Akira Kurosawa 4k Restorations

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

From August Ragone's Facebook page:

"TOHO RELEASES 4K RESTORATIONS OF AKIRA KUROSAWA FILMS ON 4K UHD & BLU-RAY Recently, Toho Video announced separate 4K UHD and Blu-ray disc releases of their 4K restorations of their Kurosawa catalog. First up were STRAY DOG (1949) and IKIRU (1952), which were released this month and promptly sold out at Amazon Japan. April will see the release of YOJIMBO (1961) and SANJURO (1962), while dropping in May are HIGH & LOW (1963) and KAGEMUSHA (1980). Can't wait for SEVEN SAMURAI, THRONE OF BLOOD, and THE HIDDEN FORTRESS! Let's hope that Toho Video issues some of their Honda-Tsuburaya 4K restorations before the year is out, too.

(Note: The Blu-ray editions of these 4K restorations feature different package art.)"

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

I've been patiently waiting for years for the BFI to upgrade some of the crime films and other non-samurai titles to blu-ray.... maybe they've been patiently waiting in turn for these new restorations? Here's hoping.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Trailer and poster for the restored Seven Samurai.

[Derrick King Waterfall Puncher Find all posts View Profile Close Derrick King]

Since these 4K restorations are finally escaping Japan, I hope the Mouse House (and Toho) let Criterion release Kagemusha on UHD.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Coming 10/21/24 from BFI.

Newly restored by Toho in 4K, the BFI is delighted to release this all-time classic on UHD for the first time. Available as a limited edition 2-disc set with a book, a set of four postcards and a double-sided poster.

Extras:

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 50 mins)
The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa’s career and influence
Original trailer
BFI rerelease trailer
Double-sided poster featuring artwork by Matt Needle and the BFI’s poster designed for the film’s rerelease
A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the film
Updated and improved English subtitles
Other extras TBC

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

Nice though I'm sure this is, I do wish the BFI could prioritise upgrading some of the other Kurosawa titles they hold the rights to - 'Stray Dog', 'High & Low', 'Red Beard' etc have still not progressed beyond DVD in the UK.

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

Nice though I'm sure this is, I do wish the BFI could prioritise upgrading some of the other Kurosawa titles they hold the rights to - 'Stray Dog', 'High & Low', 'Red Beard' etc have still not progressed beyond DVD in the UK.

You do the big titles first to make the money to pay for the ones that won't sell as many copies. Business 101.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Full press release for the BFI UHD.

Released on Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray on 18 November 2024 (2-disc sets) (previously listed as 21 October)

Their village raided every year by vicious bandits, a group of peasants hire seven masterless samurai to protect them. Initially met with suspicion, the warriors resolve to gain the trust of the villagers and prepare them to face their enemy. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the greatest films of all time, and has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg while spawning remakes such as John Sturges’ acclaimed The Magnificent Seven. Endlessly copied but never surpassed, Seven Samurai is a truly timeless classic.

Released by the BFI on 18 November in Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray presentations, each release contains identical special features including an audio commentary by Adrian Martin, Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai – from the Toho Masterworks series, My Life in Cinema (1993), a set of four postcards, an 80-page book and more.

The special features in the UHD set are presented on a Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray discs are region B.

Special features:

UHD: Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Blu-ray: Restored in 4K and presented in High Definition
Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 49 mins): part of the Toho Masterworks series featuring interviews with Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami, writer Shinobu Hashimoto, actors Seiji Miyaguchi and Yoshio Tsuchiya, and others
Philip Kemp’s selected scenes commentary (1999, 20 mins): the film critic and writer analyses key scenes, recorded for the BFI’s 1999 DVD release
The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns on Kurosawa’s career and influence
My Life in Cinema (1993, 116 mins): Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima discuss Kurosawa’s life, career and legacy, filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan
Original theatrical trailer
Restoration trailer (2024)
Image gallery
Set of four postcards depicting iconic images from the film
80-page book with new essays by Tony Rayns, Cristina Álvarez López, Charlie Brigden and James-Masaki Ryan, plus writing by Philip Kemp and Jasper Sharp, and contemporary reviews by Gavin Lambert and director Tony Richardson

Product details – UHD

RRP: £34.99 / Cat. no. BFIB00010 / PG

Japan / 1954 / black and white / 207 mins / Japanese language with English subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.37:1 // Disc 1: UHD100: 2160p, 23.98fps, DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) // Disc 2: BD50: 1080i, 29.97fps, LPCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/16-bit)

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

Coming 10/21/24 from BFI.

Newly restored by Toho in 4K, the BFI is delighted to release this all-time classic on UHD for the first time. Available as a limited edition 2-disc set with a book, a set of four postcards and a double-sided poster.

Extras:

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 50 mins)
The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa’s career and influence
Original trailer
BFI rerelease trailer
Double-sided poster featuring artwork by Matt Needle and the BFI’s poster designed for the film’s rerelease
A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the film
Updated and improved English subtitles
Other extras TBC

Happy to watch a second time!