Revealed! The Criterion Collections 25 film Akira Kurosawa box set

by Chris MaGee

Just when I thought, "Okay, I've written up all my stories for today," what pops up at the Criterion Collection's website? The official announcement and details on "AK100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa", the box set being released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of "The Emperor" of Japanese cinema. At the beginning of September news leaked out about this massive set, but no hard and fast official confirmation had come from the Criterion Collection. Now not only do we get to see that indeed all of the Kurosawa films that have previously been released as part of the Collection are represented, but so are five films never before released under the Criterion banner: "Madadayo" ,"The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail", "The Most Beautiful", "Sanshiro Sugata", and "Sanshiro Sugata Part II".

Above and beyond the films collector's can look forward to an illustrated book by author and film historian Stephen Prince that includes a remembrance of Kurosawa by legendary Japanese film historian Donald Richie... and it all comes in a pretty handsome-looking linen-bound box.

Check out more details, including individual cover designs, for "AK100" at the Criterion Collection's site here.