The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]

Average customer rating:

beautiful movie in HD

True HD

Great quality, under-rated movie

Amazing picture quailty

Surprise, surprise

The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]
Starring: William Atherton , Sr. Ray Godshall , Tony Goldwyn , Togo Igawa , and Shane Kosugi
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000JUB7LW
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Product Description

Warner Brothers The Last Samurai (Blu-ray)
Epic Action Drama. Set in Japan during the 1870s, The Last Samurai tells the story of Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise),a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the Emperor attempts to eradicate the ancient Imperial Samurai warriors in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly government policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his own sense of honor to guide him.

Customer Reviews:

beautiful movie in HD.......2007-03-25

warner made another beautiful HD transfer. I can't find another wrong, no grain anywhere. Just a perfect crystal clear image from start to finish. The cinematography will blow you away. Would give this 6 stars if i could. So far I find warner is the only studio willing to give HD addicts the best video quality possible. Some studios just throw a title on blu-ray and expect us to say, thank you for releasing it.

True HD.......2007-02-15

Frankly i purchased this item just to know how a BD differ from a DVD on my HDTV using my newly purchased PS3. i chose this product cause it has a lot of natural & colorful scenes. the result was really amazing, visualy, blu-ray movies really surpasses DVD. i couldnt test the audio difference, cuz i only have 5.1 Sony decoder. the movie per say is a must see for all those who like action titles.

Great quality, under-rated movie.......2007-02-02

Although not a box-office hit and factually inaccurate, I love this movie and would definitely put it in my top 10 favorites of all time. My wife just bought me a PS3 and I had to pick up a blu-ray disk to see the difference for myself. With SO MANY terrible, terrible movies available on blu-ray (Flyboys, Stealth, and Reign of Fire - the movie i consider to be one of the worst of all time - just to name a few), I decided to pick this up even though I already owned it on DVD. I had seen the movie in HD on DirecTV before, so there were no surprises regarding quality, but I was still really impressed when switching between this and the 480p picture produced by my DVD player. The colors are much more vibrant, the clarity is remarkable and it serves to submerse you in a movie that was already great as it was. As a huge fan of the movie as well as of HD picture quality, I was happy to pick this up at Best Buy for $25, but I probably wouldn't recommend getting this if you have it on DVD already unless you're a big fan. Now, if they could just get the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-Ray...

Amazing picture quailty.......2007-02-01

Well we already know about the movie so i am not going to comment on it. The most noticable thing about this Blu Ray release is the picture quality, its sharp, vivid colors, simply amazing. :) If you are looking for something to run as a demo on your new HDTV, this is the one. :)

I played it on my PS3 in 720p, its just great.

Surprise, surprise.......2007-01-24

Whoa! This is a surprisingly good movie! Though based on a mishmash of actual events, the mishmash presented here works well. No, an American soldier was not sent to Japan to train the emperor's soldiers so that they could better fight the remaining samurai loyal to the dying Tokugawa regime. The man that Cruise's character is based on actually went to China, not Japan, or so I'm told (read The Devil Soldier by Caleb Carr). However, when the emperor took over Japan, after 264 years of the Tokugawa, shogunate-controlled Japan, there really were samurai that refused to abandon their way of life and philosophy. The samurai were not only warriors, but owners of a rich and complex philosophy and way of life that has been shunned by many modern Japanese (and picked up by Japanese mafia to some extent!) Many refer to the shogunate control of Japan as short-lived, which is interesting considering that the Tokugawa government lasted longer that America has so far! The Last Samurai is a surprisingly rich film, containing accurate portrayals of sword technique, mixed with hand-to-hand jiu jitsu, which is a martial art that real samurai practiced. The show is almost stolen by Hiroyuki Sanada, a Japanese actor who was one of Sonny Chiba's protégés. He was the star of Twilight Samurai, which is simply one of the greatest samurai films of all time. Sanada and Cruise have a slight rivalry going on, and the scene in which they confront each other with wooden swords (kendo swords) is one of the high points of the entire film. Watch and enjoy this heart-breaking film about a dying way of life. If you like it, then also check out When the Last Sword is Drawn, which is a Japanese film about the same events, made the very same year as The Last Samurai!

Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection - 3-Disc Remastered Edition

Average customer rating:

Perfection!
Essential cinema: Kurosawa's 'Shichinin no samurai.'
A Classic Movie
spectacular and incomparable.....
A must see

Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection - 3-Disc Remastered Edition
Starring: Takashi Shimura , Toshirô Mifune , Yoshio Inaba , Seiji Miyaguchi , and Minoru Chiaki
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G8NXYG
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com essential video

Hailed as the greatest film in the history of Japanese cinema, Seven Samurai is director Akira Kurosawa's undisputed masterpiece. Arguably the greatest of all jidai-gecki (or historical swordplay films), Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set during the civil unrest of 16th-century Japan, as the cowering residents of a small farming village are seeking protection against seasonal attacks by a band of marauding bandits. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a peasant farmer's son, desperately seeking glory, acceptance, and revenge against those who destroyed his family. Led by the calmly strategic Kambei (Takashi Shimura, star of Kurosawa's previous classic, Ikiru), the samurai form mutual bonds of honor and respect, but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal.

Kurosawa masterfully composed his shots to emphasize these group dynamics, and Seven Samurai is a textbook study of the director's signature techniques, including extensive use of telephoto lenses to compress action, delineate character relationships, and intensify motion. While the climactic battle against raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed, Seven Samurai is most triumphant as a peerless example of character development, requiring all of its 2-hour, 37-minute running time to illuminate every essential detail of villagers and samurai alike, including an abundance of humor as Kambei's defense plan unfolds. In terms of its overall impact, Seven Samurai spawned dozens of copycat films (notably the American Western remake The Magnificent Seven) and cannot be adequately summarized by even the most comprehensive synopsis; it must be seen to be fully appreciated, and the Criterion Collection's 2006 DVD reissue is an essential addition to any definitive home-video library. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
According to the accompanying booklet, "the picture has been slightly window-boxed (in correct original 1.33:1 aspect ratio) to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors." The two-disc format was necessary "to maintain optimal image quality throughout the compression process," with dual-layered DVD-9's encoded "at the highest possible bit rate for the quantity of material included." The picture and sound quality are simply amazing compared to Criterion's one-disc release from 1998. The all-new, fully restored high-definition digital transfer takes full advantage of HD's clarity and crispness, resulting in picture detail far surpassing the previous DVD. This also applies to the soundtrack, presented in optional Dolby surround in addition to the remastered original mono track. The new transfer "was mastered in 2k resolution from a duplicate negative created with wetgate processing from the original fine-grain master positive" (the film's original negative is no longer available), and "several different digital hardware and software solutions were utilized for flicker, instability, dirt, scratch, and grain management."

The complete 207-minute film is accompanied by two full-length commentary tracks, including a new track combining the critical insights of film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Price (author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa), Tony Rayns, and the dean of Japanese film experts, Donald Richie (author of The Films of Akira Kurosawa). Each scholar is given approximately 40 minutes of film-time, and their commentaries represent a unique opportunity to appreciate Seven Samurai from distinct yet complementary critical perspectives. The commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck (from Criterion's original 1988 laserdisc release) remains useful as a thorough analysis of Seven Samurai, primarily in terms of visual composition.

The 50-minute "making of" documentary, from Japan's 2002 Toho Masterworks TV series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create emphasizes Kurosawa's collaboration with co-screenwriters Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni, including production footage, crewmember interviews, and a reverent visit to the rural inn where Seven Samurai was written over a six-week period of intense seclusion. The two-hour "My Life in Cinema" interview with Kurosawa was recorded in 1993, with fellow filmmaker Nagisa Oshima serving as a gentle admirer, colleague, and well-informed historian of Kurosawa's career. "Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences" is a richly informative documentary that places Kurosawa's classic in both historical and cinematic context, examining its place in the jidai-gecki (swordplay) genre, its accurate depiction of samurai codes and traditions, and its stature as the prototype for many films that followed. The lavishly illustrated 58-page booklet includes eight brief essays on various aspects of Seven Samurai, each written by noted film scholars or film directors (including Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet). Also included is a reminiscence by the great actor Toshiro Mifune, excerpted from a conversation recorded in 1993. Taken as a whole, the remastered three-disc Seven Samurai ranks as one of the finest DVD sets ever released. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Perfection!.......2007-08-24

What more can I say about this film that nobody else has said. This film is an ultimate masterpiece! This was the 2nd one of Kurosawa's work that I saw, RAN being the first and both are just spectacular. This is an epic film that has a little bit of everything to offer. The thing that makes Kurosawa so gret is that he's a master storyteller. This film is over 3 hours in length but it moves at a brisk pace. The first half builds the charachters and sets the situation while the 2nd half is pure action. This movie is so detailed and there's alot of small notes that end up paying off in a huge way. Some of my favorite scenes are by Toshiro Mifune as I instanly had to see anything he was in especially work by Kurosawa. I love films and this is my favorite of alltime. Forget about the black and white, forget that it's over 40 years old, forget about the 3 plus hours. Even if you're not into foreign films I highly reccomend viewing this masterpiece at least once. This is how films were meant to be because it takes you through all the emotions without being over the top. Take into perspective that there's no special effects and that's a huge plus. There's actually a scene where a man gets trampled by a horse, there's the beautifuly shot duel between the master swordsman, and there's the raw emotion by Mifune! All in all, this is a good as movie can get. There are wonderful extras on this disc as it comes in a 3 disc package. Tons of extra insight behind the man, the legend. Thanks for your time!

Essential cinema: Kurosawa's 'Shichinin no samurai.'.......2007-07-22

Considered one of the greatest films ever made, Akira Kurosawa 's (1910-1998) Seven Samurai ("Shichinin no samurai") (1954) tells the story of a village of Japanese farmers under threat of attack by a gang of forty bandits in the late 16th century (possibly around 1587/1588). The farmers hold a meeting, and decide to fight back by hiring samurai to defend their village. Some are concerned that samurai are expensive and are known to lust after young farm women. A village elder tells them to find "hungry samurai" who will work for the village's best food (handfuls of rice). An aging warrior, Kambei, assists the farmers in finding five other masterless samurai ("rônin") to fight with him, together with a sixth clownish "samurai," Kikuchiyo. The samurai construct defenses to fortify the village, and train the villagers to fight. Meanwhile, the youngest samurai, Katsushirô, begins a love affair with the daughter of one of the villagers, who has been masquerading as a boy. The second half of the film chronicles the battle between the samurai-led village militia and the bandits. Katsushirô's affair is revealed, providing comic relief. The battle is ultimately won by the villagers, leaving three surviving samurai, who are left to observe the villagers planting their next rice crop.

Seven Samurai influenced later Hollywood westerns, science fiction, and martial arts films including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars Episode III, Ocean's Eleven, and A Bug's Life. It is perhaps the first film to depict action scenes in slow motion. Kurosawa was a perfectionist and had a distinctive cinematic technique. He used multiple cameras to shoot the action from different angles, and telephoto lenses to compress the action. Rich in human insights and emotion, Seven Samurai is among my all-time personal film favorites, and it consistently ranks in critical top-ten movie lists. The three-disc Criterion edition offers an amazing, high-definition digital transfer of the complete 207-minute film, with a clear soundtrack presented in optional Dolby surround sound in addition to the remastered original mono track. Several different digital hardware and software solutions were utilized for flicker, instability, dirt, scratch, and grain management. This remastered three-disc edition is one of the finest DVD sets ever released by Criterion.

G. Merritt

A Classic Movie.......2007-07-05

This is a good classic movie. The battle action scene was all right. I expected more action but was satisfied by few scenes. I wish the movie could be all put on one disk so that I don't have to reload the second half. This is good for my classic library collection.

spectacular and incomparable............2007-06-30

I finally did it. I watched SEVEN SAMURAI, directed by Akira Kurosawa. The first thing that came to my mind after viewing the film was, "Why did I wait so long?" For me, I have no argument with any of the past critics (Pauline Kael, Siskel & Ebert, or the slew of consumers on Amazon). There is a reason that this magnificent film, by Kurosawa, has been given such high praise, dating all the way back to its release in 1954, when it rightfully received the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion, and was later voted One of the Top Ten Best Films of All Time in the 1992 Sight and Sound International Film Directors' Poll. Gene Siskel calls it "One of the greatest films ever made. The film that was transformed into the popular western The Magnificent Seven." [That's another film I have waited far too long to watch!]

SEVEN SAMURAI truly has something for everyone, and in its full 208 minutes of glory, the scenes fly by way too quickly. This remarkable story, based on Japanese history, depicts 16th century Japan, in the wake of a very turbulent chapter in the nation's past. Peasants and farmers are starving at the hand of ruthless bandits, who are raping and pillaging their rice fields (as well as their people). Who can save them, but a group of seven bold men [the title's samurai] leading a group of locals into battle, to take on these evil men. There are moments that are laugh out loud hilarious, followed by great dramatic and action-packed scenes (yes, this is a violent film--but, I am sure, judging from the title, that doesn't surprise you), and even some romance. The dazzling cast includes Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune (YOJIMBO), as well as Takashi Shimura (IKIRU).

