Kagemusha - The Shadow Warrior

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 26 Nov 2004, 18:30

Hey,

Just read on Debate that Criterion will be releasing a R1 of this on Jan 18th next year, a samurai war movie by Kurosawa. Prsented for the first time (say Criterion) in its uncut state at 180 mins.
I've thought all the Kurosawa samurai films Ive seen are great so I'd be imterested in this - has anyone seen it?

$40 is very expensive for a DVD though

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Nov 2004, 19:26

[quote][i]Originally posted by grim_tales[/i]
$40 is very expensive for a DVD though

[/quote]
It's a Criterion, what do you expect!

Maybe the people who own Criterion are Japanese

[Edited on 26-11-2004 by bradavon]

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 27 Nov 2004, 00:18

Its a great film, not sure what criterion will do with it, but the uk dvd is cheap as shit and very nice too, try to see it 1st before you pay all that for overated Criterion dvds

but its a nice film with some interesting things and colourfull too, better than Ran for me too

but no way better than his mighty Black and white Samurai films.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 04 Dec 2004, 19:44

Isnt the UK DVD the full uncut version then? I'm confused.
How long is that version?

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 05 Dec 2004, 00:23

IT IS!!!!!!! Then I am getting it if this is true! shit I never knew it was cut for international release! 12 quid will buy it for me then I hope

MarvellousM · Post by **MarvellousM** » 07 Dec 2004, 01:07

Kagemusha is BRILLIANT, my fave Kurosawa movie! I'll be blowing my cash on the Criterion for sure.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 07 Dec 2004, 15:46

I hope the new footage is ogod? anyone knoew much about it? as its a long film anyway and its goes aong very slowly at its own pace.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 09 Jan 2005, 00:36

Crap thats bad

I have sold my old one on Ebay and got the new version for 13 quid from dvdsoon bargain!

still delays pee me off

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 Jan 2005, 10:22

Romero has a DVD Soon Fidelity card (or something like that) Ice, so he gets 25% off at the moment.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 09 Jan 2005, 13:24

Yeah I bought it when it was cheaper and I got 25% off too

bargain too.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 22 Jan 2005, 14:21

Hey,

CD-WOW have it. Even from them it is "only" £16 (not counting vouchers)

Here are what the disc contains so far according to WOW - and yes it has been postponed to March 29 2005.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
[b]New, restored high-definition digital transfer enhanced for widescreen televisions
Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa)
A 40-minute documentary on the making of Kagemusha, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
Helping a Master: Coppola, Lucas, and Kagemusha, new video interviews with executive producers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas
Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity, a new video piece that reconstructs Kagemusha through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches
A booklet featuring new essays by scholars Darrell Davis and Peter Grilli and biographical sketches by Japanese film historian Donald Richie
New and improved English subtitle translation
More![/b]

Looks very good.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 30 Mar 2005, 15:52

Hey,

Here is a review of Kagemusha R1 Criterion over at DVD Talk:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=14980

joekun · Post by **joekun** » 30 Mar 2005, 18:51

Picked up the disc yesterday, haven't had a chance to watch the film yet but the supplements are great! I can't wait to sit down and finally watch the extended version.

joekun · Post by **joekun** » 11 Apr 2005, 19:05

I finally watched Kagemusha last night. When I was young I saw the international version of the film and I thought it was slow and boring (hey, I was young!). After watching the film last night I can safely say that it is a masterpiece. I loved it! I can't remember enough of the international version to be able to tell what scenes were "added" but I can't really imagine cutting anything.

The PQ seemed quite good, but during the night scenes there was a lot of movement in the black areas. I'm not sure if it was just grain or if it was a bit of mosquito noise. We are talking about a 3 hour film on a dual layer DVD. I can't help but wonder if it should've been split across 2 discs. Regardless this is probably the best release that we're going to get. It did look good on my 8' screen so I'm not complaining.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 11 Apr 2005, 20:14

I havent had time to watch it yet, but I will after I watch all the other Kurasowa films in order

watched a few so far, Sanjuro tonight! yipee :bom:

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 14 Apr 2005, 13:45

I've only seen the US TC on the R4 disc. Beautifully shot movie (as usual with Kurosawa), well written and acted too (especially the guy who play Shingen/the double). Worth seeing for the final scene alone. In the US TC I felt that stuff was missing, but it doesn't affect the narrative IMO. I'll get the Criterion release eventually (won't go OOP anytime soon, considering that their same damn releases of 7 Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro that have been around since the dark ages are still in print).

joekun · Post by **joekun** » 14 Apr 2005, 18:01

won't go OOP anytime soon, considering that their same damn releases of 7 Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro that have been around since the dark ages are still in print

I believe that all of those titles were licensed from Toho directly, whereas "Kagemusha" is owned by 20th Century Fox for all territories outside Japan. I'm sure it will stay in print for a while, I doubt that it's a big money maker for Fox that they will be anxious to release themselves.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Nov 2006, 01:02

"Fox Home Entertainment have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Kagemusha (2-Disc Special Edition) for 27th November 2006 priced at £17.99. From director Akira Kurosawa, Kagemusha explores a unique part of Japanese history. The film has achieved awards including the acclaimed Palm d’Or, a BAFTA for Best Direction, and an Oscar® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

The acclaimed Samurai classic is part of the exclusive Cinema Reserve collection, and is released as a two disc Special Edition DVD. Extras are identical to those found on the Criterion release and include interviews with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, and director Akira Kurosawa. It also incorporates an engrossing 41-minute documentary and a 43-minute analysis of the film using Kurosawa’s original paintings.

Disc 1: Main Feature

* 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
* Japanese DD4.0 Surround
* English subtitles
* Commentary by Stephen Prince

Disc 2: Extra Features

* Lucas, Coppola & Kurosawa (18:35mins)
* Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create (41mins)
* Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity
* A Vision Realized
* US & Japanese Trailers

Artwork and menus follow…"

Source + Artwork: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=63211

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Nov 2006, 01:03

Looking very nice.

A Criterion at a reasonable price which is exactly what it means given a few months. The RRP is even less than a lot of Criterion DVDs.

Is that a Tin I see?

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 04 Nov 2006, 01:04

Wasn't the original Fox release cut?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Nov 2006, 01:11

Possibly I doubt this will be though, all the effort as part of their "Cinema Reserve" label.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 04 Nov 2006, 01:16

Well, you never know until it is released or officially announced.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 04 Nov 2006, 09:14

Brad do yu know what other Cinema Reserve releases there are?

jimmyscab · Post by **jimmyscab** » 04 Nov 2006, 09:16

Well if it includes the Stephen Prince commentary from the Criterion I doubt its the shorter cut.

Damn I bought the criterion, loved watching the extras but never got roudn to watching the movie. Now it gets a release over here, will no doubt turn up at £7.99 a few months down the line.

The Criterion does come with a lovely booklet though.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 04 Nov 2006, 09:32

That artwork is lovely. Good to see other DVD labels (other than Criterion) make an effort with the coverart.