Akira Kurosawa - The Samurai Collection (DVD)

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. Throne of Blood: Kurosawa's transposition of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' to sixteenth century Japan is, like the great Russian adaptations of 'King Lear' and 'Hamlet', immensely successful in capturing the 'spirit' of the original. Any loss in language or characterisation is more than compensated by the evocation of the misty and forbidding locale, the bravura ghostly apparitions, and the fascinating incursions of specifically Japanese elements, such as the echoes of Noh drama. The Hidden Fortress: A story of rival clans, hidden gold and a princess in distress, The Hidden Fortress is a thrilling mix of fairy story and samurai action movie. It was Kurosawa's first film shot in the widescreen process of Tohoscope, and he exploited this to the full in the film's rich variety of landscape locations, including the slopes of Mount Fuji. Yojimbo: Donning his sword again, Toshiro Mifune (he was the `crazy' one in Kurosawa's Seven Samurai) allows fate to lead him into an un-named town. Showing his prowess with the Samurai sword within minutes of arrival, the town's two rival factions are soon competing for his services, only to ultimately bring about their own mutual destruction. Sanjuro: Sequel to Kurosawa's own Yojimbo in which the crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen save his uncle who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent...