The Samurai Trilogy – Criterion Collection – Blu-Ray

The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring the inimitable Toshiro Mifune, was one of Japan’s most successful exports of the 1950s, a rousing, emotionally gripping tale of combat and self-discovery. Based on a novel that’s often called Japan’s Gone with the Wind, this sweeping saga fictionalizes the life of the legendary seventeenth-century swordsman (and writer and artist) Musashi Miyamoto, following him on his path from unruly youth to enlightened warrior. With these three films - 1954’s Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955’s Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956’s Duel at Ganryu Island - Inagaki created a passionate epic that’s equal parts tender love story and bloody action.

Special Features
New High-Definition Digital Restorations Of All Three Films, With Uncompressed Monaural Soundtracks, New Interviews With Translator And Historian William Scott Wilson About The Real-Life Musashi Miyamoto, The Inspiration For The Hero Of The Films, Trailers, New English Subtitle Translations, Plus: A Booklet Featuring Essays By Film Historian Stephen Prince And Wilson