8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
In medieval Japan, four people offer conflicting accounts of a rape and murder.
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru ChiakiForeign | 100% |
Drama | 94% |
Period | 18% |
Psychological thriller | 16% |
Mystery | 4% |
Crime | 1% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono (192 kbps)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The first Japanese film to win the prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original Japanese trailer; short introduction by Robert Altman; excerpts from the Japanese television documentary The World of Kazuo Miyagawa; interview with actor Takashi Shimura; audio commentary by critic and Japanese film historian Donald Richie; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film historian Stephen Prince; an excerpt from director Akira Kurosawa's "Something Like an Autobiography"; and reprints of Rashomon's two source stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
And then I saw that woman...
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
Rashomon was restored in 2008 by The Academy Film Archive, The National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc., with funding provided by Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation and The Film Foundation.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The basis for the restoration was a 35mm black-and-white print held in the collection of the National Film Center in Tokyo. Made in 1962 from the original camera negative, the print itself was in good physical condition, but the negative from which it had been made was extremely battered due to extensive printing and handling over the years; many shots had started to shrink and warp, and there were numerous scratches and abrasions. Moreover, dust, dirt, and other artifacts from the damaged negative had been photographed into the print.
The print was scanned at 4K resolution at Lowry Digital in Burbank, California. The original scans were then converted to 2K files for extensive image processing and cleanup. Certain damage could be repaired using Lowry's automated software, but many frames had to be cleaned by hand. The warping in some shots and the blurring of every second frame of the film were addressed with customized visual effects tools. Once the image restoration was complete, two 4K digital intermediate 35mm negatives were produced, as well as a complete digital archive of both the raw scan and the restored image files.
The film's audio was restored from the 1962 print and a fine-grain master positive in the Kadokawa Foundation's collection. The elements were transfered at DJ Audio in Los Angeles, and Audio Mechanics in Burbank identified the best source element for each shot, in order to create a seamless soundtrack.
Restoration supervisors:
Michael Friend, Michael Pogorzelski/Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles.
Akira Tochigi/National Film Center, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
Yuniko Amano, Masao Kawano/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc., Tokyo."
Criterion's presentation of Rashomon is enormously impressive. Detail and especially depth are dramatically improved, both during close-ups (see screencapture #5) and larger panoramic shots (see screencapture #3). Even the sequences with the heavy rain boast improved clarity (see screencapture #7). Color grading is also very pleasing - the blacks are solid but not boosted, while the variety of grays and whites are well balanced. There are absolutely no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Also, there are no traces of excessive degraining. Actually, it appears that the grain has been rebalanced in a few areas where damage was apparently serious. Various stabilizations have been performed as well. Unsurprisingly, there is no edge flicker or serious transition issues to report in this review. Last but not least, the entire film must have been carefully cleaned up because there are absolutely no large damage marks, cuts, or even large scratches. All in all, I feel very confident stating that Criterion's presentation of Rashomon will be the film's definitive presentation for many years to come. It is that impressive. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese LPCM 1.0 and English Dolby Digital 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
It is obvious that various stabilization corrections have been performed in the audio department as well. Background hiss is either effectively minimized or completely eliminated. Also, there are no annoying pops or sudden audio dropouts. Predictably, dynamic movement is quite limited, and especially during a few sequences early into the film there is also some unevenness. It is pretty clear, however, that the minor fluctuations that have been retained are inherited source limitations. The dialog is stable and the English translation is excellent.
Regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made, Akira Kurosawa's legendary Rashomon arrives on Blu-ray in spectacular fashion. Restored in 2008 by The Academy Film Archive, The National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc., the film undoubtedly looks the best it ever has. I think that those of you who have been patiently waiting for it to arrive on Blu-ray will be very pleased with Criterion's presentation. I also believe that Criterion's Blu-ray release will be the definitive home video release of Rashomon for many years to come. Buy with confidence, folks. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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