The Criterion Collection

Yojimbo & Sanjuro

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Release Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Country of Release: USA
MSRP: $69.95

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Yojimbo | Sanjuro

Licensor Information

Toho Co.

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Featuring: Toshiro Mifune, Eijiro Tono, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kamatari Fujiwara, Keiju Kobayashi, Takashi Shimura, Yuzo Kayama, Seizaburo Kawazu, Reiko Dan, Isuzu Yamada, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Takako Irie, Kyu Sazanka, Yanosuke Ito, Daisuke Kato, Ikio Sawamura, Ko Nishimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Toko Tsukasa, Susumu Fujita

Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa’s oeuvre, Yojimbo surpassed even Seven Samurai in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai Sanjuro, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, Sanjuro matches Yojimbo’s storytelling dexterity yet adds layers of world-weary pragmatism that brings the two films to a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion. Criterion is proud to present these Kurosawa masterworks in new, high-definition digital transfers.

Year: 1961 | 1962
Time: 110 | 96 min.

Details by Film

Yojimbo

Year: 1961

Time: 110

Aspect Ratios

2.35:1

Audio

Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0

Japanese Dolby Digital Stereo 3.0

Streaming Options

Stream

HBO Max Amazon Channel

Rent

Buy

Free

Popularity

Last 24 Hours

#3175 1258

Last 7 Days

#1787 193

Last 30 Days

#1636 17014

Sanjuro

Year: 1962

Time: 96

Aspect Ratios

2.35:1

Audio

Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0

Japanese Dolby Digital Stereo 3.0

Streaming Options

Stream

Rent

Buy

Popularity

Last 24 Hours

#31111 27777

Last 7 Days

#24046 16098

Last 30 Days

#24127 19154

Release Information:

Technical Specifications

Format:

DVD

Discs:

DVD-9 (2 Discs)

Total: 2 Discs

Regions:

1 (DVD)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35:1

Audio Options:

Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0

Japanese Dolby Digital Stereo 3.0

Resolution:

480p/29.97

Subtitles:

English

Supplements

Types of Supplements Included:

Audio commentary by film historian and Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
Audio commentary by film historian and Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
A 45-minute documentary on the making of Yojimbo, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create, featuring Akira Kurosawa, actor Tatsuya Nakadai, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, and longtime Kurosawa collaborator Teruyo Nogami
A 35-minute documentary on the making of Sanjuro, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create, featuring Akira Kurosawa, actor Tatsuya Nakadai, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, and longtime Kurosawa collaborator Teruyo Nogami
Theatrical teaser and trailer
Theatrical teaser and trailer
Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos
Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos
A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Alexander Sesonske and comments from Akira Kurosawa and his cast and crew
A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Michael Sragow and comments from Akira Kurosawa and his cast and crew

Forum Member Statistics

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Yojimbo

8.8788/10

Sanjuro

7.9200/10

Picture

Audio

Supplements

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Release Notes on Restoration

Yojimbo

Yojimbo is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive made from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS systen and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack. The restored Perspecta Stereophonic Sound was decoded through a Perspecta decoder and reencoded as a Dolby 3.0 soundtrack. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation.

Sanjuro

Sanjuro is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive made from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS systen and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack. The restored Perspecta Stereophonic Sound was decoded through a Perspecta decoder and reencoded as a Dolby 3.0 soundtrack. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation.