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Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive) Directors: Ishirô Honda, Akira Kurosawa Number of Items: 3 Picture Format: Letterbox Format: Box set Studio: Wellspring Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2002-09-23 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 22 Average rating: 3.5 "Don't underestimate Madadayo" Outstanding! I new a remastered version of Ran was a must have, but I did not expect to enjoy Madadayo as much as I did. While I agree the packaging does not protect the disks well, I got lucky and had no damage. I wonder how they will handle this issue if they truly only made 5,000? "A Good Set, yet disappointing." I just got this set in the mail and am pleasantly surprised. Sure the fluff is nice but uneccesary. And the addition of Kurosawa is nice. But for eighty-four dollars couldn't more have been done with Madadayo, not just re-hash the old DVD for a collectors set. Better yet release a film that hasn't found its way to DVD yet, Perhaps Dreams, or Rhapsody in August. An even greater idea would have been to release this with Kagemusha a film I still await on DVD. But I must admit again that the fluff is nice, and the documentary is amazing. For an added bonus the documentary disc has commercials Kurosawa directed for Suntory whiskey hidden throughout the disc. I just wish something new had been added to this set. "Nice boxset but the packaging! Ugh!" I won't go on about the contents of this nice boxset as it has all been addressed already, but I thought I should add that upon receiving my shipment today I was dismayed to find all 3 discs rolling around free from their hubs! This poor packaging virtually guarantees damage to the DVDs...If it wasn't limited I would demand a replacement, but I'm not sending mine back and hope they still have one to replace it. The replacement would more than likely have the same loose DVD problem anyway. Boxset 4 stars, packaging (disc protection rated only) 0 stars. Disappointed. "Still a long way from satisfactory" This just to voice my opinion on the new RAN transfer. While I agree it is an improvement over the atrocious Fox Lorber edition (which is not that great an achievement considering the Fox Lorber DVD was one of the worst products in the history of home entertainment), this tranfer is still a long way from doing this masterpiece justice. Yes, the colors are vivid but the sharpness and definition are exceptionally poor and the heavy edge enhancement (straight from hell!) doesn't make it any better. I have seen transfers of movies that are some 30 or 40 years older than RAN but look far better. The problem becomes very obvious when one watches this DVD via progressive component output on a large screen - a video tape was used as a master (and a poor one at that). The only way to restore such an important movie properly and thereby finally showing Mr. Kurosawa the respect he deserves would have been to make a direct digital transfer off an original film negative, before applying filters or any enhancements. Why this opportunity was (again) wasted here escapes me totally and angers me very much. Another problem seems to be the excessive use of noise reduction on the video, which is in part responsible for the poor definition of the transfer. For my part, I would much sooner live with a bit of visible film grain and the odd dust speckle than to have a such a "saucy" soft picture without much "bite" and detail. There is no excuse for posting such an objectively false statement. And yes, the packaging is a liability - my DVDs must have been bobbing about in there all the way across the Atlantic and looked accordingly. Shocking. I would have gladly payed twice the price if they had kept all the cards and posters and instead got the most important thing right: the image quality of RAN. Like this, I'm very disappointed. "Wonderful set of Kurosawa movies" I purchased this box set as a way to dip my toes more deeply into the ocean that is Kurosawa's work. I own and love the Criterion "Seven Samurai" DVD, and so awaited this set with anticipation. It didn't disappoint! I think I'd seen "Ran," but it had been long enough that seeing it again it was like a new movie. The "Ran" DVD is stunning in all its restored splendor, and the story is emotionally gripping. Full of symbolism and compelling performances, I recommend this set for just this movie alone, but in addition, "Madadayo" and "Kurosawa" are both included. Neither is in anamorphic, but they are worthy additions to the set in any case. I'd never seen "Madadayo" and I'm happy to report it's a wonderful movie. It's a character study with a depth and personal warmth that radiates from the movie in waves. The performances are so natural and unassuming, you forget it's a fictional movie, and not a video journal of a real person. "Kurosawa" is an in-depth documentary on the man and his works. It's great stuff! Last, the only downside to the package is the packaging itself. The DVD's are not held on their spindles well at all. One of mine had fallen off ("Ran") but thankfully had not taken any damage. I wish they'd taken more care with that. The included booklet, screen, and postcards are a nice touch, but I'd have been happy with just the DVD's, frankly, and in a much simpler case. Still, overall I recommend this to film fans and especially Kurosawa fans.