YOJIMBO. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.Source: The Criterion Collection press release
Special Thanks to Courtney Ott
Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.
The Criterion Collection has announced that YOJIMBO / SANJURO: TWO SAMURAI FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA will be released January 7, 2025 in a 4-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set. 2-disc Blu-ray edition is also available for purchase.
Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa’s oeuvre, YOJIMBO (用心棒, Yōjinbō) surpassed even SEVEN SAMURAI in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai Sanjuro, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, SANJURO (椿三十郎, Tsubaki Sanjūrō) matches Yojimbo’s storytelling dexterity yet adds a layer of world-weary pragmatism that brings the two films to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion.
YOJIMBO
1961 • 110 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 2.39:1 aspect ratio
The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic YOJIMBO. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.
SANJURO
1962 • 95 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 2.39:1 aspect ratio
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa’s tightly paced, beautifully composed SANJURO. In this sly companion piece to YOJIMBO, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a “proper” samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character’s return is a masterpiece in its own right.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION
SRP: $79.95
STREET: 1/7/25
CAT. NO.: CC3628UHDBD
ISBN: 979-8-88607-222-8
UPC: 7-15515-30661-4
4K + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• 4K digital restorations, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
• Two 4K UHD discs of the films and two Blu-rays with the films and special features
• Optional DTS-HD Master Audio Perspecta 3.0 soundtracks, preserving the original simulated stereo effects
• Audio commentaries by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
• Documentaries on the making of YOJIMBO and SANJURO, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
• Teasers and trailers
• Stills galleries of behind-the-scenes photos
• PLUS: Essays by film writers Alexander Sesonske and Michael Sragow and comments from Kurosawa and members of his casts and crews
SANJURO. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.