YOJIMBO & SANJURO: TWO FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA - YOJIMBO & SANJURO: TWO FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA

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After Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo was released in 1961, the samurai film would never be the same. It's difficult for latter-day Western audiences to fully appreciate just how revolutionary Kurosawa's film was in its time; it had the same kind of popular impact that Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction had 33 years later, which is to say, it completely revolutionized its genre, and its influence continues to this day. With an emphasis on dark, delicious comedy, Kurosawa deliberately set out to overturn the conventions of chambara--or swordplay film--and he began by casting the great Toshiro Mifune in the role that would define his career. Unlike the samurai of previous films (including Kurosawa's own masterpiece, Seven Samurai), Sanjuro was an unkempt, down-and-out drifter, a masterless ronin and with time on his hands and nowhere to go. When he chances upon a corrupt, terror-stricken village where clashing merchants are engaged in a ruthless range war, Sanjuro amuses himself by playing both ends against the middle, offering his services as yojimbo (bodyguard) to both sides, then standing back to watch all hell break loose. It's a perfect game of wily deception, hugely popular with Japanese moviegoers as Mifune's performance gained iconic status. Yojimbo's international success was no less impressive; it eventually inspired two noteworthy remakes (Sergio Leone's spaghetti Western A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, and Walter Hill's mobster interpretation, Last Man Standing, in 1996), and remains one of Kurosawa's most popular classics.

A sequel was inevitable, and Kurosawa responded to public demand as only a true artist would, with the equally impressive Sanjuro, quite different from Yojimbo while allowing Mifune to reprise his signature role with a lighter comedic touch. This time, Sanjuro is recruited by a group of young, idealistic samurai to eliminate corruption in their clan, and in the process he completely subverts their overly reverent notions of "proper" samurai behavior. And while both Yojimbo and Sanjuro were milestones in movie violence (featuring the spurting geysers of arterial blood that would become a staple of chambara from this point forward), the calmer, more comically subdued Sanjuro actually boasts a higher body count, and both films rank among the finest examples of Kurosawa's peerless mastery of action.

The Criterion Collection's double-disc set is a must-have for any serious cinephile. Both films (also available separately) are presented with all-new, fully restored high-definition digital transfers, representing (as in the case of Seven Samurai) a significant improvement over Criterion's previous DVD releases. Both films feature full-length commentaries by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince (with eloquent emphasis on camera movement and composition) in addition to retrospective documentaries culled from the priceless Japanese Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, featuring illuminating interviews with many of Kurosawa's closest collaborators. Theatrical trailers and behind-the-scenes photo galleries are also included, along with new-and-improved subtitles, insightful booklet essays by critics Michael Sragow and Alexander Sesonske, and rarely seen production notes by Kurosawa and members of his casts & crew. With this two-disc reissue, Criterion's previous releases of Yojimbo and Sanjuro should now be considered officially obsolete. --Jeff Shannon

• Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yuzo Kayama, Akihiko Hirata
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language (Original Language): Japanese
• Language (Subtitled): English
• Region Code: 1
• Release Date: 2007-01-23
• Running Time: 206 minutes
• Theatrical Release Date: 1963-05-07

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-07-01 Thumbs up This Transfer is great. Sound and picture quality and extra features make this a must for any fan. Worth the money if you love this genre.

Reviewed on 2008-06-25 "Thirty-Year Old, Going On ..." Timeless! These are the films that made Kurosawa loved in the West. Buy this along with "Seven Samurai", and you've got the best of Kurosawa's popular work. Fun, funny, smart, genre-breaking, and genre-making! Fascinating to watch, filled with unfortgettable characters, and all starring Toshiro Mifune! There will be tons of positive reviews, because, throughout time, there will be people discovering these films for the first time-and they'll find them as amazing as audiences did when they were released!

Reviewed on 2008-03-31 Two Kurosawa films is better than one. Yojimbo & Sanjuro in a set together, good buy, worth the money. If you ever wanted to know where Sergio Leone got the idea of "the man with no name", here it is!! is that a hand in that dog's mouth?!!

Reviewed on 2008-02-29 Two great movies -- together! Yet another triumph from director Akira Kurosawa and his favorite star, Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo is one of the more influential films Kurosawa made. Although the simple "man in the middle pitting two sides against each other" has been seen as early as Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, Yojimbo has been remade twice (as A Fistful of Dollars and the Walter Hill/Bruce Willis actioner Last Man Standing) and has long been recognized as one of the greatest samurai films ever made. Mifune stars as Sanjuro, a run-down samurai with no current direction. He happens upon a village with two feuding factions and instantly sees the opportunity. He hires himself out as a bodyguard, first to one then the other and has them wipe each other out with little physical effort of his own. But don't think that Kurosawa misses any opportunity to show off Sanjuro's skill with the sword. However, their appearances are few and therefore to be treasured. Mifune is perfect as the has-been samurai and Kurosawa's dark sense of humor has never been so showcased. Although not as praised as his masterpiece Seven Samurai, Yojimbo is more accessible to the average viewer and is thus a perfect introduction to the director's work. Its sequel, Sanjuro, while surely the lesser film, is no less enjoyable. Originally a different story that was later rewritten for Mifune's samurai character, this time Sanjuro chooses sides with a group of young samurai against a corrupt official. With his help, they manage to defeat the official and rescue two women hostages. The story is much simpler this time around, but Mifune is the whole show here. His character, so wonderful in Yojimbo, is just as much fun in Sanjuro. Watching him rub his stubble in thought while he surprises people with the skill hidden under his rough exterior is a great joy and I can't imagine any other actor being able to pull it off. His easy confidence is an inspiration to "not judge a book by its cover." The final duelling scene is notable for a tremendously bloody battle between the defeated official and Sanjuro. The carnage is almost laughable in its volume, but somehow Kurosawa makes it work in the context of his story. Those who have not seen Yojimbo would still enjoy Sanjuro as it is simpler and thus more acceptable to a mass audience, but viewing them together gives one a fuller portrait of this enigmatic freelance samurai. A man who seems to always show up when he is needed, and then move on before he has worn out his welcome.

Reviewed on 2008-02-24 Classic Kurosawa and Mifune What a fun movie! Toshiro Mifune is his wonderful mocking self. Later done as "A Fistful of Dollars".

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