Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive)
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List Price: $129.98
Features
• Anamorphic
• Letterboxed
• Box set
• NTSC
In Theaters : 2002
DVD Release : 23 September, 2002 |
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Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive) description
Befitting a filmmaker of Akira Kurosawa's masterly stature, this sumptuous limited-edition DVD set pays tribute to Kurosawa's cinematic legacy and Japanese heritage. Like Japanese architecture, the packaging is simple yet elegant, with Ran--Kurosawa's epic reworking of King Lear in feudal Japan--at the center of attention. Kurosawa's 1985 ... review details
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Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive) Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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The Grandaddy of Cinema
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At first glance, it looks like the "Kurosawa DVD Collection" has been bundled together with odds and ends. One documentary, and two of Kurosawa's lesser-known -- but excellent -- films.
At first glance, it's hard to see why they were packaged together. But soon it becomes clear why: The two films are poignant stories from Kurosawa's twilight years, while the documentary explores his lifetime. In a way, it's almost a memorial to the Grandaddy of modern cinema.
"Ran" is a Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear." Elderly Lord Hidetora decides to retire, handing over the three portions of his kingdom to his three sons Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. The two elder ones like this idea, but the youngest does not. Fighting breaks out among the sons, who have paid little attention to their father's calm philosophies -- with tragic results for the aged warlord.
"Madadayo" was the last film directed by Kurosawa, although other films have been made of his writing. Like "Ran," it studies the present life of an old man -- in this case, German professor Hyakken Uchida (Tatsuo Matsumura), who has decided to retire and become a writer. However, he doesn't get the peace and quiet he deserves: he loses everything in the second world war.
So his students, who care deeply about him, build a cottage for him, and reunite every year to celebrate his birthday. Life goes on, changing around the old man, as he grows older and loses his beloved pet cat. Will he die eventually? "Madadayo!" ("I'm not ready yet!")
Both of these films show Kurosawa in his final years, still a magnificent director with an eye for the poignant. Both films study old men contemplating their lives; Hidetora tries unsuccessfully to pass a torch to an unworthy younger generation, while Uchida lives in peace and quiet, telling stories, jokes and philosophy to the younger people.
Neither film is autobiographical, and neither man is truly Kurosawa. But they do seem to embody parts of his personality, as he approached his own end.
If that isn't illuminating enough, then the "Kurosawa" documentary should shed a little light. This insightful, intelligent study shows us the chronological events of Kurosawa's life, peppered with his artistic work. While no documentary can give a full picture (some of Kurosawa's best films are neglected here), it does give us a fuller picture of Kurosawa as a man and as a filmmaker.
There are insightful interviews with people who collaborated with Kurosawa during his lifetime, examinations of past art, and comparisons to the American counterparts of his movies. For example, the spaghetti westerns that influenced and were influenced by him.
Amazon's "Kurosawa DVD Collection" is a rewarding, bittersweet look at the lifetime and late films of this masterful director. Definitely worth getting. |
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Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive) dvd movie.