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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 "A major, a minor, and other cool stuff" This is a strange boxset, really. The films included are not related, other than the fact that "Ran" and "Madadayo" are from Kurosawa's later period. However, I cannot help but think that these were bundled together with deliberate choice. Fans of Kurosawa will already own the Criterion DVDs. Fans of Kurosawa will be disappointed with the unsatisfactory "Ran" DVD, and would jump at the chance to own a better version. Myself, I was considering getting the documentary DVD although I would have tried a rental first. "Madadayo" is not one of his major movies, and I don't think I would have purchased it. Together, there is one film that I desperately must own (Ran - Masterworks Edition) packaged with another film (Madadayo) and a documentary (Kurosawa) that I wouldn't mind having, but may not have bought otherwise. Calculated marketing really, and I admit that I am sold. There are just enough fun extras to tip the scales towards a purchase and my order is in. (Hey, who wouldn't want a " Japanese-style miniature shoji screen and certificate of authenticity?") "From a collector's POV" As a collector who seeks value investments, this is an item I have already ordered (2 copies of) in anticipation of the investment growth potential. As a film buff, I have long awaited a high def anamorphic transfer of Ran, one of my fav films of all time. The low number of this Limited Edition run makes this an incredible buy, considering that the disks alone are likely valued at near or around [high amount] by themselves. Add to this the included collectibles (photos, poster, etc), and the decision to buy is a slam dunk for me. I saw the Kurosawa doc on PBS last month, and for Kurosawa fans it's a "must see" for sure. I had planned on buying the doc by itself, but then I saw this listing. Madadayo, Kurosawa's last film, may not be his best, but it totally worth owning.