Akira Kurosawa’s Movies on DVD

This page is primarily catering for the English speaking audience. However, in the case of non-English DVD editions that might be of interest also to the English speaking audience, those releases could also be mentioned, as well.

The arrangement of the page is chronological, starting with Kurosawa’s earliest movies and progressing to his last ones. The current availability is actually quite good.

You may also be interested in my list of blu-ray Kurosawa releases, or the availability of Kurosawa documentaries, films with Kurosawa’s input or those based on Kurosawa’s works.

Contents:
Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
The Most Beautiful (1944)
Sanshiro Sugata II (1945)
They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail (1945)
No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Drunken Angel (1948)
The Quiet Duel (1949)
Stray Dog (1949)
Scandal (1950)
Rashomon (1950)
The Idiot (1951)
Ikiru (1952)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Record of a Living Being (1955)
Throne of Blood (1957)
The Lower Depths (1957)
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Yojimbo (1961)
Sanjuro (1962)
High and Low (1963)
Red Beard (1965)
Dodesukaden (1970)
Dersu Uzala (1975)
Kagemusha (1980)
Ran (1985)
Dreams (1990)
Rhapsody in August (1991)
Madadayo (1993)

Sanshiro Sugata (Sugata Sanshiro, 1943)

The best English-friendly version of Sanshiro Sugata comes from Criterion. The catch is, you cannot get it alone, but have to purchase it as part of either “The First Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($50 or thereabouts, released August 2010), or the massive “AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($350 or thereabouts). As all Criterion’s releases, these are in Region 1. The film comes with no extras whatsoever.

The only decent DVD version of Sanshiro Sugata that doesn’t come as part of a box set is an Australian one, released by Madman Entertainment (formerly AV Channel) in Region 4. It comes with 12 minutes of scenes deleted by Japan’s censorship system, but the transfer is worse that with the Criterion release.

I would recommend the First Films of Akira Kurosawa box set, which you can order from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

For more information about the AK 100 box set, see here. It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Finally, the Madman DVD is sold directly through Madman’s website. Shipping costs are not terrible, even outside Australia. Note that the prices are in Australian dollars. Or, you may also check out Amazon.com, which sometimes has copies available in the Market Place.

The Most Beautiful (Ichiban utsukushiku, 1944)

As is the case with Sanshiro Sugata, and indeed all of Kurosawa’s first four films, the best version of The Most Beautiful comes from Criterion but you cannot get it alone. Instead, you have to purchase the film as part of either “The First Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($50 or thereabouts, released August 2010), or the massive “AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($350 or thereabouts). As all Criterion’s releases, these are in Region 1. The film comes with no extras whatsoever.

I would recommend the First Films of Akira Kurosawa box set, which you can order from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

For more information about the AK 100 box set, see here. It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

There is also a Chinese Mei-Ah release, which had before Criterion’s releases been the main choice. However, the company is known for its terribly poor-quality releases that have subtitles that are translated into English via Chinese, and a transfer that is taken from an old videotape. I would definitely stay away from these now that we have a proper Criterion release available. This DVD is generally available second hand at Amazon.com. It should be region free, and therefore play on all DVD players.

Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (Zoku Sugata Sanshiro, 1945)

The situation here is very much like what it is with the first part of the Sanshiro Sugata story. The best English-friendly version of Sanshiro Sugata II comes from Criterion but the catch is that you cannot get it alone. Instead, you have to purchase it as part of either “The First Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($50 or thereabouts, released August 2010), or the massive “AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($350 or thereabouts). As all Criterion’s releases, these are in Region 1. The film comes with no extras whatsoever.

As with Sanshiro Sugata, the Australian Madman company has also released Sanshiro Sugata Part Two, making it the only decent DVD version of the film that isn’t part of a box set. The quality is, however, somewhat poorer than with Criterion’s box sets.

I would recommend the First Films of Akira Kurosawa box set, which you can order from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

For more information about the AK 100 box set, see here. It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

The Madman DVD is sold directly through Madman’s website. Shipping costs are not terrible, even outside Australia. Note that the prices are in Australian dollars, and that you need a DVD player capable of handling Region 4 to play the DVD. Outside Australia, the DVD’s availability is generally quite poor.

