The Criterion Collection

With the production of Seven Samurai (1954), the most popular and important Japanese film of its time, Kurosawa began a long and fruitful obsession with medieval Japan. From Hidden Fortress (1958), which pioneered widescreen cinematography in Japan, to the samurai-for-hire pair of Yojimbo (1961) and Sanjuro (1962), which launched the "Spaghetti Western" in Italy, Kurosawa reinvigorated the samurai film genre and revitalized the American Western in the process. Presented here are Kurosawa's greatest samurai films, starring long-time collaborator Toshiro Mifune.

The Seven Samurai
A desperate village hires seven samurai to protect it from marauders in this crown jewel of Japanese cinema. No other film so seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action. Featuring Japan's legendary star, the great Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is an inspired epic, a triumph of art and an unforgettable three-hour ride.

The Hidden Fortress
A general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides; it's a spirited adventure that only Akira Kurosawa could create. Acknowledged as a primary influence on George Lucas' Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa's inimitably deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action and humanist compassion on an epic scale. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark motion picture in a stunning, newly-restored Tohoscope edition.

Yojimbo
The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa's visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo (The Bodyguard. In order to rid a village of corruption, masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade both as A Fistful of Dollars and, more recently Last Man Standing, this exhilarating gangster- Western remains one of the most influential and entertaining genre twisters ever produced. Criterion is proud to present Yojimbo in a luminous Tohoscope transfer.

Sanjuro
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed Sanjuro. In this 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. Criterion is proud to present Sanjuro in a gorgeous Tohoscope feature.