawa fanboy so writing this is hard as I'm constantly trying to keep myself from degenerating into a fanboy rant. I'll just say with the nice price and the remastered video updating the problems with their original releases, this is a great release for those looking to get into Kurosawa films, or chanbara in general. Both films have a lighter tone and are shorter and funner than Seven Samurai and Ran and I loved the films plots over The Hidden Fortress. First up Yojimbo, like Seven Samurai one of the most copied of Kurosawa's films. This is fun film, that has a streak of black humor that the two remakes A Fistfull of Dollars and Last Man Standing lack. Mifune had a humorous quality to his acting that came up greatly in his role of Sanjuro the wandering ronin who strolls into town after hearing about it from a farmer quarreling with his son. With Mifunes performance, intelligent writing, Kurosawa as usual makes full use of panavision. The opening where Mifune walks into town where all the residents peek out from behind windows and doors is just awesome with the way the camera captures all the small actions. Theres not much more I wanna say except with the opening listen to the confrontation between Mifune and compare it to a certain scene in Star Wars A New Hope. Lucas not only copied many of Kurosawas movies but cribbed scenes from this one and others as well. Sanjuro is viewed by some like all sequels as inferior to the original. Personally its not a Matrix/Matrix Reloaded situation. Sure it doesn't feature a deep story like the previous film, but it does have the writing that I always like from Kurosawa and the humor in scenes that are great and add depth to the characters. Plus just one of the best endings ever. I've seen the film five times and I've always been suprised by it. Anyway this whole thing is a great package with excellent video, the usual essays that come from Criterion and the usual documentaries from the Its Wonderful to Create series produced by Toho that have been on other Kurosawa releases, and a cracking commentary from Stephen Prince who gives a in depth commentary definitely worht a listen. Its a great package well worth the price.

This Criterion Collection contains Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 film, “Yojimbo,” & its 1962 sequel, “Sanjuro,” both of which star Toshiro Mifune in the lead role as Kuwabatake Sanjuro. In the original film, a rōnin arrives in a small town trapped between competing crime lords. Each attempts to hire him as their bodyguard works to play them against each other, freeing the town. Kurosawa was loosely inspired by the 1942 film, “The Glass Key,” but he added his own spin on it. Mifune is stellar in the lead role, perfectly capturing the “Man with No Name” trope (his name in the story is a fake one that he makes up on the spot). Naturally, Kurosawa’s filming is flawless and Masaru Sato’s music adds the perfect dramatic note to the story. Later, in 1964, Sergio Leone remade the film as “A Fistful of Dollars.” Leone never secured the remake rights, however, and had to pay an undisclosed settlement to Kurosawa for the rights. The sequel began as an adaption of Shūgorō Yamamoto’s novel “Hibi Heian,” though Kurosawa modified it to include Sanjuro. The story similarly follows a rōnin riding into town to deliver justice, in this case to a group of samurai who believe the lord chamberlain is corrupt. Mifune is again enjoyable in the lead role in this sequel as he partners with Kurosawa, continuing a longtime collaboration between the two. The final battle is particularly noteworthy and brilliantly executed. Where samurai films heavily inspired George Lucas during the making of “Star Wars,” the final battle is perfectly duplicated in the “Star Wars Rebels” season 3 episode, “Twin Suns.” Both films show a connection to Kurosawa’s 1954 film, “Seven Samurai,” which explored similar themes of villagers hiring rōnin. Mifune would later reprise the role, or at least the character type, in the 1970 films “Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” and “Incident at Blood Pass.” As part of the Criterion Collection, this set cleans up the films for perfect clarity. It also includes several bonus features, such as audio commentaries, making of documentaries for both films from a larger documentary about Kurosawa, trailers, behind-the-scenes photos, and essay booklets about both films. Best of all, the Criterion packaging looks lovely on the shelf with a minimalist style evocative of the films. My only complaint is that Criterion’s way of doing subtitles occasionally makes them hard to read on a black-and-white film, but that’s relatively minor with how crisp they’ve made the picture.