What makes this film stand out so much (aside from the wonderful acting and engaging story) is the innovation in cinematography that was incredibly progressive for the time that it was made (the 1950s). This includes bold use of slow motion, a rapid moving camera and long-lens photography. When my mom was looking over my shoulder, ever so often, she remarked that she could have sworn that this film was shot in color. I can see why she thought that. The beautiful attention to light and shadow make you feel the color that the actors and crew must have seen, when they made this. I saw shades of gold, blue, and red (what with all the bloodshed) as I was watching this. You just have to watch the film to understand what I'm talking about. I really don't want to ruin the experience for you. I hope to see the DVD transfer of this, because I have heard it is far superior to the VHS version. That's hard to even imagine, for me, because this film sparkles on videotape! Please watch this and don't wait as long as I did to enjoy SEVEN SAMURAI for the exceptional film that it is. [As a note to all people weary of subtitles: You won't even notice them! This film will make you feel like you understand Japanese, almost. Visually, this is a film that has the power to transcend all cultural and language boundaries.]

A must see.......2007-06-27

Personally, I'm not a fan of b&w films, but this one is by far one of my favorites. Though it is long, it's well worth the time spent watching it, in my humble opinion.

Average customer rating:

Not for the dim-witted
Excellent......what a beauty of a movie...feel good flick..
Tongue Swallowingly Boring
An emotionally interactive movie.
Need to watch it more than once

Lost in Translation
Starring: Scarlett Johansson , Bill Murray , Akiko Takeshita , Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe , and Kazuko Shibata
Director: Sofia Coppola
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00011RPB0
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Product Description

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi). Unable to sleep, Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities. Shot entirely on location in Japan, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is a valentine to the nature of close friendships and to the city of Tokyo. Ms. Coppola's film, for her original screenplay, contemplates the unexpected connections we make that might not last - yet stay with us forever.

System Requirements:

Running Time 102 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation envelops you with an aura of fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling of déjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harris has not. The 50-ish actor has signed on for big money shooting whiskey ads instead of doing something good for his career or his long-distance family. Jetlagged, helplessly lost with his Japanese-speaking director, and out of sync with the metropolis, Harris (Bill Murray, never better) befriends the married but lovelorn 25-year-old Charlotte (played with heaps of poise by 18-year-old Scarlett Johansson). Even before her photographer husband all but abandons her, she is adrift like Harris but in a total entrapment of youth. How Charlotte and Bill discover they are soul mates will be cherished for years to come. Written and directed by Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), the film is far more atmospheric than plot-driven: we whiz through Tokyo parties, karaoke bars, and odd nightlife, always ending up in the impossibly posh hotel where the two are staying. The wisps of bittersweet loneliness of Bill and Charlotte are handled smartly and romantically, but unlike modern studio films, this isn't a May-November fling film. Surely and steadily, the film ends on a much-talked-about grace note, which may burn some, yet awards film lovers who "always had Paris" with another cinematic destination of the heart. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Not for the dim-witted.......2007-09-05

This is one of Bill Murray's finest performances on film.

Whoever made the decision to shoot in Tokyo (the Director's, one can only assume), it was a brilliant choice. No city in the world can compete with Tokyo in terms of nighttime lights and the fresh sparkly cleanliness of its streets. Add in the language barrier, the Japanese, their cuisine, great photography, great direction, great acting, and finally, a terrific script, and you have a masterpiece.

Lost In Translation truly makes you feel lost---lost in time really. Sofia Coppola's use of the clock while filming native scenes accompanied only with ambient noise is a mighty tool of provoking deep thought in the viewer. Truly it must take guts to consume precious film with such shots; else more directors would utilize the method.

No two better suited individuals than Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson could have been lobbied to fulfill the lead roles. Murray has like, somehow, escalated multiple levels here in connecting with an audience. Maybe he had it inside of him all along, I don't know. Regardless, I am nearly brought to tears watching him. Here's a fellow who is nearly 60 years old, and yet, the most amazing inner talent is just now being revealed to us. What a treasure.

Ms. Johansson plays the perfect newlywed here---being left alone in a strange city by a self-absorbed husband who, apparently, doesn't appreciate what he has. Charlotte and the middle-aged Bob Harris (Johannsson and Murray) happen to fall into each other's path at one of those cosmic moments of doubt when both are unhappy with their home life.

The gold brick of this entire encounter is cast when they appear together lying on a bed. It must be seen and heard to believe; it is one of the finest performances of its kind ever filmed IMO---Hence the subject line of this review. If you do not connect with this scene, then you are either unable or have yet to experience such a moment in time.

This is a Fabulous Movie.

Excellent......what a beauty of a movie...feel good flick.........2007-08-18

This movie I watched, when no one was at home. It is a piece of art. The purity and open-honestness of Bob's & Charlottes (characters) relationship in the movie is striking, it is deep, without the complications of sex, its even more, they are there for one another when they need someone most. If you've ever just wanted a soul to listen to you and be there and hold you without sex, this movie is it. It makes you appreciate deepest friendships, and like any great movie, the ending makes the movie all worth it.

Tongue Swallowingly Boring.......2007-08-14

From start to finish NOTHING HAPPENS! I can't believe some of the reviews i have read praising this movie. I love movies of all genres and when i read so many favorable reviews i was really looking forward to it. Then i watched it again and then once more, but i still thought it was boring and seriously overrated.
All we see for the duration of the film are two very dull, uninteresting characters moping around Tokyo, feeling sorry for themselves because they both have one thing in common, they are both depressed. A recipe for hilarity.
I have been accused of being unable to appreciate the subtle beauty of this film. The wonderful chemistry between Scarlet Johanssen and Bill Murray. The comedy, the romance, the artistic genius of Sofia Coppola.
No matter how hard i look, i still cant see the Emperors new clothes.

An emotionally interactive movie........2007-08-14

In most movies we see today, a director shows the movie's characters (whether proactively or reactively) moving the plot forward in such a way that the audience knows at least as much, (usually more,) about what's going on then the characters do. The thing that makes this movie so fascinating (and to many people, frustrating) is that the characters start off knowing WAYY more about what's going on than you do, and you have to spend most of the movie trying to "catch up" by learning about who they are.

Moreover, the director has no plans to make it any easier for you to get to know these people than you would be able to if you met them in real life. It becomes clear as you move through the movie that they are no more likely to expose the deep, dark secrets of their lives to you, the audience, than they would to strangers in a foreign country (even though this absurdity is what we, as the audience, have been conditioned by Hollywood to expect!) As such, you cannot understand the story of this movie as merely a passive observer, waiting for an explanation to present itself.

So what's a movie watcher to do? Well, this is the hard part: in order to get to know them, you have to pay close attention to what's NOT happening between the characters; what seems to be missing, or left unsaid? Unless you invest in this exercise, you won't recognize the exquisite tension between the two protagonists as it builds to the movie's climax, and you will likely watch the credits feeling bored and maybe frustrated. However, those who can engage with the impromptu couple emotionally will feel the intensity and depth of the director's vision.

I only give this movie four stars because the best movies seem to involve the audience in the plot effortlessly, without requiring so much mental energy. However, director Sofia Coppola shows great skill in both crafting an environment through music and cinematography and populating it with characters that feel genuine and true to life.

Need to watch it more than once.......2007-07-28

I must say, the first time I watched this movie, I hated it. My husband and I had rented it for the night and were expecting a film that moved along a little more quickly. After all, don't most films do that these days? It's unusual to have a film that unfolds slowly and deliberately, and if you're not in the right mood for that kind of movie at that moment, you're going to hate it. I hated this movie (with a passion) the first time I saw it. My husband and I rolled our eyes at each other when it was done, as if saying, "Can we get those 2 hours back?!"

The next time this movie was on the movie channel, I watched it again. I began to appreciate the actors' performances, as well as the glimpses into the culture of Tokyo.

The unspoken romantic feelings between Bob and Charlotte are wonderful, and it was refreshing to have a movie that convincingly portrayed a bond between two characters without having them rip their clothes off. We can see that they're attracted to each other, but they also know that they have other obligations. Heartbreaking, but beautiful.

Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition (Gojira/Godzilla [1954] / Godzilla, King of the Monsters [1956])

Average customer rating:

Amazing!
Amazed at how different the original message was...
Raymond burr- the real monster!
Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition
Godzilla is King!

Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition (Gojira/Godzilla [1954] / Godzilla, King of the Monsters [1956])
Starring: Akira Takarada , Akihiko Hirata , Takashi Shimura , and Terry Morse
Manufacturer: Classic Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FA4TLQ
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com

The first of the Godzilla movies, and the most somber and serious in tone, Gojiro was originally a 98-minute Japanese horror film, until a U.S. company bought the rights and reissued the film at 79 minutes, replacing sequences involving a Japanese reporter with new inserts of a dour, pipe-smoking Raymond Burr. Both versions appear together for the first time in this release from Sony Wonder.

Stills from Gojiro (click for larger image)

Description

This package contains:

* Godzilla (1954 Japanese Edition-english subtitles)
* King of the Monsters (1956 U.S. Release Edtion-english v/o dub)

Featuring:
* Audio commentaries
* Original trailers
*"Making of the Suite" Featurette
*"Godzilla: Story Development" featurette

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!.......2007-09-10

This is what you want from a prestige re-release of a classic genre film. It looks beautiful in both the American and Japanese versions. Yeah, the picture is sometimes a little muddy (especially in the night shots), but considering what my VHS copy looked like, this version of Godzilla is a revelation. And, having never seen the Japanese version before, I'm amazed by how realistically bleak the scenes of a devastated Tokyo are, and just how chilling a monster Godzilla is. When his spines flash just before he uses his breath weapon, I got chills.

Get it, watch it, share it with a friend.

Amazed at how different the original message was..........2007-09-08

I was floored at how the movie had been changed. The way they worked Raymond in to the movie was amazing a tribute to the director that recut it. The original is a testament of the times where the Japanese people were extremely fearful of the atomic testing being done in the pacific. I did some research following the movie and found the radioactive fish were a real problem for them at the time. I also was amazed that I had gotten some of the emotional scenes wrong. Like the one where the girl is standing near the guard rail on the boat. I thought she was going to jump in the Godzilla one but in the original the subtitles explain it very well. If you watched Godzilla back in the 60s then this will take you back. Both movies are great!

Raymond burr- the real monster!.......2007-08-24

Ok the original japanese language version is lovely. Sure it's in Japanese but the imagry alone is great and shows the quality of the film industry, even when dominated by a man dancing on model houses while wearing a rubber suit. The scenes of Gojira standing against the flaming skyline of Tokyo is haunting. for all that its sequals were ludicrious (and I'm being polite.) this original is a piece of art.
And then we have the second disc. The one with Raymond Burr. As a kid I loved seeing these movies on tv on a saturday afternoon. I never quite realized how incredibly bad this version is. They do make attempts to honor the japanese culture. Scenes with Burr are not dubbed but have people speaking japanese that is then translated to him. with all that, why bother? Why not just dub the Japanese version and let it stand on it's own? One wonders if it is a believe that in 1956 studios felt America would not embrace a film without a white lead actor. Over all the effect compared with the original is like using the Shroud of Turin as a drop cloth.
Sometimes I've said 'don't' watch a really bad movie. Here I say, do watch the Burr verision. You'll appreciate the original so much more.

Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition .......2007-08-09

The product that was sent to me arrived very quickly, within 3 days, and I was extremely pleased with the condition of both DVD's that were included in the set.

Thanks for the great service.

Ron Kolodziej

Godzilla is King!.......2007-08-05

I grew up with the American version that used to play all the time on WOR-TV Channel 9 out of New York. For the first time in almost fifty years I saw the original Japanese version and found it to be superior. Although Raymond Burr did an outstanding job playing Steve Martin, the Japanese version warned us of the dangers (several times in the flick) of nuclear testing. Was this message toned down for an American audience? One can only speculate. Hats off to TOHO!

Average customer rating:

Great Fun!
"An Almost Adequate dvd"
Definitely A Film Worth Getting If You Love Godzilla!
not much action
monster round table

Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster
Starring: Akihiko Hirata , Yuriko Hoshi , Emi Ito , Hisaya Ito , and Yumi Ito
Director: Ishiro Honda
Manufacturer: Classic Media
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ASIN: B000OCY7IU
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Description

(Sci-Fi) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster -- A prophetess from Venus foretells cataclysmic disasters! Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan reappear in Japan, wreaking havoc! A giant meteor crashes into the mountains and the three-headed, fire-spitting space dragon King Ghidorah emerges! As the Venusian's prophecies come true, assassins from a tiny Asian kingdom hunt her down, while the Earth monsters must decide whether to settle their petty differences and join forces against the extraterrestrial enemy!

