8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage.
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke KatôForeign | 100% |
Drama | 94% |
Period | 27% |
Martial arts | 20% |
Crime | 13% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival, Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive audio commentary with film historian Stephen Price; forty-five-minute documentary about the making of "Yojimbo"; theatrical trailer; and more. The Blu-ray disc also arrives with a 22-page illustrated booklet, containing a statement from Akira Kurosawa that appeared in the 1999 book The Films of Akira Kurosawa, by Donald Richie; Alexander Sesonske's essay "West meets East"; and comments from notable Kurosawa collaborators that appeared first in the 2002 Toho SDVD release of "Yojimbo". With optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
The great Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
This is a striking high-definition transfer! Frankly, aside from some very mild flickering that I noticed during a couple of scenes, everything else looks superb. Detail is fantastic, clarity outstanding, and contrast levels excellent. What impressed me the most, however, is how Yojimbo looks blown through a digital projector - the crisp and tight image is very much on par with Criterion's Last Year at Marienbad.
The film's grain structure is intact. I would also like to specifically note that none of the random digital noise that is visible on the SDVD release of Yojimbo is present here. Instead, the picture looks sharp and well detailed, even during the indoor scenes. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing flecks, scratches, debris, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, this Blu-ray release of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo represents a dramatic upgrade over its SDVD counterpart, which is why I am convinced that you would be absolutely thrilled with it. (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 DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 and Japanese LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The following text appears in the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack. The restored Perspecta Stereophonic Sound was decoded through Perspecta decoder and reencoded as a Dolby 3.0 soundtrack. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation."
While obviously there are certain dynamic improvements on the Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 track that provide Yojimkbo with a stronger flavor - Masaru Sato's fantastic score most certainly benefits from it - I prefer the umcompressed mono track. I like the dated feel Yojimbo has and think that the mono track is more suitable for it.
I did not detect any specific technical flaws with the mono track. The dialog is crisp, clear and easy to follow. There aren't any serious fluctuations in terms of dynamics either. Background hiss is also not an issue of concern.
Commentary: an audio commentary with film historian Stephen Price, author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa, recorded exclusively for the Criterion Collection in 2006.
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create - this forty-five-minute documentary about the making of Yojimbo, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful Create, features director Akira Kurosawa, actor Tatsuya Nakadai, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, and longtime Kurosawa collaborator Teruyo Nogami, among others. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (45 min, 1080i).
Theatrical trailer - In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).
Teaser - In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080i).
Stills gallery - a collection of stills from the filming of Yojimbo.
Booklet - a 22-page illustrated booklet, containing a statement by Akira Kurosawa that appeared in the 1999 book The Films of Akira Kurosawa, by Donald Richie; Alexander Sesonske's essay "West meets East"; and comments from notable Kurosawa collaborators that appeared first in the 2002 Toho SDVD release of Yojimbo.
I have a feeling that a lot of people would be genuinely surprised when they get their hands on Criterion's Blu-ray release of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. This isn't a marginal upgrade of their SDVD release. It is one of the most dramatic upgrades to emerge from them since they began releasing on Blu-ray. Bravo! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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