Seven Samurai, the critically acclaimed samurai film from Akira Kurosawa that has been described by some as being one of the greatest action movies ever made, is coming to 4K Blu-ray as part of a new limited-edition box set that includes several extras, including a perfect-bound book and a double-sided poster with special artwork, the British Film Institute has announced. The Criterion Collection, the distribution company best known for restoring and distributing “important classic and contemporary films,” released a Blu-ray version of the movie in 2010.
Key features include:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION BY TOHO
- 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
A look at the box set and contents:
A trailer for the new 4K restoration, which premiered in select theaters last month:
BFI echoing the release date on X:
And a BFI IMAX premiere of a new 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai on 26 Sep, ahead of a BFI 4K UHD release on 21 Oct. pic.twitter.com/NFBGKtL9AR
— BFI (@BFI) July 29, 2024
Film description:
Akira Kurosawa followed the breakthrough international acclaim for Rashomon (1950) and Ikiru (1952) with this three-and-a-half-hour jidaigeki (period drama) set during Japan’s turbulent 16th century. Strongly influenced by the poetic westerns of John Ford, Kurosawa’s story of farmers recruiting a motley troupe of samurai to help them fend off bandits in turn had a huge impact on subsequent westerns and action films – from Hollywood remake The Magnificent Seven (1961) onwards.
The early section’s gathering together of the diversely talented fighters is a trope in action movies to this day, while the restrained use of slow-motion in the frenzied final faceoff has since been abused to far less subtle ends. Kurosawa expertly sustains the suspense over a lengthy duration, instilling the story with an almost Shakespearian grandeur.