Akira Kurosawa - Masterpiece Collection Box 2 (Blu-ray)

Box set with six digitally restored masterpieces by Akira Kurosawa

Following the success of the first Kurosawa box set, which focused on the master director's samurai epics, box set no. 2 is now available. This one is also packed with nothing but masterpieces in digitally restored condition.

Ran (1985) In 16th-century Japan, Hidetora Ichimonji is one of the most powerful clan leaders. A position he has achieved through plunder and murder. Now he is old and hands over power to his sons Taro, Jiro, and Sabura. He hopes this will put an end to the violence. But instead, the opposite happens? Kurosawa's last truly grand film, based on Shakespeare's "King Lear," was by far the most expensive film in Japanese history in 1985. Winner of an Oscar (Best Costume Design) and nominated for three more (Directing, Cinematography, Art Direction).

Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980) During the 1570s, Japanese clans fight for supremacy. Lord Shingen Takeda hires a thief as his double to be used to mislead the enemy. When Shingen dies, the thief takes his place so that the enemy will continue to believe that he is alive. The vassals have decreed that he must remain in service for three years, but the double has other plans... Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, both big fans of Kurosawa. Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes and nominated for two Oscars (Best Foreign Language Film and Best Art Direction).

Dodes'ka-den (1970) Perhaps Kurosawa's most unusual film, set in the slums of Tokyo, it follows a young man with an intellectual disability who loves trams and constantly imitates their sound (which, according to him, sounds like "Dodes'ka-den." Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Red Eye (1965) In the 1820s, a young doctor with a bad temper arrives in a rural town to start his practice. As his anger grows, he realizes that he will not be working in a prestigious private practice, but instead has been assigned to a public hospital to care for poor patients. Kurosawa's last film with Toshiro Mifune. After constant arguments, they decide to go their separate ways. Toshiro Mifune stars in this powerful adaptation of Ed McBain's 1959 crime novel "The Threat." Wealthy businessman Kingo Gondo learns that his son has been kidnapped and prepares to pay the ransom. But it soon turns out that the kidnappers have taken the wrong child. They have mistakenly taken the chauffeur's son. Will Gondo pay the ransom?

Ikiru - To Live (1952) An aging bureaucrat tries to find meaning in life after learning that he has terminal cancer. One of Kurosawa's most beloved films. Awarded the Jury's Special Prize in Berlin. Subtitles: Swedish Audio: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)