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Ikiru
Considered by some to be Akira Kurosawa's greatest achievement, Ikiru presents the director at his most compassionate-affirming life through
an exploration of a man's death. Takashi Shimura portrays Kanji Watanabe,
an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer forced to strip the veneer off
his existence and find meaning in his final days. Told in two parts,
Ikiru offers Watanabe's quest in the present, and then through a series
of flashbacks. The result is a multifaceted look at a life through a
prism of perspectives, resulting in a full portrait of a man who lacked
understanding from others in life.
Ikiru is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right
of the image to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition
digital transfer was created on a Sony Vialta telecine from a new 35mm
print. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed
using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered
at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print, and audio restoration
tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby
Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel
sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel
playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.
DVD
- Theatrical trailer(s)
- New transfer with restored image and sound and improved subtitle
translation
- Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior's Camera:
The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
- A Message from Akira Kurosawa (2000): a 90-minute documentary produced
by Kurosawa Productions and featuring interviews with the director
on the set of his later films
- A 41-minute documentary on Ikiru from the series, Akira Kurosawa:
To Create is Beautiful
Curator's Comments:
Read
Roger Ebert's essay on this DVD Classic.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Black & White
Running time: 143 minutes
Released: 1952
Rated: NR
Country: Japan
Lauguage: Japanesse (with English subtitles)
Genre: Drama
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