Sanjuro (DVD)

From director Akira Kurosawa (Ran, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai) and starring Toshiro Mifune as a ronin running rings around nine young, clean-cut samurai while cleaning up a spot of corruption in local government.

Mention Sanjuro to film lovers and they will tell you about the famous bloody spray scene; this follow up to Yojimbo however, is primarily a comedy of manners, altogether more light-hearted than its predecessor.

Kurosawa plays most of the film for laughs by expertly parodying the conventions of Japanese period action movies, most of the action is relatively bloodless, but in the very last scene he stages a startling switch of mood with an intense finale which may well be the briefest, and most breath-taking, duel in all cinema.

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yuzo Kayama, Takako Irie

Genre: Samurai

Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)

Country: Japan

Year: 1962

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Region: 2

Special Features:

• Digitally remastered in High Definition
• Introduction to Sanjuro by filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 5 mins)
• Interview with Alex Cox (2003, 9 mins): the director discusses the life and work of Akira Kurosawa
• Original Japanese theatrical trailer
• Essay by film historian and critic Philip Kemp