Customer Reviews:

Great Fun!.......2007-09-02

It doesn't get any better than giant monsters fighting each other and tearing up the town. TOHO had the best suit actors on their payroll as well as the best special effects crew of the time. And if you pay attention, you will learn that it's wrong to pollute the Earth and that we caused the mess we're in. You have to love a movie that has wanton destruction and yet delivers a "green" message. Enjoy!

"An Almost Adequate dvd".......2007-08-25

The original Japanese theatrical release is in pristine condition however Classic Media/Toho studios should have also cleaned up and remastered the American English dubbed version. That was annoying as one who would prefer to watch the American version and not have to concentrate on reading subtitles is distracted by the the uncleaned film print presented.

The dvd also offers a couple of extra features which consist of stills of the monsters that star in the film and a biography(forgotten who).
Stills include text and other film appearances of the monsters-with title and year given.

Definitely A Film Worth Getting If You Love Godzilla!.......2007-08-10

Being a life-long Godzilla fan, I was excited when Classic Media said they would release Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster on DVD! Back in 1998, we got a VHS release of the movie for the first time in YEARS. The film was pan and scan and was discolored and grainy. Not the perfect print for such a classic but we really didn't complain much because we finally got a chance to own the film.

Classic Media did a great job in bringing us a widescreen version of the U.S. release and the Toho Scope Japanese version! The coloring is great, the sound is wonderful, and there is considerably much less grain than on the VHS release a handful of years earlier!

There are some nice extras on this DVD including a trailer, a poster slide-show, and film commentary! This film has just enough goodies on it to keep die-hard G-Fans entertained and satisfied! Highly recommended!

not much action.......2007-07-30

Doesn't anyone realize that this movie doesn't have a whole lot of action?
The battle between king ghidorah, rodan, mothra, and godzilla was short but good. The only problem was that in the middle of it it was interupted by the people. I thought that it could have been better but it was good.

monster round table.......2007-07-29

If you are anxious to see a Japanese monster movie about Rodan, Godzilla and Mothra having a round table discussion about whether to unite and save the world from Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, this is your film. Director Ishiro Honda delivers just that.

If, though, you want to see Honda's GREATEST film and one of the most horrifying and unsettling films of the sixties you should skip the above and check out Mantango. There are no monsters here over six feet tall, Tokyo is not threatened, no buildings are crushed, no tin tanks are destroyed, no thousands of people flee in terror, there is no radioactive breath anywhere and the Japanese army is nowhere in sight.

I guess this world is big enough for both.

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amazing godzilla action
Godzilla, the Last Kaiju Standing
Godzilla's Evolution
Godzilla: Final Score
More like "Godzilla: Extended Cameo"

Godzilla - Final Wars
Starring: Don Frye , Masakatsu Funaki , Masatô Ibu , Shigeru Izumiya , and Rei Kikukawa
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000BMY2L0
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Description

Godzilla's 50th Anniversary project and costliest adventure to date out of 28 films. Earth has been relatively peaceful since Godzilla was successfully buried deep in ice beneath the South Pole. Then - sometime a few years hence-several of his old nemeses return to wreak havoc on cities worldwide. A huge spaceship suddenly appears and neutralizes all the monsters in a blink. The visitors are "Xiliens," who take human form and announce they would like to negotiate a peace treaty that would replace the United Nations with a "United Universe". They are indeed too good to be true, however. It doesn't take long before their nefarious real purpose is exposed - conquering Earth. Greatly outmatched, Earth officials decide to de-freeze Godzilla as man's only hope to vanish the invaders, as well as the monsters they control. Only trouble is Godzilla is still mad at man for freezing him in the first place.

Customer Reviews:

amazing godzilla action.......2007-09-14

this is an awesome godzilla movie. everyone shows up and the fights are awesome. you need to see this, anyone who has not seen this and loves godzilla.... you must watch this!

Godzilla, the Last Kaiju Standing.......2007-08-25

The film can be viewed with original japanese language or american dubbed. It is good that Sony pictures gives the viewer that option.

Extras include: -previews of other Godzilla films that are available
(mostly from the "Millenium" series)

The battle scenes are enjoyable but some of the Godzilla pairings against other monsters is short and disappointing ie., Godzilla vs. American Godzilla, Godzilla vs. giant insect(forgot name)-looks like a wasp/bee to name a few. The movie concentrates an awful lot on the xliens than the monsters and their battles itself. This may be disappointing to fans who really want to see more of the kaijus.

The fighting sequences between the mutants-persons who posess the "M" gene and later the lead mutant character against the xliens and their eventual leader appear to be very "matrixy." These subplots detract from the main feature-our beloved kaijus.

All in all, "Final Wars" is a very entertaining, no holds bar, out with a bang ending for Godzilla. Until 2012 that is...

Godzilla's Evolution.......2007-08-24

Having seen ALL of 'G's movies, I have come to accept Final Wars for what it is, The sign of the times, a new generational era, Matrix, Mutants, CGI's, (computer generated images) loud heavy metal sound tracks. I enjoyed final wars, but I was looking for Closure!! a fitting end to 50 years of pure enjoyment, excitement and mesmorizing entertainment. We must always remember the 4 men who were responsible for 25 of the 30 Godzilla films. 1- Inoshiro Honda (Director & Scripts), 2- Eiji Tsuburaya (Special Effects Master) 3- Akira Ifukube (Musical Genius) 4- Tomoyuki Tanaka (Head of Toho Studios) last but not least 'New Yorks Titra Sound Studios' responsible for Dubbing and voices". The aforementioned ensemble exists No More. May they all rest in peace, Final Wars is a product of Japans 'Hollywood' young film makers catering and reaching out to their movie going patrons, We baby boomers should accept & embrace this new artistic expression that allows the 'Greatest' movie monster ever conceived to continue to be apart of our lives, our childrens lives and our grand children's lives. Thank you Toho for a wonderful 50 years of treasured memories. Godzilla deserves a rest, and perhaps in 10 years or so the saga will begin again. 'Godzilla Final Wars' was a good starting point for my grand kids. I hope to be around to watch many more 'G' films with them.

Godzilla: Final Score.......2007-08-20

In 2004, it was announced by Toho, that yet again, they would be retiring their famous star monster, Godzilla. Fans such as I were disappointed, but excited to hear that big shot director of Versus Ryuhei Kitamura would be helming the film, which would have the biggest budget of any previous Godzilla film, with an all star monster cast. It looked as if Godzilla was gonna go out with a bang. Godzilla: Final Wars was meant to be a collage to all previous films, especially the showa era. While it had some good concepts, the film kind of let me down. It is a decent enough pic, but wasn't good enough to be the final godzilla film...

NEGATIVES:
First off the biggest problem with the film was that Kitamura didn't seem to understand that this is a KAIJU film, not an action/martial arts film. There is far too much human action. Yeah it was cool, and in limited amounts it would have been find. But it was far too excessive. There seems to be more human fighting than monster fighting, and i often find myself having to fast forward through it to get to the good parts. Secondly, some of the simple matte shot effects look like they were done in the 60's. They are of such poor grade. It's disappointing. Also, this film brought back some of the camp (notably the whirling noise effect in the new york scene when the cop and gangsters hats blow off). This movie had the chance to show that godzilla was more than just campy cheesy sci fi and real entertainment. Also, the monster battles are so short. Especially Hedorah, who doesn't even fight Godzilla. I was most excited to see Hedorah, one of my favorite monsters return, and was sad that he got about 2 seconds of screen time. How is it that one of Godzilla's toughest opponents is killed so easily?

POSITIVES:
We get a ton of classic showa monsters, an international approach at Godzilla, Anguirus!, an awesome new monster, a creative updated approach at King ghidorah, an awesome performance from the actor who played The young lead Xian, a return of the Xians, awesome monster choreography, Don Frye has a cool character, cool style, three veteran showa actors, Updated monster designs.

As you can probably tell, the movie unfortunately is outweighed by the negatives. The movie had so much potential, but was a great let down. While I respect Kitamura as a director, I just don't think he was right for the film. They probably should have just brought back Kaneko, our modern day Ishiro Honda. It's really too bad...

More like "Godzilla: Extended Cameo".......2007-08-13

A funny thing happened a few years ago: Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin made a big-budget "re-imagining" of the 1954 Japanese classic, "Gojira." It made $400 million dollars at the box office, and yet a few years later, if you ask 80% of internet fanboys about it, they'll scream and whine about how "It's not really Godzilla," "It sucks! Man in suit forever!" or "It's Godzilla in name only!". And if you even hint that you might slightly LIKE the movie, they will tear you a new one.

So it's quite funny that a few years later, Toho decides to send the franchise back into hibernation with "Godzilla Final Wars." Despite what you may have read, this isn't really a Godzilla movie, or at least no more so than the 1998 re-imagining was. Godzilla is in it, sure, but it's not his movie. The movie is actually about a unit of elite genetically enhanced soldiers who have to wage battle against evil aliens, who concoct a James Bond-esque plot that somehow involves giant monsters instead of having their finger on a button. It's true that there are A LOT of monster battles in this movie, but unfortunately, they're all crammed into a montage that lasts all of five minutes.

No, the real bulk of the action scenes in the movie are centered around the super soldiers. And for what they are, they are very cool. Ryuhei Kitamaura definately knows how to assemble a good action scene involving HUMANS, no matter how ridiculous in concept they may be, and that is where the movie truly shines. It's just a shame that the monster battles, which are supposed to be the highlight of a Godzilla film, end up getting completely overshadowed by the battles featuring the human stars. While the human action scenes are fast, energetic, and acrobatic, the monster battles are for the most part slow and hokey just as they would be in any run-of-the-mill Godzilla film, which is a disappointment coming from an action director. It's as if Kitamaura just wanted to make a sci-fi karate movie, and the only way he could get the budget for one was by going through the Godzilla franchise.

In all, if you go into Godzilla Final Wars expecting a derivative chop socky sci-fi movie with really flashy martial arts fights, you'll get what you came for. But if you are one of those internet fanboys who called the American re-imagining an abomination, you should by all means despise this with almost as much mis-directed passion. Personally, I'll take both films for what they are-- decent, but flawed action flicks that don't really go out of their way to re-capture what made the first 'Zilla flick special. Grab some popcorn, unplug your brain, and don't expect to see much of big G, and you might just enjoy yourself. But remember, this is a Matrix-wannabe action movie first, and a monster movie last.

If you really want the best Godzilla movie of the past 10 years, go and get the newest version of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. That movie actually had some great new ideas in it, and has just about everything that make a good Kaiju film. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it over Final Wars if you just want to see a recent Godzilla movie.

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WHAT IS TRUTH? Pontius Pilate
"If men don't trust each other, this earth might as well be hell"
Not a "whodunnit"
A movie that truly belongs to world cinema's history
Required viewing at most film schools

Rashomon - Criterion Collection
Starring: Minoru Chiaki , Fumiko Homma , Daisuke Kato , Machiko Kyo , and Toshiro Mifune
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00003CXC6
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com essential video

This 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa is more than a classic: it's a cinematic archetype that has served as a template for many a film since. (Its most direct influence was on a Western remake, The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and directed by Martin Ritt.) In essence, the facts surrounding a rape and murder are told from four different and contradictory points of view, suggesting the nature of truth is something less than absolute. The cast, headed by Kurosawa's favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune, is superb. --Tom Keogh

Description

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.

Customer Reviews:

WHAT IS TRUTH? Pontius Pilate.......2007-08-18

It would be difficult to over estimate this movie's effect on college age movie goers of the early 60s. In that age of conformity it confirmed some of their worst fears: That they were being turned into vegetables & parents & elders shouldn't be believed. Truth was used simply as a tool of the powerful. Truth was an exercise of power; hence: Mutable. A few years later LA DOLCE VITA confirmed another suspicion that the behaviour of one's betters, when behind locked doors & away from the sight of their children, was atrocious. In this magnificent Kurosawa film set in 9th century Japan a nobleman & his wife traveling through a forest are set upon by a highwayman. The nobleman is killed, his wife raped & the whole thing is witnessed by a woodsman. The highwayman is later arrested & at his trial these incidents are examined & re-examined by having each of the 4 participants tell their version. The dead man speaks through the mouth of a medium. Each narrator relates the same incidents but in each telling the narrator becomes the protagonist & the nuances are different. How can one know the truth of anything? And with each telling the puzzle deepens & becomes more & more fascinating. A word of warning: The wife's voice is chalk on slate & you may find yourself hitting the mute button. Also the music is by a Ravel 'wannabe'. It's BOLERO written by a supremely untalented plagiarist. When the movie was first released here some exhibitors instructed projectionists to turn off the sound during long stretches without dialogue. (Ravel was revered by the beats of the time.) A stage version was produced on Broadway & later on many college campuses. And an American film version (THE OUTRAGE) was made with Paul Newman & Claire Bloom. RASHOMON as a concept entered the culture. Not to be missed.

