"Actor: Toshiro Mifune"

• Seven Samurai (60th Anniversary Edition) (DVD) | DVD | (21/04/2014) from £18.75   |  Saving you £1.24 (6.61%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the greatest films ever made Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, and spawned remakes, such as John Sturges' acclaimed The Magnificent Seven. With their village raided every year by vicious bandits, a group of peasants hire seven warriors to protect them. Initially met with suspicion, the warriors eventually gain the trust of the peasants and they join forces to face the bandits. Newly re-mastered on DVD, this 60th anniversary special edition includes alternative presentations of the film, a new and exclusive interview with Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns, and the film's original Japanese trailer. Endlessly copied but never surpassed, Seven Samurai is a truly timeless classic Newly re-mastered High Definition transfer Play with or without original intermission Original Japanese theatrical trailer The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 48 mins): Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa'a career and influence Fully illustrated booklet with essays and credits

• Yojimbo & Sanjuro (2 Blu-ray Set) | Blu Ray | (17/03/2025) from £24.97   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  YojimboLike Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo was Kurosawa's tribute to the widescreen action Westerns of John Ford and was itself remade as a Western by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Played by the great Toshiro Mifune, the film's enigmatic samurai is a scruffy and itinerant warrior who wanders into a strange town and right into the middle of a war between two clans. Showing his skills with the sword within minutes of his arrival, he soon has the town's rival factions competing for his services.Kurosawa's genius for storytelling combines with thrilling swordplay, a healthy dose of black humour, a soundtrack every bit as atmospheric and amusing as Ennio Morricone's, and a towering performance from Mifune, to make Yojimbo an irresistible widescreen action adventure.SanjuroIn response to the huge critical and commercial success of Yojimbo, Kurosawa and Mifune re-teamed a year later to make Sanjuro, a hilarious comedy of manners altogether more light-hearted than its predecessor.The story has Sanjuro (Mifune) running lazy rings around nine naïve and clean-cut samurai and two genteel ladies, whilst also cleaning up a spot of corruption in local government. Whilst Kurosawa plays most of it for laughs, expertly parodying the conventions of Japanese period action films, he stages a startling switch of mood with an intense finale which may well be the briefest, and most breathtaking duel in all cinema.Extras¢ Newly restored in 4K and presented in High Definition¢ Newly recorded interview with Jasper Sharp (2024)¢ Audio commentary on Yojimbo by film critic Philip Kemp¢ Introduction to Sanjuro by filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 5 mins)¢ Interview with filmmaker Alex Cox (2003, 9 mins)¢ Original trailers for both films¢ **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new and archival essays on both films, original reviews and full film credits¢ Other extras TBC

• Midway (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (25/10/2021) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Recreating the famous sea battle between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy, Midway finds director Jack Smight (Airport 1975) confidently handling epic battle scenes and a stellar cast which includes Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Wagner. Midway is presented here with a wealth of extras. Special Features: High Definition remaster Original mono and 2.1 Sensurround audio tracks Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021) The Guardian Interview with Robert Wagner (1983): archival audio recording of the film and TV star in conversation with Joan Bakewell at the National Film Theatre, London They Were There! (1976): Charlton Heston presents this archival documentary featuring interviews with three combatants who survived the battle The Making of ˜Midway' (2001): documentary short looking at the film's production Sensurround: The Sounds of ˜Midway' (2001): a look at the film's use of the Sensurround audio system The Score of ˜Midway' (2001): film composer John Williams discusses his work on the film Selected scenes from the extended TV version The Battle of ˜Midway' (1942): Oscar-winning documentary directed by John Ford relaying the battle with footage shot by Navy cameramen New video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher on John Ford's acclaimed documentary Super 8 version: original cut-down home-cinema presentation Original theatrical trailer TV spots Radio spot Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, archival articles on the film and the events that inspired it, an overview of critical responses, and film credits Limited edition of 3,000 copies All extras subject to change

• Grand Prix (2 Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  All the glamour and greatness of the world's most exciting drama of speed and spectacle! Nine races. One champion. James Garner Yves Montand Brian Bedford and Antonio Sabato portray Formula 1 drivers competing to be the best in this slam-you-into-the-driver's seat tale of speed spectacle and intertwined personal lives. Eva Marie Saint and Toshiro Mifune also star. John Frankenheimer (who 32 years later would again stomp the pedal to the metal for the car chases of Ronin) directs this winner of 3 Academy Awards crafting split-screen images to capture the overlapping drama and orchestrating you-are-there POV camerawork to intensify the hard-driving thrills. Nearly 30 top drivers take part in the excitement so buckle up movie fans. Race with the best to the head of the pack.

• 1941 | DVD | (01/03/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  An utterly wild comedy epic directed by Steven Spielberg and nominated for three Academy Awards. Lavish effects sequences highlight this hilarious all star extravaganza set in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor when fear of a Japanese Invasion threw the city into a state of Pandemonium. Screwball characters run wild on Hollywood Boulevard as manic servicemen zealous store owners teary-eyed girls and bickering Nazis are thrown together in this fast-rising comic souffl that even features a sendup of Spielberg's own Jaws opening.

• Kurosawa: Classic Collection | DVD | (24/10/2011) from £36.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (35.14%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Akira Kurosawa, one of the cinema's greatest auteurs, has wowed audiences and inspired filmmakers as diverse as George Lucas and Sergio Leone. This essential 5-disc box set brings together five of his most profound masterpieces exploring the many complexities of life. Included here is the beautifully nuanced Ikiru (1952); the nuclear threat themed drama I Live in Fear (1949); the humane masterpiece Red Beard (1965); the acclaimed Maxim Gorky adaptation The Lower Depths (1957); and Kurosawa's acclaimed first colour film Dodes Ka-den (1970).

• The Hidden Fortress (DVD) | DVD | (12/06/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In one of the many classic collaborations between director Akira Kurosawa and his leading man Toshirô Mifune, this 1958 film tells the story of a warrior and a princess trying against all odds to return to their homeland with their fortune. Along the way, they are simultaneously assisted and thwarted by two itinerant and not-too-bright farmers with their own designs on the treasure, giving the story a subtle comic bent. Acknowledged by George Lucas as the inspiration for Star Wars (note the similarities, especially the comic duo who are the models for R2D2 and C3PO), Hidden Fortress combines an epic tale of struggle and honour with modern comic sensibilities, creating a masterful addition to world cinema. --Robert Lane, Amazon.com

• Red Sun (Cult Classics) SteelBook | Blu Ray | (09/09/2024) from £31.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Billed as the first East meets West Western, and directed by Terence Young, RED SUN is based on a true story from the American Wild West of 1870. When outlaw Link (Charles Bronson) is betrayed by his gang during a train robbery, he is forced by the Japanese Ambassador to help regain a priceless sword stolen by Link's double-crossing partner Gauche (Alain Delon). Link and the Ambassador's bodyguard, Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune), travel the West in pursuit of Gauche, attempting to lure him out by taking his girlfriend (Ursula Andress) as hostage. Although Kuroda plans to kill Gauche straight away, Link needs him alive to find the loot from their last robbery. Joined in an uneasy alliance, they have only seven days to find Gauche or Kuroda must follow his samurai code of honour and die by his own sword. EXTRAS: On the set of Red Sun - Extract from Pour le cinéma (Director: Pierre Mignot © INA 1971)NEW Interview with Steven Okazaki Original Trailer

• Samurai Trilogy | Blu Ray | (05/09/2016) from £33.98   |  Saving you £16.00 (50.02%)   |  RRP £47.99

  The Samurai Trilogy, directed by HIROSHI INAGAKI (The Rickshaw Man) and starring the inimitable TOSHIRO MIFUNE (Seven Samurai), 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 films1954's Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955's Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956's Duel at Ganryu IslandInagaki created a passionate epic that's equal parts tender love story and bloody action. SPECIAL EDITION 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 Click Images to Enlarge

• Rashomon (DVD) | DVD | (21/09/2015) from £18.38   |  Saving you £3.37 (20.28%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa is more than a classic: it's a cinematic archetype that has served as a template for many a film since. (Rashomon's most direct influence was on a Western remake, The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and directed by Martin Ritt.) In essence, the facts surrounding a rape and murder are told from four different and contradictory points of view, suggesting the nature of truth is something less than absolute. The cast, headed by Kurosawa's favourite actor, Toshiro Mifune, is superb. --Tom Keogh

• Yojimbo (DVD) | DVD | (12/06/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This semi-comic 1961 film by legendary director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Ran) was inspired by the American Western genre. Kurosawa mainstay Toshirô Mifune (Seven Samurai) is cast as a drifting samurai for hire who plays both ends against the middle with two warring factions, surviving on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck. Eventually the samurai seeks to eliminate both sides for his own gain and to define his own sense of honour. Yojimbo is striking for its unorthodox treatment of violence and morality, reserving judgment on the actions of its main character and instead presenting an entertaining tale with humour and much visual excitement. One of the inspirations for the "spaghetti westerns" of director Sergio Leone and later surfacing as a remake as Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis, this film offers insight into a director who influenced American films even as he was influenced by them. --Robert Lane, Amazon.com

• Red Sun | Blu Ray | (19/10/2015) from £12.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (76.98%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Billed as the first East meets West Western, and directed by Terence Young, RED SUN is based on a true story from the American Wild West of 1870, when paths cross for an outlaw (Charles Bronson, The Dirty Dozen), a gunfighter (Alain Delon, Le Samourai), a prostitute (Ursula Andress, Dr No) and a Samurai warrior (Toshiro Mifune, Rashomon). Bronson plays Link, a train robber forced by the Japanese Ambassador to help regain a priceless sword stolen by Link’s double crossing partner Gauche (Delon). Accompanied by Kuroda (Mifune), the Ambassador’s bodyguard, he travels the West in pursuit, along the way stopping in a brothel to pick up Gauche’s girlfriend (Andress) as hostage. Kuroda plans to kill Gauche straight away with the sword itself, to redeem his honour, but Link needs him alive to find the loot from their last robbery. Joined uneasily together with a common goal they have only seven days to find Gauche or Kuroda must die by his own sword.

• Red Sun | DVD | (07/06/2010) from £10.22   |  Saving you £5.77 (56.46%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It is the 19th century and two criminals Link and Gotch have a falling out after robbing a train. As a result Gotch not only takes off with the money but with a priceless golden sword owned by a Samurai passenger Kuroda. Despite their cultural differences and initial hostility Kuroda and Link pair up to find Gotch. The vengeful duo eventually track him down - only to find that a violent twist of events will change their lives forever...

• Red Sun (Cult Classics) | DVD | (09/09/2024) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Hell In The Pacific | DVD | (27/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It is 1944 and the war in the Pacific is at its height. On a small deserted Pacific island a Japanese naval officer and U.S. naval pilot find themselves marooned. The two men are bitter wartime enemies but now stranded and with no one else to help them will they decide to fight each other to the death or work together for survival? As adversaries can their mutual hatred suspicion and mistrust be overcome and can humanity survive under such extreme conditions?

• Red Sun | DVD | (19/10/2015) from £9.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (80.08%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Billed as the first East meets West Western, and directed by Terence Young, RED SUN is based on a true story from the American Wild West of 1870, when paths cross for an outlaw (Charles Bronson, The Dirty Dozen), a gunfighter (Alain Delon, Le Samourai), a prostitute (Ursula Andress, Dr No) and a Samurai warrior (Toshiro Mifune, Rashomon). Bronson plays Link, a train robber forced by the Japanese Ambassador to help regain a priceless sword stolen by Link’s double crossing partner Gauche (Delon). Accompanied by Kuroda (Mifune), the Ambassador’s bodyguard, he travels the West in pursuit, along the way stopping in a brothel to pick up Gauche’s girlfriend (Andress) as hostage. Kuroda plans to kill Gauche straight away with the sword itself, to redeem his honour, but Link needs him alive to find the loot from their last robbery. Joined uneasily together with a common goal they have only seven days to find Gauche or Kuroda must die by his own sword.

• Criterion Collection: Yojimbo & Sanjuro | Blu Ray | (23/03/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Silent Duel | DVD | (22/10/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This 1949 rarely-seen masterpiece from legendary director Akira Kurosawa has never-before been released in the UK. During a life-saving operation young army surgeon Fujisaki (Mifune) contracts syphilis from a patient a disease virtually incurable in 1940's Japan and is forced to abandon his own true love. Based on an acclaimed play by Kazuo Nikuta The Silent Duel marked the second of numerous collaborations between the director and leading man Toshiro Mifune.

• Seven Samuari (Blu-ray Steelbook) | Blu Ray | (21/04/2014) from £21.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (-10.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Limited Edition Steelbook - includes debossed title treatment. In sixteenth-century Japan a poor village is raided every year by a group of bandits until, driven to the brink of starvation, the villagers decide to hire professional warriors to protect them. With only three meagre meals a day to offer as payment, their quest seems an impossible one. Kurosawa's masterpiece testifies to his admiration for the classic Western, and in 1960 John Sturges repaid the compliments by remaking Seven Samurai as The Magnificent Seven.

• Criterion Collection: Yojimbo | Blu Ray | (23/03/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A