The Quiet Duel
1949 | 95 min | Not rated | Region A (B, C untested) | May 29, 2009
Based on a play by Kazuo Kikuta this early Akira Kurosawa film concerns an army surgeon (Mifune) who during a life-saving operation contaminates himself with syphilis which at the time was virtually incurable. Now suffering with...
1985 | 160 min | Not rated | Region A (B, C untested) | May 29, 2009
With 'Ran', legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare’s King Lear as a singular
historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in scope, the film is Kurosawa’s late-life
masterpiece, a profound...
1993 | 134 min | Not rated | Region A (B, C untested) | May 29, 2009
Following World War II, a retired professor, approaching his autumn years, finds his quality of life drastically reduced in war torn Tokyo. Denying despair, he pursues writing and celebrates his birthday with his adoring students.
A four-disc set featuring Rashomon, Ran, Madadayo and The Quiet Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto) serves
as the first Blu-ray offering of Kurosawa's brilliant work.
Anyone who has a passion for movies knows that Akira Kurosawa is arguably the most gifted and
influential filmmaker of all. His conception had an enormous gravitational pull on Hollywood's
approach to most genres, from westerns to science fiction. The Hidden Fortress and
Yojimbo are credited as the thematic influence for Star Wars. And The Seven
Samurai is often cited as the greatest and most influential film ever made--The
Magnificent Seven is its most obvious descendant. Kurosawa created "westerns" from the
Far East that seem just as American as the average John Ford movie. How is it possible that a
Japanese director mastered the art of the western in a way few American directors could? The
answer lies in Kurosawa's eye--not just through a camera but through the human soul. Judging
by Kurosawa's enormous impact, it is not surprising that just one month ago three of America's
most legendary directors, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas--each of whom
fully acknowledges the ways Kurosawa effected their approach to film--toasted him at a gala
event marking the deceased filmmaker's 99th birthday. Scorsese in particular has a unique
affinity for Kurosawa. Knowing each other from the film festival circuit, Kurosawa actually cast
Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh in the abstract, dark and immensely powerful Dreams.
None of the aforementioned titles is included in the limited edition, four-disc set released by
Jesnet in Japan. But the ones that do are equally compelling and fascinating--a formidable slice of
Kurosawa's work--taking us from feudal Japan to modern times, from black and white to color
and from 1.33:1 to 1.85:1 aspect ratios. Each title comes in its own black Blu-ray case (they are
also available individually): Rashomon, Ran, Madadayo and The Quiet Duel
(Shizukanaru Ketto). The discs are housed in a gold case with black Japanese lettering and
abstract markings, as well as the name AKIRA KUROSAWA. The English lettering also appears on
the cover of the included 34-page booklet, featuring color and duotone photos. Unfortunately,
this lettering is the only English included anywhere in or on the set. Even the subtitles are in
Japanese only. But for Japanese speakers or collectors who may know the films and not need
subtitles, this set offers an important keepsake. Not only is it the only way to see Kurosawa's
work on Blu-ray currently, but the 1080p performance of each of the four titles allows the viewer
closer access to the filmmaker's artistic vision, and that is no small achievement.
A retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear in feudal Japan, Kurosawa's Ran is an epic masterpiece.
The Quiet Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto) (1949, 95 minutes)
Only the second collaboration between Toshiro Mifune and Kurosawa, The Quiet Duel
tells the story of Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki (Mifune) who is infected with syphilis from a scalpel cut, as he
performs surgery during World War II. After the war, he seems to shrink from reality. Tormented
by the cruel irony of his virginity combined with his sexually transmitted illness, the young
physician treats himself in secret, while dealing with his father, Dr. Konosuke Fujisaki (Takashi
Shimura), his fiance and his nurse. Eventually, he faces off against the man whose infection
devastated his life. The Quiet Duel shows early signs of greatness from both Kurosawa
and Mifune. In arguably the greatest director-actor tandem of the film industry, they collaborated
together for much of the most productive, inspired parts of their careers, not unlike Scorsese and
Robert De Niro or Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale.
Rashomon (1950, 88 minutes)
The film opens during a rain storm, with dramatic shots of a large temple in ruins and the sign
"Rashomon" appearing in the countryside. Five characters are eventually introduced: a
woodcutter (Takashi Shimura), a bandit (Toshiro Mifune), a priest (Minoru Chiaki), a samurai
(Masayuki Mori) and the samurai's wife (Machiko Kyo). A series of flashbacks within a flashback,
Rashomon shows the characters' accounts of the rape of the samurai's wife and murder
of the samurai. Each account contradicts the other. The stories are told to a wandering man
(Kichijiro Ueda), who joins the woodcutter and priest in the old temple to take cover from the
storm. The rape, murder, versions of the story and the behavior of the characters in the temple
deeply impacts the priest, who seems to be questioning the morality of mankind. But something
happens that restores his faith. Rashomon is a thought-provoking film that challenges
the viewer to decide which, if any, of the various accounts are accurate. Its influence is as
profound as other Kurosawa classics. Even The Usual Suspects appears to borrow ideas
from it.
Ran (1985, 160 minutes)
Kurosawa took liberties with Shakespeare's King Lear to conceive this brilliant film.
Nearing the end of his days, Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to step
aside to bring to power his three sons, Taro Takatora (Akira Terao), Jiro Masatora (Jinpachi Nezu)
and Saburo Naotora (Daisuke Ryu). The father's only wish is to live out his years as an honored
guest in the houses of each son. Taro and Jiro praise the decision, pleasing their father. But the
youngest son, Saburo tells his father he made a mistake by expecting the three to remain united
and warns of a fake allegiance between the older brothers. Rather than see the wisdom of
Saburo's warning, Hidetora grows enraged and banishes his youngest son. Of course, the elder
siblings indeed conspire to take everything from their father. Ran is a cinematic
masterpiece with indoor and outdoor shots that show Kurosawa's genius in composition. The
costumes, sets and makeup are also exceptional.
Madadayo (1993, 134 minutes)
Kurosawa's last film ever produced tells the story of Professor Hyakken Uchida (Tatsuo
Matsumura). Beloved by his students, the professor retires to become a writer. After his house in
Tokyo is bombed during World War II, he moves to the countryside and lives a life of relative
seclusion and pastoral simplicity. But once a year, his students honor him at his birthday where
their toast, "mahda kai?" (not yet?) is always answered by Uchida-san's answer, "Madada yo!"
(No, not yet!), meaning the professor has more life to live. That explains the name of the film.
The elegant story, strong acting and brilliant cinematography provide a fitting swan song for
Kurosawa's career and the film is at least partially about the filmmaker himself. Ultimately, he is
the professor and all of us who love film are his doting students, learning from him each time we
see one of his movies. Kurosawa doesn't teach us only about film, but about ourselves, about the
beauty and ugliness of the world and about humanity.
The Quiet Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto)
Like most productions of its era, the video is presented in black and white in an aspect ratio of
1.37:1. The film grain is barely visible with some signs of noise, but for the most part it's cleaned
up nicely. Given the source material, black level is average; however, shadows do not achieve the
greatest low-light detail. The most intriguing element of the Blu-ray picture is the contrast.
Kurosawa created a phenomenal lattice-work of light and shadow throughout the movie and this
black-and-white tapestry is paid off handsomely on Blu-ray. It is even possible to pick out damage
in the source material. While some signs of digital noise reduction are visible, such as a hint of
artifacting, the 1080p definition is delivered with marked improvement over NTSC versions of the
film. The contrast, too, is preferable in the Blu-ray version, showing how Kurosawa created
texture and mood out of complex lighting.
Rashomon
Also presented in black and white in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, the visual power and grandeur of
Rashomon is fully realized in this MPEG-4 AVC encode. The outdoor scenes involving the
samurai's wife appear bright but never washed out or unbalanced. But the darker, stormy scenes
in and around the temple or the bandit scene in the forest have especially dramatic contrast.
Definition is surprisingly sharp considering the source and age of the film. One can discern stripes
and textures in the actors' clothing and details in their faces that were simply lost in NTSC. Even
shadow detail is not bad, although blacks rarely achieve an inky appearance. As in The Quiet
Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto), the relative lack of noise and grain is a concern, but thankfully
signs of DNR are at a minimum. Even the rain--having a symbolic role in the movie--is clearly
visible, which is a challenge especially for black-and-white footage.
Ran
With its 1.85:1 aspect ratio and MPEG-4 AVC encode, the boost in picture quality over DVD
versions is stunning during the opening moments of the film, showing hunters on horseback in a
lush, mountainous region. The colors burst from the screen. Earthtones are stronger than skin
tones throughout, but indoor shots prove as exquisite as the outdoor scenes. Good black level
provide a sense of depth, but as with the discs previously described, the picture is too scrubbed of
noise and grain to be fully representative of the source material. The few signs of film damage--
mostly colored spots--appear lightened and digitally altered. However, no overt signs of DNR are
visible aside from slight digital artifacting that holds back the definition a touch. Overall, the
picture fully supports Kurosawa's vision, with rich, vibrant colors emphasizing the greens and
golds. As much as I wanted to find fault with the presentation, I was enthralled by the overall
color palette and the detail that--while not reference quality--appeared far better than DVD
versions available.