"If men don't trust each other, this earth might as well be hell".......2007-06-05

I usually watch many kinds of different movies, but I wasn't a fan of old Asian movies, at least not until a friend lent me this beautiful classic, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Now I know what I was missing...

"Rashomon" (1950), shot in black and white, is nothing short of stunning. The first scenes show us a priest and a woodcutter taking refuge in an old temple, in order to escape from the heavy rain. A third man shows up, and they start talking about a recent crime that troubles them. Despite the fact that these men were at the trial in which those involved were judged, they don't have a clue regarding what happened, due to the fact that they hear very different versions of the events that took place that fateful day. Will the truth ever be found out? And is there such a thing as truth, or an objective point of view?

This is the first film by Kurosawa I have watched, but it won't be my last. Highly recommended ! And... thanks, Rubén :)

- Belen Alcat, June 2007 -

Not a "whodunnit".......2007-05-19

Kurosawa's use of multiple points of view allows him to highlight the interpretive agendas of the various "tellers" of the story. There is no one "true" version that the viewer is supposed to be able piece together from the narratives. Rather, the story is about the way in which no one interpretation will explain the events adequately. The meta-narrative of the story is what's at stake for each of the tellers that make them tell differently.

Tojomaru, the bandit. All at stake for him is his reputation as a bad guy. He knows he's doomed, and that he'll probably be executed, so his story embellishes his reputation. He says he fights, subdues and rapes the wife, then fights and kills the husband because the wife demands it. He fights fairly, and, in spite of the wife's role in urging him on, only because he wants to. In his version, he must kill the husband, but is then betrayed by the wife, so in some sense he has been wronged.

Masago, the wife. She has two interconnected motives: she needs revenge and appeasement of guilt. As a victim of a rape, she was shamed before both her husband and the bandit. She must try to exact revenge on the bandit, yet her husband spurns her as she tries to seek this revenge. In order to receive satisfaction, she must incite the fight (as she is reported doing in every version). It is important that in her version, the two men aren't actually seen fighting, because her agenda is to take the blame for the death of her husband away from herself. She deals with this by simply losing consciousness, then waking and finding her husband dead and the bandit gone.

Takehiro, the husband. This one is primarily driven by his culpability. He got himself tied up and then killed. He has to explain it somehow in honorable terms. It's very important that his story does not include a fight with the bandit. The husband was vain and proud, and losing the fight would be quite dishonorable. His version ends in suicide, as he owns up to his failures - but only after rejecting his wife (by not running after her), who "let herself get raped."

The woodcutter. Although his version is the most complex, having elements of all the others, his main motive is simple: to avoid being asked where the knife is (he denies having seen it at the inquest). Yet he is torn, repeatedly saying "That's a lie" to all the other stories. When he finally does tell his whole version, he describes the players as being full of pity, regret, fear and horror: all emotions that he must have gone through while watching the encounter. Further, his story must include a fight between the two men (which is disorganized and messy, concluding with "I don't want to die!"), because the husband must die by a sword wound and not a dagger. At the end, the wanderer gets the woodcutter to all but confess to having taken the dagger. Whether he took it from the husband's chest or picked it up from the ground is not known, but watch Takashi Shimura's face at the moment the medium speaks of having the dagger pulled out. The expression is one of horror, but is it horror over his own actions?

The woodcutter has both the most and the least to hide. His "crime" was being a witness, and then stealing evidence; he may be impeding justice by more or less corroborating the bandit's story - i.e., a "non-dagger death." Yet this impediment might not be that significant, considering Tajomaru's reputation and likely fate anyway. He must hide the fact that he's a thief, yet we can believe that he'd put the money gotten from the theft to good use. After all, he has six mouths to feed. I guess I distrust him the least, and believe that his lie hurts the fewest people. I suppose I'm highlighting what I value in the character (and in life) by making this interpretive decision. And that's why I also don't mind the ending (which some have felt is sentimental or out of step with the tenor of the film). In taking the abandoned child home, the woodcutter is compensating for his ill-gotten gains, and thus restoring balance to his karma.

But just maybe the woodcutter saw nothing (as in his first telling), and his second version was a fantasy of his own creation, made to appease the enormous guilt he feels at stealing the dagger. As the wanderer says, "We all want to forget something, so we create stories. It's easier that way."

A movie that truly belongs to world cinema's history.......2007-04-11

Sometime during the 12th century in Japan, three men, a woodcutter, a commoner and a priest, find themselves under the ruin of the Rashomon as they seek shelter from the heavy rain. As they wait for a break in the weather, they discuss the trial of the bandit Tajomaru, accused of killing the samurai Takehiro after having raped his wife. But was it what truely happened? The more we listen to the witnesses, the further we seem to drift away from the truth....

As I read reviews here and there, I quickly realized that there were basically two sides: the enthusiasts (the majority), some of which almost implying that there just can't be anything to complain about since this movie is widely considered as one of the most important in cinema history. And then there are those who are quick to argue that this movie is overrated, even boring. So, are the former just name-droppers in select parties, hoping to pass for the artsy-witsy type? Or are the latter either ignorant or trying to be hipper than hip by going against the greater number's judgement?

I think the main issue here is that those two sides just aren't talking about the same aspects of the movie. If there's one thing that's undeniable about Rashomon, the movie that truely revealed its director to the world, earning him a Golden Lion in 1951 at the Venice Film Festial and a honorary award at the Oscars, is that at the time of its release, this movie broke grounds both technically and in terms of story-telling. Maybe the most famous of those technical "innovations" is the pointing of the camera directly at the sun: to us now, it may comes as completely anticlimatic, but this was breaking one of the biggest taboos at the time

But maybe the one aspect of this movie that immediatly impressed the most was the storytelling, this presentation of several perceptions on what happened that fateful day, leading us only to accept in the end that the factual truth, because we couldn't experience the events first hand but only through the eyes of the various witnesses who all played a part in them, is forever lost to us. Such use of subjectivity to present a singular fact to the audience, therefore shaking their confidence in what they have actually seen, continues to this day to influence movies. Surely, if Rashomon hadn't been made, another director would have done just the same, but the first happens to be Kurosawa, and whatever one's appreciation of this movie is, the fact remains that, for those reasons alone, it deserves our utmost respect

But does it deserve our love? Now that's the hard one. It is certainly not an emotionally engaging movie: you're never really brought to care for the characters, which is probably the one reason why I couldn't give it 5 stars, no matter how much of a piece of history that movie is: I just need to emotionally connect with a movie at some level to be fully engrossed in it, and Rashomon just doesn't do that for me. However, it definitely is an intellectually engaging movie, and relatively short. The multiple layers in the visual, the acting, the philosophical statements all almost make up completely for it, and it ends before the lack of emotional ties leads you to lose interest in the story

Also, if you are after a Kurosawa movie which will entertain you from the word go, you would be far better off watching "Seven Samurai" or even "The Hidden Fortress". Rashomon lacks this fun factor - on the surface: dwelve on it some and the irony of the woodcutter's second tale, between Tajomaru's child-like glances and the swordfight's parody, which come in direct contrast with the others' tales, and in particular Tajomaru's own, can definitely qualify as funny, although it is much more likely to bring a soft chuckle rather than an outright loud laugh out of you

You may be put off by other details: the lack of dialogues for one. I would however argue that more dialogues wouldn't have been necessary, nor would they have shed anymore light on the case. What the director wants us to know without being put into words transpires through clever camera work, precise use of space and of the elements the environment provides (weather conditions, light, shadows of the foliage, etc). What may also grate on your nerves is what may pass as overacting (in particular in Mifune's and Machiko Kyo's cases): that being said, for one, acting standards in Japan are slightly different from those in the West. What I mean by that is that what they consider good acting may often be considered as unnatural and overacting by us. There's also another explanation: we aren't witnessing the facts as they actually happened. In a sense, the characters involved in this deadly affair are all, as they testify, performing, hoping to convincingly present the events in a way that will best serve their interests and, in the words of the others, they are but mere puppets who are made acting to suit their needs. No wonder therefore that a sense of surreality permeates these performances

Another point that may be annoying is the lack of resolution: sure, the image the woodcutter walking away with the baby under sun that is at last shining forth provides for a hopeful note. But the movie, through the camera angle during the testimony scenes at the court, puts you in the position of the judge, of the person who is there to seek out the truth. Yet you are forced to admit in the end that you'll never find it

But then the next question should be: do we need to know? Tajomaru, whatever the role he played, has, from what we are told, killed other women already: even if his role in this affair remains unclear, his fate, now that he is in the hands of justice, shouldn't. The samurai's wife, whether she has encouraged this violent act or not, will live a life of shame, a fate maybe worse than death. The samurai will cannot be brought back to life anyway. As for the woodcutter, even if he has taken the dagger to resale it, his generosity towards the child certainly more than redeems the theft

Interestingly enough, Kurosawa, it seems, never thought of Rashomon as of one of his best movies. And as for myself, I tend to agree with that statement, if only because it isn't too engaging on an emotional level. Still, Rashomon remains a movie that should be watched by any aspiring film-maker as well as any person more or less interested in the art of film-making in general. But I would also definitely recommend it to anyone not afraid of rather depressing yet tinted with hope, philosophical statements, and willing to spend the necessary time to reflect on it afterwards and possibly treat themselves to more than one viewing

A last word on the DVD itself: I've only watched the Criterion Collection edition of this movie, and I don't think I'll ever need another one. The restored transfer's quality is absolutely superb, even though I am tempted to say that the image faired better than the sound. The translation, from what little I can judge, is adequate; I have, however, only listened to the English dubbing for a hanful of scenes, so I can't say much, apart that it seemed terribly out of sync sometimes. The extras are all insightful, be it Robert Altman's introduction, the documentary extract on Kazuo Miyagawa, the cinematographer, or the audio commentary by Donald Richie. Also, the booklet that accompanies the single disc contains the two short stories on which the script was based, which is a most welcome addition

Required viewing at most film schools.......2007-04-10

In the Bible, Pilate asks, "What is truth?" and, as Roger Bacon puts it, "would not stay for an answer."

I felt a bit the same way after seeing this remarkable film by Japan's celebrated film maker, Akira Kurosawa. It is set in 12th century Japan, and while most viewers would say it examines the nature of truth and finds it slippery, I think it more properly examines the nature of the feudal Japanese society.

We have as representatives of that society, a priest (Minuru Chiaki) and a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) sitting out a rain storm in a place called Rashomon. It might pass for a ruined Greek temple except that its pillars and roof are made of wood. The priest and the woodcutter declare that they just can't understand it. They shake their heads and stare at the ground. Along comes a commoner (Kichijiro Uedo), a cynical man who asks what it is that they cannot understand.

They have witnessed an investigation into the death of a samurai, Takehiro (Masayuki Mori). He is in some ways the equivalent of a medieval knight. He has a horse and lady, Masako (Machiko Kyo). The accused is an infamous outlaw named Tajomaru (played brilliantly by Toshiro Mifune, who obviously had a lot of fun with the part). He tells his story. He admits to having his way with the lady, but lets the court know that she liked it so much that she began to embrace him while her husband was tied up watching. Afterwards he says that she insisted that they fight over her. Tajomaru obliges. He cuts the rope holding Takehiro and they sword fight. Tajomaru wins.

Next the wife tells her story. It is different of course. This causes the court to get a medium (Fumiko Honma) to tell the story from the point of view of the dead Takehiro. His story is different yet again. Finally the woodcutter reveals to the priest and the commoner that he saw the whole thing, and he then gives his version, again different of course.

The commoner has some terrifically cynical lines. Here are three:

"It's human to lie. Most of the time we can't even be honest with ourselves."

(To the priest:) "Not another sermon! I don't mind a lie if it's interesting."

"Man just wants to forget the bad stuff, and believe in the made-up good stuff. It's easier that way."

He speaks for the natural or animalistic man.

His counterpoint, the priest, opines, "If men don't trust each other, this earth might as well be hell."

He speaks for moral man.

Near the end of the film a baby is discovered crying. The woodcutter, who has five or six children of his own, takes the baby home.

He represents civilized man.

Masako represents the samurai's view of the nature of women when she is heard to say, "A man has to make a woman his by his sword."

What impressed me most about this film is the way Kurosawa was able to create an emotional atmosphere in each of the sittings. "In the Grove" we feel the trees and the light that sparkles through the leaves, and the disturbed serenity. At Rashomon in the rain we feel the men isolated and waiting, and in the sterile court scene we feel the severity of the tragedy.

Average customer rating:

Not for the dim-witted
Excellent......what a beauty of a movie...feel good flick..
Tongue Swallowingly Boring
An emotionally interactive movie.
Need to watch it more than once

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B00005JMJ4
Release Date: 2004-02-03

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Customer Reviews:

Not for the dim-witted.......2007-09-05