Shichinin no samurai = Seven samurai
(Blu-ray)

Originally released as a motion picture in 1954.

Bonus features: Two audio commentaries, one featuring film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie, and the other Japanese film expert Michael Jeck; 50-min. documentary on the making of Seven samurai, created as part of the Toho masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is wonderful to create; My life in cinema, a two-hour video conversation from 1993 between directors Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima; "Seven samurai": origins and influences, a documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that helped shape Kurosawa's masterpiece; theatrical trailers and teaser; gallery of rare posters, behind-the-scenes photos, and production stills; a booklet featuring essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Stuart Galbraith, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet, and an interview with Toshiro Mifune from 1993.

Photography, Asaichi Nakai ; editor, Hiroshi Nezu ; music, Fumio Hayasaka ; historical research, Kōhei Ezaki [and others].

880-02,Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Tsushima Keiko, Yukiko Shimazaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Daisuke Katō, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi.

This epic masterpiece is about a group of 16th century samurai who are hired to defend a small Japanese village that finds itself annually raided by an army of bandits who steal the meager crops harvested by the peasants. Tired of relinquishing their food supply but woefully inept in combat skills, the villagers decide to hire a band of samurai to protect them. In addition to the primary conflict between the villagers and the bandits, much of the tale revolves around young Katsushiro's coming-of-age, both sexually and emotionally. Kikuchiyo's search for acceptance forms the other major storyline. Indeed, everyone in Seven Samurai is searching: for adventure, for experience, for freedom from their oppressors.

Not rated.

Blu-ray (requires Blu-ray player); region A; 1.33:1 aspect ratio; uncompressed mono., DTS-HD Master Audio.

Japanese dialogue with optional English subtitles.