Seven Samurai

[manicsounds]

BFI 4K UHD release of SEVEN SAMURAI on 21 October, with screenings at selected cinemas from 27 September, including a premiere event at BFI IMAX on 26 September

Full details are forthcoming.

[nicolas]

One of the greatest films of all time, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, and spawned remakes, most notably John Sturges’ acclaimed The Magnificent Seven.

When 16th-century farmers whose village is repeatedly attacked by merciless bandits ask an elderly, masterless samurai (Takashi Shimura) for help, offering nothing but food in return, he hesitantly agrees and assembles a band of warriors to defend and train the villagers. Boasting terrific performances (with Shimura and Toshiro Mifune – as a peasant masquerading as a samurai – particularly memorable), superb camerawork, and expertly mounted battle sequences, Seven Samurai is undoubtedly one of the greatest action movies ever made.

Newly restored by Toho in 4K, the BFI is delighted to release this all-time classic on UHD for the first time. Available as a limited edition 2-disc set with a book, a set of four postcards and a double-sided poster.

Extras

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 50 mins)
The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa's career and influence
Original trailer
BFI rerelease trailer
Double-sided poster featuring artwork by Matt Needle and the BFI’s poster designed for the film’s rerelease
A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the film
Updated and improved English subtitles
Other extras TBC


Happy about the HDR/DV grade! The Toho UHD was SDR.

[M-A]

Fake HDR like The Seventh Seal, perhaps?

[therewillbeblus]

Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin

Woah.. so assuming this looks better than what Criterion puts out, it's already looking like the clear winner of the rat race

[yoloswegmaster]

Fake HDR like The Seventh Seal, perhaps?

Was it fake HDR? I thought it was a legit grade that didn't really advance upon the SDR master. It looked like there were no major differences between the BFI and Crit releases aside from a few scenes.

[nicolas]

Fake HDR like The Seventh Seal, perhaps?

Was it fake HDR? I thought it was a legit grade that didn't really advance upon the SDR master. It looked like there were no major differences between the BFI and Crit releases aside from a few scenes.

I just checked my disc again and the Toho is actually SDR BT.2020. I thought this was just BT.70. I can imagine that BFI / FiM (I just assume David will do the encode) are preserving the 10-bit color space in a HDR/DV MEL container akin to Criterion and The Virgin Suicides. In a nutshell, I wouldn’t worry just yet and if it’s a re-grade I believe it’ll be gentle.

[MichaelB]

Has there been a BFI UHD release thus far that wasn't authored by David?

[nicolas]

Has there been a BFI UHD release thus far that wasn't authored by David?

From the ones I have only The Proposition comes to mind. Visual Data Media Services did that one and it looks fantastic.

[nicolas]

Seven Samurai is up at Rarewaves: https://www.rarewaves.com/products/5035 ... 0478272609

They currently have a 4.95€ discount FREESHIP but I’m not sure if it works for territories outside the EU as they specifically made this code for EU buyers to compensate for a shipping problem earlier this year.

[Finch]

Ben Stoddart mentioned on the BFI's FB group page that only Seven Samurai will get a 4K upgrade; the other films they have will be BD upgrades only. It makes sense for Ikiru and Stray Dog but no 4K for High and Low is a little bit disappointing.

[nicolas]

Ben Stoddart mentioned on the BFI's FB group page that only Seven Samurai will get a 4K upgrade; the other films they have will be BD upgrades only. It makes sense for Ikiru and Stray Dog but no 4K for High and Low is a little bit disappointing.

I agree. The High and Low Toho UHD looks very good even with the low-pass filtering they used, however the remastered sound in 4.0 is just stunning. I wouldn’t have an issue with Criterion being the only one to bring the film to 4K if it were the PQ alone but I’m not sure if they’d bother including the remastered mixes. I guess we’ll see with Seven Samurai and what they’re doing.

[manicsounds]

The 4.0 mix for High and Low is also on the Criterion DVD/BD release. It was originally mixed with surround as well as for mono.
For Seven Samurai, the surround mix was created for the DVD era, with Toho remastering the mono, and also adding effects and spacing out the track for 2.0 surround and 5.1. The Japanese UHD only contains the 2.0 surround and 2.0 mono mixes.
Criterion's reissue included both the surround and the mono mixes, but BFI and all other licensors have opted for just the original mono for their DVDs and Blu-rays over the years.
Not sure if BFI are using both tracks or keeping it with just mono only, as their press release doesn't state it, though full specs for the release is still "TBC".

[ryannichols7]

the BFI will probably get to Stray Dog and The Bad Sleep Well long before Criterion do (maybe I'll be wrong) - I've mentioned on the Facebook a few times that I really hope the late Ross Gibson's incredible track for the latter gets rescued by the BFI, they're far more likely to do it. these movies are two of Kurosawa's most underrated and both rank in my top 5 of his works...hoping we see them

I am totally okay with Criterion doing High and Low on UHD, that's my favorite and that's one I think they would actually prioritize upgrading. Seven Samurai will certainly be interesting to compare between Criterion and BFI - I'm curious whether Criterion do anything for their UHD or if it'll just be a PQ/AQ upgrade, otherwise it seems logical to just grab the BFI one

also, is this the only movie with a 180+ minute runtime that will have not one, but two solo commentary tracks? has to be a special distinction

[domino harvey]

The Criterion and Australian Blus of the Leopard feature different solo tracks (and the BFI has a third, but it has two commentators )

[Maltic]

The Madman DVD and the Eureka BD of Mabuse the Gambler have (who else?) Adrian Martin and David Kalat, respectively. Both parts 1 and 2, which is, like, 4.5 hrs in total, though I don't know wheather they take some long breaks.

I actually listened through two tracks for The Leopard last year, and the Rolando Caputo (Madman) track was even better than the Forgacs/Capitano (BFI) one, and Forgacs is one of my favourites. Very high standards Madman had, even beyond Adrian M.

Maybe I should take a weekend off when the BFI Seven Samurai comes out, and do Madman/Criterion/BFI.

[Orlac]

The Madman DVD and the Eureka BD of Mabuse the Gambler have (who else?) Adrian Martin and David Kalat, respectively. Both parts 1 and 2, which is, like, 4.5 hrs in total, though I don't know wheather they take some long breaks.

Kalat is non-stop on his - truly a great commentary!

[TechnicolorAcid]

Maybe I should take a weekend off when the BFI Seven Samurai comes out, and do Madman/Criterion/BFI.

If you do plan on listening to a Criterion commentary please do the group commentary, genuinely the most fascinating one I’ve ever listened to.

[Maltic]

Two audio commentaries: one by film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie

Truly an all star lineup of Japanophiles.

the other by Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck

Is that from the CC laserdisc originally? I remember the one he did for Throne of Blood.

Anyway, it seem we have 3 solo and 1 group for Seven Samurai.

[Maltic]

Kalat is non-stop on his - truly a great commentary!

I can imagine. I like him, but I think I'd have to listen to this while doing other things, rather than watching the film. He usually goes off on tangents and I can't keep focus on the film at the same time, at least not for 4.5 hours.

[What A Disgrace]

Full specs:

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• Philip Kemp selected scenes commentary (1999, 20 mins): film critic and writer Philip Kemp analyses key scenes from the film. Recorded for the BFI's 1999 DVD release.
• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 50 mins)
• The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa's career and influence
• My Life in Cinema (1993, 114 mins): a conversation between filmmakers Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan in 1993 - the two legendary directors discuss Kurosawa's life, career and legacy
• Original trailer
• 2024 restoration trailer
• Image gallery
• Double-sided poster featuring artwork by Matt Needle and the BFI’s poster designed for the film’s rerelease
• A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
• Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the film by Tony Rayns, Cristina Álvarez López, Charlie Brigden, James-Masaki Ryan and Philip Kemp. Also includes original reviews by Gavin Lambert and director Tony Richardson.
• Updated and improved English subtitles

[Finch]

Their Facebook page says this is getting delayed to mid November.

[therewillbeblus]

To be more specific, Nov 18 is what shows up on BFI's website

[ryannichols7]

gonna put this and MOC's Feuillade box in a "hotly awaited, but delayed for perfection purposes" order from Orbit now

[therewillbeblus]

gonna put this and MOC's Feuillade box in a "hotly awaited, but delayed for perfection purposes" order from Orbit now

Luckily they were already coupled in the same order for me. Poor Adela's starving for her Supper though

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

SEVEN SAMURAI
A film by Akira Kurosawa

Released on Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray on 18 November 2024 (2-disc sets) (previously listed as 21 October)

See the new trailer here

Their village raided every year by vicious bandits, a group of peasants hire seven masterless samurai to protect them. Initially met with suspicion, the warriors resolve to gain the trust of the villagers and prepare them to face their enemy. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the greatest films of all time, and has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg while spawning remakes such as John Sturges’ acclaimed The Magnificent Seven. Endlessly copied but never surpassed, Seven Samurai is a truly timeless classic.

Released by the BFI on 18 November in Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray presentations, each release contains identical special features including an audio commentary by Adrian Martin, Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai – from the Toho Masterworks series, My Life in Cinema (1993), a set of four postcards, an 80-page book and more.

NB. The special features in the UHD set are presented on a Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray discs are region B.

Special features
• UHD: Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Blu-ray: Restored in 4K and presented in High Definition
• Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 49 mins): part of the Toho Masterworks series featuring interviews with Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami, writer Shinobu Hashimoto, actors Seiji Miyaguchi and Yoshio Tsuchiya, and others
• Philip Kemp’s selected scenes commentary (1999, 20 mins): the film critic and writer analyses key scenes, recorded for the BFI’s 1999 DVD release
• The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns on Kurosawa’s career and influence
• My Life in Cinema (1993, 116 mins): Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima discuss Kurosawa’s life, career and legacy, filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan
• Original theatrical trailer
• Restoration trailer (2024)
• Image gallery
• Set of four postcards depicting iconic images from the film
• 80-page book with new essays by Tony Rayns, Cristina Álvarez López, Charlie Brigden and James-Masaki Ryan, plus writing by Philip Kemp and Jasper Sharp, and contemporary reviews by Gavin Lambert and director Tony Richardson

Product details – UHD
RRP: £34.99 / Cat. no. BFIB00010 / PG
Japan / 1954 / black and white / 207 mins / Japanese language with English subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.37:1 // Disc 1: UHD100: 2160p, 23.98fps, DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) // Disc 2: BD50: 1080i, 29.97fps, LPCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/16-bit)

Product details – Blu-ray
RRP: £29.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1526 / PG
Japan / 1954 / black and white / 207 mins / Japanese language with English subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.37:1 // Disc 1: BD50: 1080p, 23.98fps, DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) // Disc 2: BD50: 1080i, 29.97fps, LPCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/16-bit)