Seven Samurai – 70th Anniversary 4K Restoration

Akira Kurosawa's Timeless Epic Returns to Cinemas Restored in 4K

One of the most thrilling move epics of all time, SEVEN SAMURAI tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits.

This blockbuster journey from master director Akira Kurosawa – featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura – seamlessly weaves delicate human emotions and relentless action into a rich, entertaining and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.

Restored with a stunning new 4K transfer to commemorate the film’s 70th anniversary, experience Akira Kurosawa’s enduring masterpiece on the big screen like never before.

Runtime: 203mins

Rashomon (1950) – 2K restoration

Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Runtime: 88mins

Ikiru - (1952) – 4K restoration

Takashi Shimura beautifully portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer who is impelled to find meaning in his final days. One of the greatest achievements by Akira Kurosawa, IKIRU shows the director at his most compassionate – affirming life through an exploration of death.

Runtime: 140mins

Throne of Blood (1957) – 4K restoration

A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, THRONE OF BLOOD sets Shakespeare’s definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. Director Akira Kurosawa fuses classic western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh theatre to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Runtime: 105mins

The Hidden Fortress (1958) – 4K remaster

A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars.

Runtime: 158mins

Yojimbo (1961) – 4K remaster

The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic YOJIMBO. To ride a terror-stricken village of corruption, a wily masterless samurai turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage.

Runtime: 110mins

Sanjuro (1962) – 4K remaster

Toshiro Mifune swaggers ands snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa’s tightly paced, beautifully composed SANJURO. In this sly companion piece to Yojimbo, a jaded samurai helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a “proper” samurai on its ear.

Runtime: 96mins

High and Low (1963) – 4K remaster.

Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapping in HIGH AND LOW, the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa.

Runtime: 142mins

Red Beard (1965) – 2K remaster

A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira Kurosawa’s RED BEARD chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Perfectly capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan, Kurosawa weaves a fascinating tapestry of time, place and emotion.

Runtime: 185mins