They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail (Tora no o wo fumu otokotachi, 1945)

Once again (see above), the best English-friendly version of They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail comes from Criterion but you cannot get it alone. Instead, you have to purchase the film as part of either “The First Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($50 or thereabouts, released August 2010), or the massive “AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set ($350 or thereabouts). As all Criterion’s releases, these are in Region 1. The film comes with no extras whatsoever.

I would recommend the First Films of Akira Kurosawa box set, which you can order from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

For more information about the AK 100 box set, see here. It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Also the Chinese company Mei-Ah has put out a DVD version of They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail with English subtitles. Just like with their other releases, you should stay away from it, as the subtitles are translated into English via Chinese, making them almost incomprehensible at times, and the video quality is poor. The Mei-Ah DVD is generally available second hand at Amazon.com. It should be region free, and therefore play on all DVD players.

No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi, 1946)

Unless you want to get the AK 100 box set, the best option for an English language friendly release of No Regrets for Our Youth should be Criterion’s Region 1 Postwar Kurosawa box set, which was released as part of the Eclipse series of low-budget releases. The film and sound quality is fairly good, although it must be noted that the Eclipse series films, being budget releases, are not digitally restored nor do they come with any real DVD extras.

The box set is quite nicely priced, as with the price of two normal Criterion releases you get five movies, with the other titles being Scandal, Record of a Living Being, One Wonderful Sunday and The Idiot. The box set can purchased from Amazon.com.

I would recommend the box set also for those living in other regions (although note, that you need a Region 1 capable player for that). Although there is also the region-free Chinese Mei Ah release, I would avoid it at all costs due to the terrible subtitles and poor picture quality.

One Wonderful Sunday (Subarashiki nichiyobi, 1947)

Unless you want to get the AK 100 box set, the best option for an English language friendly release of One Wonderful Sunday is Criterion’s Region 1 Postwar Kurosawa box set, which was released as part of the Eclipse series of low-budget releases. The quality of the release is fairly good, although it must be noted that the Eclipse series films, being budget releases, are not digitally restored nor do they come with any real DVD extras.

The box set, however, is quite nicely priced, as with the price of two normal Criterion releases you get five movies, with the other titles being Scandal, Record of a Living Being, No Regrets for Our Youth and The Idiot. The box set can purchased from Amazon.com.

I would recommend the box set also for those living in other regions (although note, that you need a Region 1 capable player for that). Although there is also the region-free Chinese Mei Ah release, I would avoid it at all costs due to the terrible subtitles and poor picture quality.

Drunken Angel (Yoidore tenshi, 1948)

The best release of Drunken Angel currently available is the 2007 Criterion edition, which is digitally restored and comes with a half an hour documentary and a commentary by Donald Richie. The picture and sound quality is very good, and I doubt any release will surpass this one any time soon. This Region 1 (North America) release can be bought from Amazon.com.

Meanwhile, the best Region 2 release of Drunken Angel in English appears to be the one by the British Film Institute, which they put out in 2005. I have not had the privilege of actually seeing this release, but BFI releases in general are relatively good, although not necessarily quite as marvellous as one might hope. The DVD comes with a 12-page booklet with notes by film historian Philip Kemp, and includes two other short articles as well. This BFI DVD is available at Amazon.co.uk. It is region 2 only, so you will need to have a multi-region DVD player in case you wish to watch the DVD outside of Europe and Japan.

Those who need a Region 4 release, take a look at the Madman release, which ought to be more or less on the same level as the BFI disc, although I have no actual confirmation of this at the time of writing.

The Quiet Duel (Shizukanaru ketto, 1949)

Released in 2006, this BCI/Ronin Entertainment DVD comes with a trailer, interviews, a short documentary, as well as liner notes by Stuart Galbraith IV. The release is not remastered, but is of fairly good quality both in terms of audio and video.

This DVD is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to play it.

For Region 2, there is the Yume Pictures release, which is the same transfer as the R1 Ronin Entertainment release mentioned above, but lacks the extras. Note that instead of the more standard translation of the title, the DVD is called The Silent Duel. It is available from Amazon.co.uk.

For those in need of a Region 4 release, there is the Australian Madman release, but it is said to be visibly inferior to the Ronin transfer.

Stray Dog (Nora inu, 1949)

Criterion’s quality Stray Dog release comes with an audio commentary by Stephen Prince, as well as half an hour long documentary on the making of the film, plus a booklet quoting from Kurosawa’s autobiography. The quality of the restored video and audio is good, as always, although not quite comparable to Criterion’s best efforts.

