Akira Kurosawa Samurai Collection

Box Set

Genre: Feature, Foreign

Certificate: 12

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Collection of five historical action adventures from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. In 'Seven Samurai' (1954), knowing that bandits are planning to attack their village after the coming harvest, its inhabitants hire a group of seven samurai to protect them. Led by Kambei (Takashi Shimura), the group includes four hardened warriors, Kambei's new disciple and Kikuchiyo (Toshirô Mifune), the orphaned son of a farmer who is posing as a samurai and is determined to prove his worth. The samurai begin arming and training the villagers as well as fortifying their homes as they prepare for the coming attack, fully aware that the odds are stacked against them. In 'Throne of Blood' (1957), after securing a great victory in battle for their lord Tsuzuki (Takamaru Sasaki), samurai commanders and friends Taketoki Washizu (Mifune) and Yoshiaki Miki (Minoru Chiaki) meet a mysterious spirit in the Spider's Web Forest who prophesies their rise to power. When the first part of the spirit's prediction comes true, Washizu tells his wife Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) about the rest of the prophecy and her ambition leads him to commit murder, an act which seals both of their fates. 'The Hidden Fortress' (1958) follows the exploits of Tahei (Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara), two peasants hoping to make their fortunes by becoming soldiers. They run into trouble when they are mistaken for members of the Akizuki clan which has just been defeated after a fierce battle. Meanwhile, Rokurota Makabe (Mifune), a renowed Akizuki general, is attempting to escort Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) to safety. When he encounters the two peasants, he realises they may be useful to him but as the four of them travel together, they face many challenges and Tahei and Matashichi's cowardice and greed could jeopardise Makabe's mission. In 'Yojimbo' (1961) wandering samurai Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Mifune) arrives in a rural town in 19th century Japan which is overrun with criminals and is being fought over by two rival gangs. Determined to free the townsfolk from the oppressive grip of the gangsters, Sanjuro sparks open war between the two sides in the hope that they will destroy each other. However, his plans are complicated by the arrival of Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), the younger brother of one of the gang leaders who prefers guns to swords and upsets the balance of power in the town. Finally, in the sequel 'Sanjuro' (1962), Sanjuro Tsubaki encounters a clan of samurai who have been betrayed by the local superintendent. They had intended to present a formal accusation of corruption within their clan but would have been crushed by the superintendent's men had Sanjuro not defended them. Sanjuro soon finds himself embroiled in a plot to kidnap the local chamberlain and facilitate a power grab by the superintendent, but jaded as he is, Sanjuro feels he must also object to the behaviour of his fellow samurai.