Yojimbo and Sanjuro are great movies for diverse reasons. Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) is a samurai movie based in the detective novels of Dashiell Hammett - particularly Red Harvest. Akira Kurosawa wanted to bring the best of literature and interpret it into Japanese cinema. Its interesting that the two main influences in this process were Hammett's hard-boiled detective fiction and William Shakespeare (Ran, Throne of Blood). The always-excellent Toshiro Mifune plays the nameless title character who schemes and plots of take down an entire town of gamblers and gansters. I won't recap the story, suffice to say that his plans lead into several battles and some beautifully choreographed sword fights. Yojimbo was later made (nearly scene-for-scene) into A Fistfull of Dollars by Sergio Leone with Clint Eastwood as "The Man with No Name." Bruce Willis brought the character back to it's ganster/detective roots with the not-so-good "Last Man Standing." Yojimbo is awash with cinematic violence, but the charm infused into the movie by the cynical, yet obstinately principled, hero surprised me when I first saw it. The performances of the supporting cast, as usual with Kurosawa's films, add depth and wit to each scene. For what its worth, Yojimbo has gradually become one of my favorite movies. If you end up enjoying Yojimbo, check out The Seven Samurai, Sword of Doom, Miller's Crossing, The Maltese Falcon, and The Thin Man. The sequel, Sanjuro, is a departure of sorts from Yojimbo. Kurosawa and Mifune return as we find our nameless hero assisting some naive samurai who have been backed into a corner by corrupt officials in their clan. Played more for laughs but still brimming with cynicism and wonderfully orchestrated fights (the final scene will leave you afraid to blink), Sanjuro is a worthy but unusual follow-up to the cynical Yojimbo. Criterion did an excellent job with their recent re-release of Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, and it appears that they are giving the same treatment to Yojimbo & Sanjuro. A new (and improved) translation, commentary from Steven Price, as well as documentary film focusing on Kurosawa during the time he was making these great movies, and a booklet with info about the two movies, sadly nothing from Mifune (he did have an essay in the Seven Samurai DVD re-release). I can't wait to get ahold of it - should be well worth the purchase!

If you're a fan of samurai flicks at all, especially period dramas, I highly recommend Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Or if you're a fan of the "Lone Bad-@$# Wandering the Earth with a Sword/Gun", then this one's also right up your alley. They're absolute classics and Toshiro Mifune is amazing as the anti-hero protagonist, Sanjuro. Akira Kurosawa did an amazing job directing this piece and the film definitely benefits from his experience. By the time he directed Yojimbo, he was already many years into a very prolific directing career. These two films are also the perfect choice if you haven't seen many samurai films and are just getting into the genre. Kurosawa's works are generally very accessible to a Western audience, in no small part due to his numerous Western influences, ranging from Shakespeare to Dostoevsky. In fact, Yojimbo is based on two Dashiell Hammett novels, The Glass Key and Red Harvest. Sanjuro is more of a true-to-the-genre period drama where Sanjuro, the wandering ronin anti-hero, helps out some samurai not get themselves killed while attempting to uncover corruption within their clan. If the plot to Yojimbo seems kind of familiar to you and you're a fan of Westerns, specifically Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's Man with No Name trilogy (also total classics!), that's because Fistful of Dollars has nearly the exact plot as Yojimbo. I believe it's an unofficial remake. Whether it's worth it to buy them on blu-ray or not... well, that's really up to you. I rented the movie on DVD from Netflix a while ago and watched it up-converted, so it's not a side-by-side comparison, but I seriously doubt there would be that big of a difference. It wasn't shot on an HD camera, obviously. I bought the blu-ray because there was hardly much of a price difference between the two; not enough of a difference to justify buying it on an older format, anyway.

