Eclipse Series 23: The First Films of Akira Kurosawa (Sanshiro Sugata / The Most Beautiful / Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two / The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) (The Criterion Collection)

Fascinating (and surprisingly masterful) first Kurosawa films made during WW II
This set serves a valuable service in providing Akira Kurosawa's first four films as a solo director (he had worked on a number of films as assistant director, even providing the screenplay for some of them). What is remarkable is how very good three of the four films are. They are also the four films that he made that were begun under the guardianship of the military censorship board (THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER'S TAIL was begun before the end of the war, but was largely shot after its end, making it one of the first films released after the end of military rule in Japan).

SUGATA SANSHIRO is an astonishing film, with Kurosawa showing a complete mastery of his craft from very nearly the first day he walked onto the set. Kurosawa was not a supporter of the Japanese military adventures abroad, but as he pointed out in his (almost) autobiography, he also did nothing to protest the agenda of the military. He was passively accepting of the status quo, happy when it came...

Kurosawa completists: are there any other kind?
Criterion's Eclipse series rises to the occasion once again after issuing several of the master's lesser-known works in the "Post-War Kurosawa" set. This time coming out with the director's first 4 films-all of which are very hard to come by in America, and all on DVD for the first time (if you don't count the giant "AK 100" box set from last year). While these early films might have a tough time competing with epics like "Seven Samurai" and "Ran", it's an important look at a master developing his craft. As even the "Post-War" set showed, Kurosawa very gradually changed and tried different things with every film and didn't always hit one out of the park (he followed up his breakthrough, "Rashoman" with the ill-fated adaptation of Dosteyevsky's "The Idiot", and even considered retiring after the intensely personal "Dodes-Ka-Den" flopped). As with most people who love Kurosawa, I can't wait for this set. And yes, you either love his films or you don't. But you could say that about...

you must see them
good dvd for an old movie
I bought for sanshiro sugata movie, my favorite
Historical japan, you must be interested in culture.

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