DVD : Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0720917532929
Format: Anamorphic, Letterboxed, Box set, NTSC
Label: Wellspring
Manufacturer: Wellspring
Number Of Items: 3
Publisher: Wellspring
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 23, 2002
Sales Rank: 87489
Studio: Wellspring
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Befitting a filmmaker of Akira Kurosawa's masterly stature, this sumptuous limited-edition DVD set pays tribute to Kurosawa's cinematic legacy and Japanese heritage. Like Japanese architecture, the packaging is simple yet elegant, with Ran--Kurosawa's epic reworking of King Lear in feudal Japan--at the center of attention. Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece was remastered for this set, a clear improvement over the notoriously disappointing Fox Lorber DVD. The transfer is now vividly colorful and crisply detailed, presented in anamorphic widescreen with optional yellow subtitles that are easier to read (though the earlier release probably wasn't as bad as the "old" image used in the restoration demo). The 5.1-channel sound option allows deeper immersion into Kurosawa's painstakingly crafted soundtrack, and film historian Stephen Price's superlative, feature-length commentary track provides engaging and scholarly perspective on Kurosawa's development of theme through composition, camera placement, editing, and highly stylized direction of actors. Another comparatively sparse commentary track by Japanese cultural expert Peter Grilli is worthwhile for its insider's view of Kurosawa's personality and methods. Ran--a tragic, awe-inspiring study of human folly--remains timelessly magnificent, marking the first step in Kurosawa's gradual move from the confines of conventional narrative.
The gatefold packaging includes four glossy, postcard-quality reproductions of Kurosawa's personal storyboard paintings for Ran and Madadayo, as well as a beautiful miniature fold-out shoji screen paying tribute to Ran. (A commemorative Ran miniposter is also included.) While the DVDs of Kurosawa and Madadayo don't differ from their previous releases, their inclusion is fitting: Kurosawa (coproduced by Grilli) serves as a comprehensive study of the director's life and films, and Madadayo--Kurosawa's last and perhaps most personal film--is an evocative expression of the moral themes and unconventional storytelling that emerged in the final years of Kurosawa's legendary career. In honoring the sensei's lifetime of peerless creativity, this boxed set is guaranteed to please. --Jeff Shannon
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I went to a lot of trouble to get this item special ordered to the store I work at. When it finally arrived yesterday, it wasn't sealed, so I peaked inside before purchasing, and what I found put me off:
First off, it's in a HUUUUUGE box (bigger than my college calculus book) for only THREE DVDs. BIG. WASTE. OF. SPACE.
Secondly, the fixtures which hold the disks are the kind which too easily let the disks loose, so they'd all come loose in shipping and arrived with the ... Read More
Rating: -
I have actually never seen worse video quality. I looks like they used the lowest grade of home movie transfer equipment. And like they transfered it to VCR and then to DVD. Amazing!
Rating:  -
At first glance, it looks like the "Kurosawa DVD Collection" has been bundled together with odds and ends. One documentary, and two of Kurosawa's lesser-known -- but excellent -- films.
At first glance, it's hard to see why they were packaged together. But soon it becomes clear why: The two films are poignant stories from Kurosawa's twilight years, while the documentary explores his lifetime. In a way, it's almost a memorial to the Grandaddy of modern cinema.
"Ran" is a ... Read More
Rating:  -
it said that this box is an "amazon exclusive". well i have seen this box (and purchased it) with everything that it has in it at stores that sell it for $50. so i dont see whats so great about this supposed amazon exclusive. the set is fun to have, nothing special, but something that a Kurosawa fan would enjoy. and for those looking for Ran on its lonesome, there was a Ran masterworks edition put out in 2003 by Wellspring. Its easily found for $25 and it is a very good transfer.
Rating: -
...into a fabulous piece of cinema. This collection really assembles the best of all the tools for understanding Japanese cinema in general, and Akira Kurasawa in particular, good, comprehensible subs, expert commentary, and other extras. RAN is my second favorite Kurasawa film, and the presentation here really enriched my viewing of the film. I read Prince's book, THE WARRIOR'S CAMERA, but his commentary really opened up new windows into the film and its brilliant director.
Granted, ... Read More
|