For the purpose of this review I will treat the two movies as one story. Story: The movies follow the life of a ronin (masterless samurai) as he goes on his way meeting people, helping people with their problems in his own peculiar way all the while trying to make some money out of it. This is the source material for Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns w/ eastwood that gained so much popularity in the US. The first story finds our protagonist essentially playing two warring factions against each other while he decides what he wants to accomplish with this game of chess. The second story follows Sanjuro as he assists a bumbling group of samurai in their quest. Both movies are filled with tons of humor and sharp story telling. Audio/Video: The movies are presented in widescreen and look pretty nice, the blacks are sharp and everything is clear. Music is a little meaty but such was the style back then and dialogue is clear. Extras: The audio commentaries are highly informative and very interesting. Great purchase for Kurosawa fans and those who want to see a funny story about the grouchiest samurai.

Every collector's dream. Very detailed box especially inside. Has a little book inside, pact full of movie info n stuff. Worth every

En sí las películas son excelentes, pero me encanta cuando traen elementos extra. Cada película trae un libro que relata la historia del proceso de filmación entre otras curiosidades. Sería bueno que hubiera una versión en español, quiero invitar a mis amigos a ver las películas pero no hablan nada de inglés.

Incredible 4k transfers for some amazing films. A must-buy for any Kurosawa fans.

Brought this for my other half as a gift, as the director is an all time favourite of his. Spent a lot of time researching which of the many variations of release of these movies to buy, and this was justified by the quality of the transfer, and being able to see the scenes as the director intended (not with bits of the edges chopped off as in some of the earlier releases). The visuals were superb and, never having seen these films before, I found myself completely wrapped up in the stories. The comic touches that lighten the heavy moments are deftly dealt. It's easy to see why his reputation is so well deserved. Highly recommended not just for fans, but for those new to his work.

作品については、その価値を疑うものはないので、商品としてのバリューを記述します。 主に日本版と比較してみます。 ◎画質 【クライテリオン版】 日本版と比較してコントラストが強く、白黒のメリハリがはっきりしています。解像度は高く、オリジナルのフィルム版のディティールを詳細に再現しています。例えば、顔のクローズアップシーンでは、役者の顔のシワやメイクで付けた汚れなどがはっきりと確認でき、髷のカツラを地肌に固定しているテープもはっきりと見えるくらいです。フィルムの傷(雨降り)は、ほぼ修正されており、まるで近年の作品のようです。 【日本版】 全体的にソフトな画質で、コントラストは控え目です。白色の部分は、ライトグレー色くらいの色調になっています。黒色ははっきりと出ていますが、その分、ディティールがツブれてしまっています。フィルムの傷(雨降り)は、結構残っており、画質に「時代」を感じさせる内容です。 ◎音声 【クライテリオン版】 雑音は全くなく、クリアな音声です。セリフの聞き取りも全く難はなく、字幕は全く必要ありません。特に、DTS-HDマスターオーディオ・パースペクタ3.0のサウンドトラックは、素晴らしく、打楽器を多用しクラリネットでメロディを奏でる佐藤勝のテーマ曲が、綺麗に響きます。 【日本版】 クライテリオン版よりもセリフがはっきりと聞き取れます。その分、わずかですが雑音が目立ちます。音楽は、高音域や打楽器パートが音割れしてしまっているのが残念です。 ◎特典映像 【クライテリオン版】 ・「黒澤明 The Masterworks」(「用心棒」編45分、「椿三十郎」編35分)：「影武者」で徳川家康を演じた油井昌由樹氏がナレーターを務め、スチール写真や撮影シーンを交えながら、当時のスタッフ・キャストに製作エピソードをインタビューする内容。「用心棒」編では、望遠カメラを用いた撮影技術に関するインタビュー、「椿三十郎」編では、三船敏郎と仲代達矢の決闘シーンの製作エピソードが必見です。もちろん100%日本語版です。 ・劇場用予告編(特報・予告編の2本) ・撮影当時のスチール写真集 【日本版】 ・劇場用予告編(特報・予告編の2本)のみです。 ◎その他 【クライテリオン版】 20ページの小冊子が付いています(英語版)。 【日本版】 特になし。

Masterful and a wonderful restoration - (viewed on an Epson 4k projector)