Madadayo
Presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this MPEG-4 AVC encode shows the full frame
matting for the first time on home video, revealing the film's rounded corners. The left edge of
the film is recessed as well. Like the appearance of Ran described above, the fascinating
imagery of Kurosawa's last film appears far more lifelike and defined than any NTSC version on
DVD. The colors are not as vibrant, though. Often, the picture appears slightly washed-out, but
the darker colors pop, creating a deeper, more 3-D presentation. As one might predict judging by
the other Blu-rays in the set, the detail of Madadayo may be hampered by digital tools or
noise reduction, judging by the squeaky clean look of the picture. Grain, noise and film damage
are kept to an absolute minimum in the transfer. So too are artifacts, edge enhancement and
banding, which indicates that whatever was done to clean up the picture didn't leave horrible
telltail signs. While I didn't feel like I was watching film, the overall color palette and detail was
captivating, and any but the stodgiest videophile will be pleased with this transfer. The
alternative--to watch one of the overly processed DVDs--is now unnecessary.
Rather than break down each film separately on the audio merits, here are observations common to
all four titles in the set. Each features lossless PCM in monaural 2.0 at 16-bit, 48 kHz, delivering a
bitrate of 1536 kbps. The sound is more open and detailed in the two color films--not surprising
since those were produced with more modern recording equipment. But otherwise the tonal
characteristics are fairly consistent: rolled-off highs, some muffling in the midrange and a boxed-in
sound to the bass. While this audio may compare poorly with some Blu-ray PCM tracks, it is the best
I have heard Kurosawa's movies sound. Even when I saw Dreams in the theater shortly
after its U.S. release, a film that was nominated for Award of the Japanese Academy for sound
quality (among others), it sounded shrill and thin. Each monaural track delivered in the limited
edition set provides a narrow, deep soundstage and while they will not win any nominations for
audio quality, the voices are clear and convey emotion, the instrumentation is passable--a bit
congested--and ancillary sounds are not distracting. Think CD remasters of old recordings, and you'll
get an idea of the sound quality here--particularly of Rashomon and The Quiet
Duel. Not great, but you'll be hard pressed to find better sound for these titles.
Although no bonus content and only Japanese subtitles are included, I cannot give this set the
lowest rating for supplements. The packaging and 34-page booklet (even though I can't read it)
offer a quality keepsake. More importantly, the four films bundled in the set show a remarkable slice
of Kurosawa's output. Together, they demonstrate the similarities as well as the diversity that he
commanded from film to film throughout his career. In that respect, each film serves as a
supplement to the other, despite the lack of extra features. Somehow, it is fitting that each disc
accommodates the film alone. I have always felt that, despite how much meaning and symbolism
was buried in movies like Rashomon, Kurosawa's work ultimately needs no further
explanation. And besides, even if supplementary content was included, watching it would be an
exercise in frustration without English subtitles.
It is a travesty that no titles by Akira Kurosawa have been released on Blu-ray domestically. Now
that a consumer format is capable of film-like quality it is no excuse that, in the rush to deliver
blockbusters and new titles day-and-date with DVDs, a master of cinema such as Kurosawa is
overlooked. No serious movie library can be without his films, and thanks to this limited edition
Blu-ray set, no library needs to be without Rashomon, Ran, Madadayo and The Quiet
Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto). Granted, the lack of English subtitles is a serious omission that
will discourage most English-speakers. But in a way it's a positive. It forces the viewer to focus on
the characters, their vocal inflections and facial expressions in a way not possible when constantly
reading subtitles. Of equal concern to Blu-ray collectors, the audio, video and bonus content are
not reference level, nor even exemplary. But with films this powerful and with presentation that
finally leaves NTSC in the dust, why nitpick about whether more definition is possible when you
could be feasting your eyes on the best available editions of these four Kurosawa films? I am
hopeful these and other Kurosawa titles will soon see the treatment they deserve in 1080p, with
English subtitles. But even if/when that finally happens, this imported Blu-ray set is a keeper in
its handsome gold cover and booklet with individual black Blu-ray cases. The bottom line is that
this limited edition box is a precious treasure chest for serious Blu-ray collectors and fans of
Kurosawa. I recommend ordering the set before it goes out of print. Alternatively, the titles are
available individually.
The 'Akira Kurosawa Blu-ray Box (Limited Edition)' is coming to Japan on February 6th, and it will feature four of the legendary directors best known films, including 'Rashomon', 'Ran', 'Madadayo', and 'The Quiet Duel (Shizukanaru Ketto)' in stunning high definition. ...
Akira Kurosawa Blu-ray Box Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
