Blu-ray and DVD cover art for Criterion`s new restored edition of Akira Kurosawa`s 1950 masterpiece RASHOMON. Images courtesy of The Criterion Collection. © 1950 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.Source: The Criterion Collection, Image Entertainment Official Site: criterion.com/rashomon Special Thanks to Micheal Perzi and Brian Carmody
Toshiro Mifune as Tajomaru the bandit and Masayuki Mori as Takehiro the samurai. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection. © 1950 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.On November 6th, 2012, RASHOMON will be released in digitally restored DVD and Blu-ray editions by The Criterion Collection. A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, RASHOMON is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people recount different versions of the story of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa (SEVEN SAMURAI) presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema -- and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune (YOJIMBO) -- to the Western world. Awards • 1951: Winner, Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival • 1951: Winner, Best Foreign Language Film, National Board of Review • 1951: Winner, Best Director, Akira Kurosawa, National Board of Review • 1951: Nominee, Oscar, Best Art Direction, Academy Cast Tajomaru the bandit: Toshiro Mifune Masago: Machiko Kyo Takehiro the samurai: Masayuki Mori The Woodcutter: Takashi Shimura The Priest: Minoru Chiaki Crew Director: Akira Kurosawa Producer: Jingo Minoura Scenario: Akira Kurosawa and Shinobu Hashimoto Based on two stories by: Ryunosuke Akutagawa Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa Art director: So Matsuyama Music: Fumio Hayasaka Lighting: Kenichi Okamoto 1950 • 88 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio Genres: Foreign, Drama, Mystery / Suspense, Crime Drama, Japanese Cinema Rating: Not Rated Number of Discs: 1 Color Format: Black & White Audio: PCM Mono Language: Japanese Closed Captions: No Subtitle: English Special Features: • New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition • Audio commentary by Japanese-film historian Donald Richie • Video introduction by director Robert Altman • Excerpts from THE WORLD OF KAZUO MIYAGAWA, a documentary on RASHOMON’s cinematographer • A TESTIMONY AS AN IMAGE, a sixty-eight-minute documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew • Archival audio interview with actor Takashi Shimura • Original and re-release trailers • New English subtitle translation • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Stephen Prince; an excerpt from director Akira Kurosawa’s Something Like an Autobiography; and reprints of RASHOMON’s two source stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Rashomon and In a Grove BLU-RAY EDITION Catalog #: CC2201BD UPC: 7-15515-10091-5 ISBN: 978-1-60465-653-4 SRP: $39.95 Release Date: 11/6/2012 DVD EDITION Catalog #: CC2202D UPC: 7-15515-10101-1 ISBN: 978-1-60465-654-1 SRP: $29.95 Release Date: 11/6/2012 SPINE #138
A priest (Minoru Chiaki) and a commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) listen to a tale from the Woodcutter (Takashi Shimura). Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection. © 1950 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.About The Criterion Collection
Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. Criterion tracks down the best available film elements in the world, uses state-of-the-art telecine equipment and a select few colorists capable of meeting our rigorous standards, then takes time during the film-to-video digital transfer to create the most pristine possible image and sound. Supplements enable viewers to appreciate Criterion films in context, through audio commentaries by filmmakers and scholars, restored director’s cuts, deleted scenes, documentaries, shooting scripts, early shorts, and storyboards. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made Criterion`s library of Director Approved DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and laserdiscs the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.
For more information on RASHOMON, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: