2 Seven Samurai

[GringoTex]

"Slightly window-boxed"?

I get paid very good money to wordsmith for a meaningless government contractor, but I think I would be much happier to do the same for a grand company like Criterion, even at a pay cut. Can I get some references from you guys?

[Jimaku]

I have it on good authority that the Linda Hoaglund translation has been extensively revised and shorn of many of its excesses. This release is too important to let it get hijacked by one person's eccentricities.

[FilmFanSea]

That makes good sense, especially if they're not offering a second translation. Thanks for that news--it should allay some fears around here.

[a.khan]

Don't hate me for this question (I'm new, copyright 2006).

How does this 3-disc release of "The Seven Samurai" play in the grand scheme of the fall 2006 Kurosawa boxset?

Thanks, guys.

[arsonfilms]

I think we're all sort of wondering the same thing. Yojimbo and Sanjuro are expected by year's end, but no official word yet. October is being theorized, but it is just a theory. My hope is that a box will be announced before Seven Samouri become available, which will make it a lot easier to hold out for it...

[Gordon]

Well, that's the most surprising, "About the Transfer" I have ever seen from Criterion. A 4.0 stereo track?! Now we know why this project has taken so long. And it makes no mention of the film being spread over two DVD-9s and the video-based extras total over 3 hours. Glad to hear that the Hoaglund subtitles will be depersonalized. It all sounds great, but with a few niggling doubts, it seems.

[Matango]

Glad to hear that the Hoaglund subtitles will be depersonalized.

Me too, best news I've had this weekend. Just what we don't need..a subtitler with an agenda.

[FilmFanSea]

Dear Brian,

Our Seven Samurai re-release will most likely only contain the Hoagland subtitles. However, we have been steadily improving the subtitles which were used in the touring prints. We feel that you will agree that the subtitles which make it onto the re-release will be a significant improvement over the ones featured on the initial release.

I hope this helps, and please feel free to contact us with any future questions or concerns.

Best,

Matt Lipson

The Criterion Collection

So, take that all you little piss-pants!

[Gordon]

Hoegland

Oh, my hoe-gland has been playing up, lately. Must be the heat.

Good news on the subtitles. The proof will be in the pudding, though.

[nredding2]

I just saw the latest Janus print of Seven Samurai with the Hoaglund subtitles in a movie theatre. The print itself is superb, even when sitting near the front of a movie theatre.

The Mifune character swears a fair bit ("fuck" and 'shit"), but I certainly didn't find it excessive or distracting.

[Matango]

Distracting or not, I still find it unnecessary and very much doubt that such language would translate directly from the 1950s original screenplay. Japan even today is quite conservative as regards expletives as compared to the western world (in my experience, that is, I don't speak Japanese). Bringing currency to a translation is one thing, but can you see Clark Gable telling Vivien Leigh that "Frankly my dear, I don't give a shit" ?

[Matango]

Just to follow up. This might not be the most academic of cites, but according to the author of Lonely Planet's Japan phrasebook, who is Japanese and apparently holds a BA in linguistics:

“Bad language is not infused into the Japanese language to the degree that it occurs in English. In addition, swear words are less colourful than those in English. The words below can have a far greater impact than they might have in English, and care must be taken when using them.â€

[Jimaku]

The Japanese original is full of swear words. I don't know if any of it reaches the level of "fuck" on the offensiveness meter (though I think it often comes close when the tensions are running high), but the word "kuso," which is a perfect, literal equivalent of "shit," can be heard numerous times. Mifune's character, especially, swears like the proverbial truck driver. In general, there's much, much more swearing in Kurosawa's screenplays than in Ozu's or Mizoguchi's.

The Japanese are not the prudish tightasses that a lot of Westerners think they are. And the 1950s in Japan were not like the 1950s in America, i.e. "Leave it to Beaver"--they were a very dynamic time of rebuilding, social strife, and intense creativity.

[BWilson]

In the CC commentary Jeck talks about profanity and translates the frequent use of a particular explative to the english "bastard". He remarks that the subtitles do not reflect this language. In '50s Japan you could have bad language in a film, but not in '50s America. Translations of 7 Samurai have never acurately reflected the bad language. The Hoegland track is excellent. I saw it in repertory in 2002.

[blindside8zao]

Where did the news of a Kurosawa box set come from? Is there a separate discussion thread somewhere? If not, does anyone for sure about any titles that will be included, or at least the types? Will it maybe have younger spine titles? Newer?

[Schkura]

"News" of a Kurosawa box is pure speculation. If Criterion does have one headed down the pike, I would assume it would follow the trend set by their previous compilations and the original spine numbers will be used.

[kinjitsu]

"News" of a Kurosawa box is pure speculation. If Criterion does have one headed down the pike, I would assume it would follow the trend set by their previous compilations and the original spine numbers will be used.

Mentioned here and here as forthcoming in a Criterion DVD newsletter, so it's reasonable to assume that the Four Samurai Classics box will be repackaged once Seven Samurai, Sanjuro and Yojimbo are re-released. Criterion discontinued all of these earlier this year.

[arsonfilms]

Has anyone asked our good friend Mr. Lipson about this? It'd be nice to know as a certainty before we all fork out for the new remastered Seven Samurai.

[Schkura]

Yeah, I read those posts, kinji. I just find it unlikely that Yojimbo/Sanjuro will be ready by the fall since we've got announcements clear through October. And say Criterion does pull it off-- we get what? Lush Seven Samurai 3-discer, anamorphic Yojimbo and Sanjuro, and... The Hidden Fortress? I'm not waiting for jack (no samurai pun intended) to pick up Seven Samurai. It'll be the first DVD I've bought in months and well worth it.

[kinjitsu]

Far be it from me to give Four Samurai Classics a time frame. I know better than that.

[HerrSchreck]

I always thought THE HIDDEN FORTRESS was one of the better earlier AK discs -- progressive, restored... from Beev:

This is a fantastic image - one of Criterion's best I would say. Very sharp with excellent contrast and the overall image is bright. Criterion used a pristine interpositive for this new hi-def transfer and it shows. This whole DVD is a treat with the an optional Dolby Digital 3.0 soundtrack preserving the original Perspect-A-Sound with simulated-stereo effects, as well as inclusion of the original mono. No commentary, but an 8 minute interview with George Lucas talking about Kurosawa's influence. For Kurosawa fans this is a real lock-it-in-the-vault-at-night keeper.

And it is anamorphic.

[Schkura]

Far be it from me to give Four Samurai Classics a time frame. I know better than that.

Oh, I know you wouldn't. But the posts you referenced did.

And I didn't mean to slam Hidden Fortress. I like the film and its presentation very much. I'm assuming that Criterion will not merely clean up Yojimbo and Sanjuro with the rerelease, but beef up the extras a bit, too-- the original discs were sooo bare. This would leave leave Fortress with a great picture and Lucas's great hydrocephalic head-- if anything, HS, much less love than it deserves within the context of a boxed set. Seven Samurai at 3 discs takes up half the box!

[kinjitsu]

I'm assuming that Criterion will not merely clean up Yojimbo and Sanjuro with the rerelease, but beef up the extras a bit, too-- the original discs were sooo bare. This would leave leave Fortress with a great picture and Lucas's great hydrocephalic head-- if anything, HS, much less love than it deserves within the context of a boxed set.

No, not just cleaned up and anamorphic, but we might expect the corresponding segments of It is Wonderful to Create and maybe another interview with Nakadai, etc. As for Hidden Fortress, I could have done without Mr. Lucas and would have preferred more AK but I guess they hadn't yet picked up the rights to IIWTC.

In any event (and getting back on topic), the new Seven Samurai should keep us happy for a while.

[Gigi M.]

First review posted at DVD Movie Central:

Video ****

Criterion's remastered Seven Samurai is a beauty to behold. The print looks cleaner than ever before, with more contrast and sharpness than you've ever seen. The black and white photography is crisp and clear, with good use of a wide range of grayscale, and thankfully, images are sharp throughout, which allow you to appreciate Kurosawa's masterful use of deep focus photography. Simply superb!

[Narshty]

I can see Criterion looking at that review and thinking "Yep, money and effort well spent there". Stop, Michael, you're killing me with your exhaustive coverage.