Episode Details

This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 23: The First Films of Akira Kurosawa.

About the films:

Years before Akira Kurosawa changed the face of cinema with such iconic works as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, he made his start in the Japanese film industry with four popular and exceptional works, created as World War II raged. All gripping dramas, those rare first films—Sanshiro Sugata; The Most Beautiful; Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two; and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail—are collected here and include a two-part martial arts saga, a portrait of female volunteers helping the war effort, and a kabuki-derived tale of deception. These captivating films are a glorious introduction to a peerless career.

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Timeline for the podcast:

Introduction/News/Background (00:00:01 – 00:16:23)

Sanshiro Sugata (00:16:24 – 00:36:45)

Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two (00:36:46 – 00:55:00)

The Most Beautiful (00:55:01 – 01:15:39)

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (01:15:40 – 01:34:19)

Conclusion (01:34:20 – 01:39:08)

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EPISODE LINKS

Director Overview:

• Akira Kurosawa page on Senses of Cinema by Dan Harper
• Encyclopedia Brittanica article on Kurosawa by Tadao Sato

Box Set Reviews:

• Criterion Cast review by David Blakeslee
• DVD Verdict review by Dan Mancini

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