Toshiro Mifune
Series
Criterion collection volume 116
Language
English
Description
A princess must escape across enemy lines with the royal treasure, guarded only by a loyal general and two greedy peasants.
Series
Language
English
Description
A 16th century Japanese farming community has been victimized by bandits, year afer year. Desperate to find some means of ending the terror, the villagers hire seven unemployed samurai to help defend them. Film formed the basis of The Magnificent Seven and Battle beyond the Stars.
Series
Criterion collection volume 14
Language
日本語
Description
Legendary seventeenth-century samurai Musashi Miyamoto begins his quest for military glory. His dream ends in defeat, but the love of a woman and the cunning of a Buddhist priest set him on the samurai path.
6) Yojimbo
Series
Criterion collection volume 52
Language
English
Description
Two warring clans vying for power bid for the services of a wandering samurai-for-hire.
Series
Criterion collection volume 319
Language
日本語
Description
A young executive hunts down his father's killer. A tale about corruption in the boardrooms of postwar corporate Japan as seen through the rising executive eyes.
Series
Criterion collection volume 190
Language
日本語
Description
A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, directed by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), sets Shakespeare's definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. The film fuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh Theater to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Series
Criterion collection volume 190
Language
日本語
Description
Adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in feudal Japan. Tells the story of a Samurai lord who kills his master and usurps his power in fulfillment of a witch's prophecy.
12) The challenge
Series
Language
English
Description
Adventure film involving the return of a lost 13th Samauri sword to Japan.
13) Red Beard
Series
Language
日本語
Description
Epic medical saga in which an arrogant young doctor learns the true challenge of fighting for good in an evil world.
Series
Language
日本語
Description
A bad day gets worse for rookie detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo's sweltering streets for the thief, whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, the cop and the criminal's lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami's own dark side.
Series
Criterion collection volume 310
Language
日本語
Description
A clan lord orders an aging swordsman to have his son marry the lord's mistress, but reverses his decision after the young couple falls in love.
16) Grand Prix
Language
English
Description
Nine races. One champion. Formula One drivers compete to be the best in this tale of speed, spectacle, and intertwined personal lives.
Series
Criterion collection volume 16
Language
日本語
Description
In this third and last installment of the Samurai trilogy, the main character continues his quest for enlightenment, but turns his back on the world in disillusionment. Forced to fight again, he eventually comes face to face with his arch rival and long time enemy in a final showdown. This release includes the original theatrical trailer.
18) 1941
Language
English
Description
This zany comedy spectacular from Steven Spielberg is set in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor when the fear of a Japanese invasion threw the city into a state of pandemonium.
Series
Criterion collection volume 239
Language
Multiple
Description
Les bas-fonds (93 min.): A Baron, forced by circumstances, gives up his life of luxury and to takes up residence in the slums of Paris. The Baron observes the frustrated romance between Wasska Pepel and Natacha, the thwarted dreams of an actor, and the oppressive cruelties of landlord Kostileff.
Donzoko (125 min.): Sutekichi, a vulgar, comical thief takes up residence in a slum flophouse inhabited by many eccentric, destitute people. Osugi, the cruel...
Series
Criterion collection volume 280
Language
日本語
Description
This is the thrilling tale of a man who chooses to devote his life to evil. A gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, Ryunosuke (Nakadai) kills without remorse, without mercy. It is a way of life that ultimately leads to madness.