Stray Dog is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to display it.

Those preferring a region 2 release may consider the considerably less interesting (at least in terms of extras) BFI release, available at Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, there is the Madman release.

Scandal (Shubun, 1950)

Scandal was released in Region 2 as part of the British Eureka/Masters of Cinema series. The restored video is said of generally acceptable quality, while the audio is not excellent, but serves its purpose. The DVD comes with a seven-minute long introduction by Alex Cox, as well as a booklet and a gallery of images.

Scandal is available at Amazon.co.uk. It is a region 2 DVD, so those outside of Europe and Japan need a multi-region DVD player.

An alternative for those in Region 1 (North America) is the Postwar Kurosawa box set from Criterion’s Eclipse series. In addition to Scandal, the very reasonably priced set also comes with Record of a Living Being, No Regrets for Our Youth, One Wonderful Sunday and The Idiot. The quality of the release is fine, but note that the Eclipse series releases are not digitally restored in the way that normal Criterion releases are, and neither do they have any real extras on the discs. On the other hand, the price of the five films is almost that of a single movie. The box set can purchased from Amazon.com.

Those wanting a Region 4 release may again look towards Madman’s Eastern Eye series.

Rashomon (Rashomon, 1950)

Criterion has done an excellent job with Rashomon, providing a DVD with good quality video and decent audio. The release comes with numerous extras, including Donald Richie’s audio commentary, an introduction by Robert Altman, and excerpts from a Japanese documentary.

Rashomon is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to watch it.

Those preferring a pure region 2 release may consider the somewhat poorer BFI edition, available at Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, check out the Madman release.

The Idiot (Hakuchi, 1951)

Like Scandal, The Idiot has been released in Region 2 as part of the British Eureka/Masters of Cinema series. The restored video transfer is decent. The DVD comes with a nine-minute long introduction by Alex Cox, as well as a booklet and a gallery of images.

The Eureka/Masters of Cinema Region 2 The Idiot is available at Amazon.co.uk. As it is a region 2 DVD, those outside of Europe and Japan need a multi-region DVD player to play it.

Criterion, meanwhile, offers The Idiot as part of the Region 1 Eclipse series box set Postwar Kurosawa. The quality is fine, but note that the Eclipse series releases do not undergo the same restoration treatment as normal Criterion movies, and neither are there any real extras on the discs. The price, however, is certainly right. The other films in the box set are Record of a Living Being, No Regrets for Our Youth, One Wonderful Sunday and Scandal, and the box set can purchased from Amazon.com.

For a Region 4 release, there is the Madman (Eastern Eye) release, which is also available at Amazon.com. Note, however, that Madman’s transfer is not quite as sharp as with the Masters of Cinema release, and one should therefore prefer the British release over the Australian one.

Ikiru (Ikiru, 1952)

Another quality release from the Criterion Collection. Their two-disc Ikiru comes with digitally remastered video and almost hiss and crack-free audio. The extras include a commentary from Stephen Prince, the 90-minute long A Message from Akira Kurosawa interview documentary with Kurosawa, and the 41-minute long documentary on Ikiru from the Akira Kurosawa: To Create is Beautiful series.

Criterion’s Ikiru is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to display it.

Those preferring a region 2 release may consider the much less interesting and lower quality BFI release, available at Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, try out the Madman release.

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai, 1954)

It took them two tries to get it right, but it has been worth the wait. Criterion Collection’s three-disc Seven Samurai is not only the best version of the film, it is the best Akira Kurosawa release currently out there on DVD. The picture quality is marvellous, the audio not any worse, and the discs are packed with extras, including two audio commentaries and more than four hours of documentaries and interviews.

Criterion’s Seven Samurai is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to view it.

Note that the DVD that you want to buy is the 3-disc one with the black cover, not the original (2-disc) release with the white cover.

For those who want to keep with region 2, BFI has a release but it is nothing to get too excited about. For Region 4, there is the Madman release, but again the Criterion really is the one you should get.

Record of a Living Being (Ikimono no kiroku, 1955)

The movie is also known in the English speaking world as I Live In Fear, which is what both the British Film Institute and Criterion have decided to use. Both are decent but relatively low-cost releases with very few or no extras (BFI has two essays included).

