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Licensor Information
Toho Co.
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Featuring: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Kyoko Seki, Makoto Kobori, Kumeko Urabe, Yoshie Minami, Miki Odagiri, Kamatari Fujiwara
Considered by some to be Akira Kurosawa's greatest achievement, Ikiru presents the director at his most compassionate-affirming life through an exploration of a man's death. Takashi Shimura portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer forced to strip the veneer off his existence and find meaning in his final days. Told in two parts, Ikiru offers Watanabe's quest in the present, and then through a series of flashbacks. The result is a multifaceted look at a life through a prism of perspectives, resulting in a full portrait of a man who lacked understanding from others in life.
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Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Audio Options:
Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Documentary, Theatrical Trailer, Insert
- Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
- A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful Movies (2000), a ninety-minute documentary produced by Kurosawa Productions and featuring interviews with the director
- Documentary on Ikiru from 2003, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create, and featuring interviews with Akira Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami, writer Hideo Oguni, actor Takashi Shimura, and others
- Trailer
- Insert featuring an essay by Donald Richie
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Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Kim Hendrickson
Artwork: Eric Skillman
Release Notes on Restoration
Ikiru
Ikiru is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Sony Vialta telecine from a new 35 mm print. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24~bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.