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Yojimbo (1961):
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):
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.
Special Features:
4K digital restorations, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks (4K UHD); restored high-definition digital transfers, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks (Blu-ray)
In the 4K UHD edition: 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
Covers by Lucien S. Y. Yang
Akira Kurosawa