Japanese Classics Shine on BluRay

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Staff Writer

The Criterion Collection has long been noted for releasing high-quality home video editions of interesting and influential films from around the world, both modern and classic. They’re slowly but surely adding BluRay titles to their already impressive and eclectic catalog of DVDs and now long out-of-print Laserdiscs.

While the long career of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is well-represented on DVD from Criterion, they’ve had only his 1980 epic “Kagemusha” on BluRay, and Lionsgate recently released a pretty good BluRay version of “Ran,” his 1985 samurai variation on “King Lear.” Last month, however, to mark Kurosawa’s 100th birthday, Criterion came out with one of his most entertaining and influential films, “Yojimbo” (1961), both individually and as part of a double-disc set with its sequel, “Sanjuro” (1962).

“Yojimbo” (whose title means “The Bodyguard”) stars Japanese superstar and long-time Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune as the title character who says his name is Sanjuro (“Thirty”) but explains he’s really almost forty. He’s a wandering, out-of-work samurai warrior in the late 1800s who stumbles into a village torn by violence between two competing families of racketeers.

Naturally, with his cocky self-confidence, personal code of honor, and supreme skill with his weapon of choice, he decides he’s just the person to clean up the town. He plays the two gangs against each other, with plenty of intrigue, action, and violence before the climactic showdown and satisfying conclusion.

Plot sound familiar? Maybe like something Clint Eastwood or Bruce Willis might do? Kurosawa loved American westerns, and adapted their formula and some of their style to historical Japan, and American filmmakers reciprocated the honor. His 1954 film “The Seven Samurai” was remade as “The Magnificent Seven” in 1960, and his breakthrough film “Rashomon” (1950) was also turned into an American western, “The Outrage” (1964).

“Yojimbo” was so popular that it was very quickly and very closely remade as a traditional western, but shot in Spain by Italian director Sergio Leone. As “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) it made an international star of Clint Eastwood. Later action star Bruce Willis liked the script so much that he remade it as a 1930s American gangster film under title “Last Man Standing” in 1996. And it’s not all that far removed from the cathartic vigilante attitude of the two “Boondock Saints” movies.

Mifune is at his best in “Yojimbo,” and it is easy to see how Eastwood and Willis enjoyed taking his cool, cynical, wisecracking character and adding their own mannerisms. The often extreme martial arts violence, a bit shocking in its day, is tempered by a consistent darkly comic attitude and some outright comedy bits - another trademark adopted by Eastwood and Willis, and of course the “Boondock Saints” films. Interestingly, both “Fistful of Dollars” and “Last Man Standing” are slated to hit BluRay this summer, so you can do a high-definition triple-feature comparison.

“Sanjuro” finds Mifune’s character coming across a group of brash young samurai worried about internal power struggles and corruption in their clan. Naturally, our hero points out the flaws in their analysis of the situation and especially in their plans to remedy it. They’re not happy with his assessment, but some disastrous incidents and lucky escapes eventually convince them of his wisdom.

In “Sanjuro” there is much more talk and much less action than “Yojimbo,” with the comedy tending more to dry wit than broad slapstick. Part of this may be due to criticism of all the violence in the first film. In fact a couple of characters seem to be comic allusions to this as they constantly urge against bloodshed and make comments on how beautiful various flowers are.

At 96 minutes, it’s about a quarter-hour shorter than “Yojimbo,” but may actually seem longer due to the different approach. Of course Mifune’s pent-up energy has to be released in a spectacular bloodbath or two somewhere, but it’s never quite as graphic until the very end this time, and even then it’s countered by a comment on how the most effective sword should remain in its sheath.
The meticulously composed CinemaScope widescreen photography of both films comes across beautifully in these BluRay editions, a substantial upgrade from Criterion’s previous DVD version. The rarely heard original 3-channel “Perspecta” stereo soundtrack has also been restored for the BluRay of each film, and is included with an option for the more common mono soundtrack. Both sound good, although there seems to be occasional muffled distortion in the stereo track at times. Perspecta was a low-cost optical “directional mono” simulated alternative to the more expensive discretely recorded 4-track magnetic stereo.

Both discs also have a generous selection of bonus features including a scholar’s commentary track, trailers, good documentaries on the making of the films (standard-definition, unfortunately), stills galleries, and illustrated booklets with additional background.

“YOJIMBO” on BluRay - Movie: A+ / Video: A / Audio: A- / Extras: A-

“SANJURO” on BluRay - Movie: B+ / Video: A / Audio: A- / Extras: A-

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