A classic film for admirers of Japanese culture, history and martial arts
The content has been summarized by others. For the person who has not seen these films, the summary cannot convey the content of these 3 films.
In short, the story of perhaps the greatest master of Japanese sword skill ever, a historical/almost mythical figure from 1600 feudal Japan.
The 3 movies tell of his evolution from a young hot head with exceptional ability, to a master of both his martial art and of life from a Japanese Shinto perspective.
These films are full of Japanese culture and mentality.
The actors are spell binding.
The fight sceens are believable and of the highest standard. (No, the actors cannot walk up walls!!! and fly through the air!!!).
The story for me, was and is deeply moving.
Do not misunderstand, my insight and identification does not parallel that of the main character, but it is a story which has become part of me.
I do not know if this will appeal to every...
Regarding the films and the DVD transfer
While I don't think these films are quite up to the level of the other great Japanese samurai films of the 1950s (such as Sansho the Bailiff & Seven Samurai), the really great things about the Samurai Trilogy for me were in the marvelous use of natural surroundings, the attractive Japanese leading ladies, and above all being able to see Toshiro Mifune starring in color.
Regarding the DVD transfer, let me first say that I am a frugal guy who does not think that any DVD, however good the transfer, is ever worth 30 bucks. That said, I don't know what all the fuss is about over the image quality on these disks. The film was not released in widescreen so the full-screen image is correct. The only scenes which are perhaps too dark are in the end of the second film, because it was filmed that way originally! The VHS is even darker as far as I could tell. I have 20/40 vision, yet I had absolutely no problem reading the subtitles ever in any of the three films. The image...
Blu-ray: AMAZING transfer and picture
Blu-ray picture is simply amazing, especially considering this film is almost 60 yrs old. Many scenes are so crystal-clear and detailed you truly feel like you're actually there as an observer instead of watching a film. Detail is razor-sharp; you can see intricate fabric textures and very fine face details in closeup shots. In carefully-lit interior scenes, color is rich but not over-saturated; outdoor scenes are good but not quite as vibrant. Insert says "These new high-definition digital transfers were created on a Spirit Datacine from 35mm low-contrast prints struck from the original camera negatives." Also color fluctuations, scratches, splices, jitter, flicker, etc. were corrected.
Highly recommended - definitely a big step up from the DVD version.
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