Two factors probably decide which one you want to go with. One is the region encoding: the Criterion release is Region 1, while the BFI release is Region 2. More significantly, however, the BFI release is a separately sold single disc, while the Criterion release is part of the Postwar Kurosawa box set that was release through the company’s Eclipse series and includes four other movies (The Idiot, No Regrets for Our Youth, One Wonderful Sunday and Scandal).

The British Film Institute DVD is available at Amazon.co.uk. It is region 2 only, so you will need to have a multi-region DVD player in case you wish to watch the DVD outside of Europe and Japan.

Criterion’s Eclipse series Postwar Kurosawa box set can meanwhile be purchased from Amazon.com.

There is also the Region 4 Madman release, which I know next to nothing about. Amazon.com carries the title through their Market Place sellers.

Throne of Blood (Kumonosu jo, 1957)

Once again it is the Criterion release of Throne of Blood that surpasses all the rest. Both the video and the audio quality is really good, and the DVD comes with an audio commentary by Michael Jeck, an essay by Stephen Prince, and two subtitle translations, one of them a work by Donald Richie based on Jacobean diction.

Throne of Blood is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. It is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to display it.

Those preferring a region 2 release may consider the considerably less interesting (at least in terms of extras) BFI release, available at Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, there is the standard and not all that exciting Madman release.

The Lower Depths (Donzoko, 1957)

Once again, Criterion. The release is really good, with very little to complain in terms of audio or video. Extras are also quite decent, including an audio commentary by Donald Richie, a 33-minute documentary from the It is Wonderful to Create series, plus an essay and cast biographies.

Another “extra” is that The Lower Depths is not served alone. Instead, it is packaged together with Jean Renoir’s 1936 film The Lower Depths, which like Kurosawa’s movie is an adaptation of Gorky’s original play. You therefore get two quality films with the price of just one Criterion release!

The Lower Depths is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. Like Criterion releases in general, it is a region 1 DVD, so those outside of North America need a multi-region DVD player to watch it.

For region 4 there is the Madman release, which should be ok (I have not verified this yet, however).The DVD comes with an image gallery, as well as a commentary by the Monash University film historian and critic Freda Freiberg. Madman’s The Lower Depths is available directly from Madman’s website.

No region 2 releases of The Lower Depths currently exist with English subtitles.

The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi-toride no san-akunin, 1958)

The competition for the title of “the best The Hidden Fortress DVD release in the English speaking world” is a tie between the Criterion release and the BFI one. The only reason why the BFI DVD is pictured here is because I personally greatly dislike Criterion’s cover. Apart from that, the two releases are at least to the best of my knowledge identical. The video quality is very good, and the audio quality is fine as well. The extras are not much, but you can watch an 8-minute interview with George Lucas about the film.

The Hidden Fortress is available at Amazon.com (the Criterion release), Amazon.ca (the Criterion release), as well as at Amazon.co.uk (the BFI release).

If you for some reason insist on the Criterion release but live in Europe, it is generally available also at Amazon.co.uk. The BFI release, meanwhile, can also be purchased at Amazon.com. Remember that these are region one and region two, respectively, so your player will need to be able to handle those regions if you choose to purchase them.

The Region 4 Madman release is greatly inferior due to its poor NTSC-to-PAL transfer.

The Bad Sleep Well (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru, 1960)

Once again it is the Criterion release that one should pick when looking for The Bad Sleep Well. The DVD comes with the It is Wonderful to Create documentary, interviews, trailer and a booklet containing essays. The transfer in terms of both its audio and video qualities is perfectly fine, although not Criterion’s best effort.

Criterion’s The Bad Sleep Well DVD is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. Those buying the DVD outside of the US must keep in mind that a multi-regional player is needed to play the Region 1 disc.

Those in Europe and with no multi-region DVD player or no desire to purchase a Region 1 DVD may turn to the BFI release of The Bad Sleep Well. While it comes with no extras save for a small booklet, its sound and picture quality is not noticeably worse than that the Criterion disc’s. Be aware, however, that the image in the BFI release is slightly cropped. Amazon.co.uk stocks it, as usual.

For Region 4, there is again a Madman release. The DVD comes with a commentary by Ross Gibson, who works as a Professor of Media Arts in the University of Technology, Sydney. The DVD is available from Madman’s website.

Yojimbo (Yojimbo, 1961)

Criterion, Criterion, Criterion. Do note that there are two Criterion releases of this film on DVD (and one on Blu-ray), and you should get the one released in January 2007 that comes with a cream-coloured cover (as opposed to the blue-cover first release). With its newly restored digital transfer and good audio options it really beats the competition. The Region 1 release also includes an episode of the now-standard It is Wonderful to Create documentary, a Stephen Prince commentary, a trailer and a teaser, as well as a booklet with an essay and further notes about the film.

For region 2 there is the BFI print, which is nowhere near the Criterion quality, but comes with what many have considered to be a rather good commentary by Philip Kemp. The Australian (Region 4) release by Eastern Eye, meanwhile, has sharp picture and good audio.

Criterion’s Yojimbo is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

Note that Yojimbo is also available in a single box together with its sequel Sanjuro, which Criterion re-released simultaneously in 2007 with similar high quality updates. This double pack is again available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

Amazon.co.uk also has the inferior BFI release.

The Madman (Eastern Eye) release is meanwhile available for those who need a Region 4 release.

Sanjuro (Tsubaki Sanjuro, 1962)

The edition to choose here should be the 2007 one by Criterion (with cream-coloured cover, not the older yellow one). The problem here, however, is that while Criterion’s new release is the sharpest and comes with the best extras, it is slightly cropped from the sides. The re-issue is better in this respect than what was the original Criterion release, but even now when comparing the Criterion to the BFI release, one can easily see that it misses some of the width. To see it for yourself, take a look at DVD Beaver’s Sanjuro screenshot comparison.

If one can live with the missing horizontal inches, the Criterion is an excellent release. Almost identical to the treatment received by Yojimbo, Sanjuro comes with a newly restored digital transfer, and good audio options. The DVD also includes an episode of the It is Wonderful to Create documentary, a Stephen Prince commentary, a trailer and a teaser, as well as a booklet with an essay and further notes about the film.

Criterion’s Sanjuro is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk as an import.

Note that it is also available in one box together with Yojimbo, which Criterion also decided to re-release. This double pack, as usual, is available at Amazon.com Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk as an import.

Amazon.co.uk also stocks the Region 2 BFI release, which as said has more of the frame in it, but is in other respects inferior to the Criterion.

The Region 4 Madman release is said to have issues with its transfer, and is not recommended, unless you insist on Region 4.

High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku, 1963)

Yet again, it is a Criterion that you should go with when looking for the best English friendly High and Low edition. More specifically, it is their second release of the film, a double disc with grey cover (pictured here) that you should pick up, not the first release with its brown cover.

The new Criterion, released in July 2008, has a digitally restored transfer, and a good amount of extras, including an enjoyable commentary by Stephen Prince, some interviews, as well as the standard “It’s Wonderful to Create” documentary episode.

Note that there has been confusion about the film’s correct aspect ratio, with BFI’s release marketed as 2.55:1 and Criterion’s 2.35:1. Whatever the exact ratios of these releases, the fact is that the BFI (and Madman) releases have slightly more width to them, while the Criterion shows more on the bottom of the screen. The differences are not huge, although I personally prefer the Criterion. You can see comparisons over at DVD Beaver.

Criterion’s High and Low is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as from Amazon.co.uk as an import.

For those looking for a Region 2 release, BFI’s High and Low is available at Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, there is the Madman release, which I know practically nothing about.

Red Beard (Akahige, 1965)

Yet again it is the Criterion release of Red Beard that one should look for if hunting for the best release available in the English language. The image and sound are restored to the high standard that we have come to expect from Criterion (although the restoration work is not quite as stellar as with the likes of Seven Samurai), and the DVD also comes with Stephen Prince’s commentary, as well as the standard booklet with film notes by Donald Richie.

Criterion’s Red Beard is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. Those buying the DVD outside of the US must keep in mind that a multi-regional player is needed to play the Region 1 disc.

If you are in Europe and have no multi-region DVD player or no desire to purchase a Region 1 DVD, you may turn to the BFI release of Red Beard. Note, however, that it comes with no extras save for a short and quite inaccurate introduction by Alex Cox, and the image quality is also slightly poorer. Amazon.co.uk stocks it, as usual.

As usual, also Madman’s Eastern Eye series includes Red Beard, but I know very little of this release.

Dodesukaden (Dodesukaden, 1970)

Criterion finally stepped forward in 2009 and released Dodesukaden on DVD, making it the first proper English language edition of the film. Since it is the only version currently available with English subtitles, it is obviously the version to go with.

That is not to say that it isn’t a good release, which it is — standard Criterion high quality, in fact. If you don’t believe me, just look at the review roundup. The only real piece of criticism is that the release comes with no commentary, which is rare for Criterion’s Kurosawa releases.

Criterion’s Dodesukaden is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. Those buying the DVD outside of North America must keep in mind that a multi-regional player is needed to play the Region 1 disc.

Dersu Uzala (Dersu Uzala, 1975)

It is unfortunately a rather tough call regarding Dersu Uzala, as none of the releases are really all that excellent. The French R2 release comes with English subtitles, and might be better than the competition, but it is difficult to say as it is more or less unavailable.

The American Kino release pictured here is probably the way to go. Which doesn’t say much, I know. But its picture quality is somewhat better than what is found in the competing Region 2 Artificial Eye release.

For the Region 1 Kino release, see Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 2, there is also the Artificial Eye release, which is available at Amazon.co.uk.

Note, finally, that there is also a Korean R3 release by Spectrum, which comes on either 2 or 3 DVDs and includes both the Russian and the International version of the film (the 3 DVD version has both, while the 2 DVD version has only one). More information can be found at the DVD Beaver website. You can purchase the disc for instance here.

Kagemusha (Kagemusha, 1980)

Kagemusha has a stellar Criterion release for Region 1, whose picture quality far surpasses the other editions. Also, as far as I know it is the only full length DVD release of the movie that comes with English subtitles. The European and Australian releases by Fox are all the 17 minutes shorter “international” version of the film, rather than the original 179 minute Japanese cut. However, which version actually is the definite one, is a good question. I’ve tried to map the differences.

The Criterion release comes among other things with Stephen Prince’s commentary, a 40-minute “making of” documentary, and interviews with Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas who helped to finance the film. Good stuff.

Criterion’s Kagemusha is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

For Region 2, there are two Fox releases, of which the 2006 Fox Cinema Reserve release is better.

Ran (Ran, 1985)

The question which release of Ran to go with partly depends on your tastes regarding colour palettes. While the Criterion R1 release is the most definitive English-friendly edition of the movie on DVD in terms of its extras, some prefer the R2 Optimum release because of its brighter colours. (There is also a Warner R2 release, which is basically the same as the Optimum release, but without removable subtitles.) To see an actual comparison of the prints, check out for example the DVD Times review of the Optimum release.

While the Optimum release comes with only Chris Maker’s documentary “A.K.” and a theatrical trailer, the Criterion release is packed with goodies, including an introduction by Sidney Lumet, Chris Maker’s “A.K.”, as well as two other documentaries, a Tatsuya Nakadai interview, and a 28-page booklet. Oh yes, and of course a high quality commentary by Stephen Prince, as is customary with Criterion’s Kurosawa releases.

Ultimately, it is up to you which version to pick. Criterion’s Ran (pictured above) is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

The Optimum R2 release is available at Amazon.co.uk.

Dreams (Yume, 1990)

The good news is that the choice here is easy. The bad news is that it is not because of there being a great release of Dreams available, but rather because there is only one you can really go with. This is the Warner Home Video R1 release, which has no extras. The image is so-so, while the sound does its job.

Dreams is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

Rhapsody in August (Hachi-gatsu no kyoshikyoku, 1991)

MGM’s Region 1 release of Rhapsody in August is a decent enough DVD with good image and sound quality, although very little in terms of extras (only a trailer is included). It is currently the definite version of the film when it comes to releases with English subtitles — the UK release by Prism should be avoided at all costs, as it comes with a cropped aspect ratio.

MGM’s Rhapsody in August is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import. I really quite like the cover of this one.

Madadayo (Madadayo, 1993)

For individual releases, the problem is that they are letterboxed to 1.66:1, and not released in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. If you can live with that, the Region 1 release by Winstar is quite decent, although far from being feature-packed. The extras are the trailer and some storyboards. For Region 2, there is the 2007 Yume Pictures release, which is pretty much the same as the Winstar release.

An alternative option, which also gives you a proper aspect ratio, is to get Criterion’s massive “AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa” box set, or wait until Criterion puts out an individual release of the film. More information about the AK 100 box set can be found here. It is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Winstar’s Region 1 Madadayo is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as well as at Amazon.co.uk as an import.

The Yume Pictures Region 2 release of Madadayo can meanwhile be purchased from Amazon.co.uk.

For Region 4, there is the equally fine and flawed Madman release, which calls itself Maadadayo and has excellent cover art.