Akira Kurosawa Samurai Collection Blu-ray Box Set
'Akira Kurosawa Samurai Collection' (1954 - 1962) BFI 6-Disc Blu-ray Box Set | 4K restorations | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Five masterpieces from one of cinema's most influential auteurs. From the philosophical grandeur of Seven Samurai (1954) to the brooding Shakespearean tragedy of Throne of Blood (1957), and from the mythic adventure of The Hidden Fortress (1958) to the razor-sharp wit and violence of Yojimbo (1961) and its sly follow-up Sanjuro (1962), this collection traces Kurosawa's dynamic reimagining of the samurai genre.
Blending breathtaking action, moral complexity, and expressive visual storytelling, these films not only redefined Japanese cinema but reshaped the language of global filmmaking - from Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns to George Lucas' Star Wars.
Special features include:
- Audio commentaries by Adrian Martin, Michael Jeck, Tony Rayns, Philip Kemp and Kenta McGrath
- Selected scenes commentary on Seven Samurai (1999, 20 mins)
- Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create (2002, 193 mins): five episodes from the Toho Masterworks series that take an in-depth look at all five films
- The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns on Kurosawa's career and influence
- My Life in Cinema (1993, 16 mins): Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima discuss Kurosawa's life, career and legacy, filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan
- Introductions to Throne of Blood by Mamoun Hassan in 2012 and by Ian McKellen in 2016
- Macbeth (1945, 16 mins): two scenes from Shakespeare's famous Scottish tragedy
- BFI Screen Epiphanies: Steven Berkoff (2015, 18 mins)
- George Lucas on Akira Kurosawa and The Hidden Fortress (2001, 8 mins)
- Sword for Hire (2024, 25 mins): Jasper Sharp discusses Yojimbo and Sanjuro
- Introduction to Sanjuro by Alex Cox (2003, 5 mins)
- Out of the Dust Storm and Into the Koi Pond (2025, 18 mins): video essay on Yojimbo and Sanjuro
- Alex Cox on Kurosawa (2003, 9 mins)
