"Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto" Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Criterion Collection - Region 0 - NTSC vs. ArtsMagic - Region 2

(aka "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto" or "Miyamoto Musashi" or "The Legend of Musashi" or "Master Swordsman" or "Samurai" )

directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
Japan 1954

Miyamoto Musashi was the greatest samurai and swordsman in the history of Japan. Originally born in 1584, he ran away from home, age 13 ,to join fight at the battle of Sekigahara, then drifted around until he began studying Zen, which in terms lead to him devoting the rest of his life perfecting his two-sword style. He had 16 official duels, many fought with the bukken (the wooden sword), and his lifework was the book “Gorin no Sho” (book of five rings), a treatise on bushido and Zen.

In 1954 two Musashi films were made. One by Toei, the first of six, where Musashi was portrayed as a wild rebel, an opportunist and rapist, another by Toho, first of three, where Musashi was depicted as a rebel without a cause, finding one in Zen and becoming a noble samurai. Where Musashi in real life was quiet a rebel, dressing as a peasant, using the bukken rather than the katana, history is more interested in telling the story of a wild animal transformed to the noblest of creatures thru Zen and bushido. Legend simply is more fascinating that reality.

In this, the first of the Toho films, we follow Musashi from when he runs away to join the battle of Sekigahara. Deserting, he and his friend, Matahachi, find shelter with a widow and her daughter, who seduces Matahachi and eventually leads him astray. Musashi returns to his home, but Matahachi’s mother has turned everyone against him, so he is captured and treated like a criminal. Escaping, he is finally given the option to study bushido and Zen. The film ends with Musashi asking his love, Otsu, to give him up, to consider him dead, because his path is different than the one she is walking.

Alone it is rather abrupt, as it is the first of three and it really cannot be seen on its own, but as a whole, this trilogy represents some of the finest studio work Toho ever has made. This the first is perhaps the weakest of the three. It spends a lot of time introducing characters, especially Musashi, Matahachi and Otsu, and it sets up strings of fate which the later films will play upon.

What strikes one first is Toshiro Mifune as Musashi. Where most only are familiar with his superb acting thru the films of Akira Kurosawa, his role as Musashi is some of this finest work. Mifune has this amazing ability to range from raging animal to humble samurai.

One also cannot avoid to notice the stunning cinematography. Again, this is the weakest in cinematography. A lot of shots are outdoors, as we deal with first Sekigahara, then the peasant house, then later on Musashi’s escape into the mountains, but later on, as the films begin to explore its characters, it picks up. The use of especially medium shots vs. long shots are beautiful, and at times the use of colours and medium shots remind me of Douglas Sirk.

Henrik Sylow

Theatrical Release: September 26, 1954

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DVD Comparison:

Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Criterion Collection - Region 0 - NTSC vs. ArtsMagic - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed and Henrik Sylow for all the Screen Caps!

(Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Criterion Collection - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. ArtsMagic - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Crash Cinema Region 0 - NTSC	Criterion Collection Spine #14 Region 0 - NTSC	ArtsMagic Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:33:17	1:34:10	1:33:26
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.10 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.3 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.95 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate: Criterion Collection
Bitrate: ArtsMagic
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese Monaural	1.0 Dolby Digital Japanese Monaural	2.0 MPEG Japanese Monaural
Subtitles	English (non-removable)	English, None	English (non-removable)
Features	Release Information: Studio: Crash Cinema Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Japanese Sword Making Technique - Japanese with subs. (17:39). • Box-Set with Samurai I-III DVD Release Date: May 18, 2004 3-DVD Keepcase with outer sleeve. Chapters 9	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 4 page insert • Original Japanese Trailer (2:50) DVD Release Date: July 21, 1998 (Reissue: May 18, 2004) Amarey Chapters 34	Release Information: Studio: ArtsMagic Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Trailers: • Samurai 1 (2:25) • Samurai 2 (1:47) • Samurai 3 (1:34) • Red Lion (2:00) • Ambush at Blood Pass (1:46) • Zatoichi the Outlaw (1:31) • Biographies for Hiroshi and Mifune • Cast gallery • Artwork for Babycart Assasin, Zatoichi and Lady Snowblood • Notes of Musashi's 'Book of 5 rings': Introduction and The Ground Book DVD Release Date: May 21, 2001 Keep Case Chapters 10
Comments	ADDITION - Crash Cinema (July -04) - this is from the 'The First Samurai: Book of Five Rings Collection' DVD set of all Three films of the trilogy. Not much worth saying - pretty poor from Crash Cinema all round. Hazy, burned-in subtitles. I've put a capture from the "How to make make a sword" featurette as the last capture on the page. It's also in bad shape. All this does is make the Criterion look better. ************** Criterion has a nice enough picture, but suffers from edge enhancement. I do not consider it as bad as many say it is, but it does lack in quality. The sound is pretty bad, audible scratches and in desperate need for a remastering. Next to it the ArtsMagic looks horribly bad. Colours are faded and bloom, there are edge enhancement halo’s and it simply is way below acceptable norms for DVD. I have a long play copy of the Criterion laserdisc and it looks about the same. The bitrate curve, the mpeg audio and the general poor condition suggests that this is a direct copy for a VHS source. Really curious is, that the trailer is of superior quality to the film, both on the Criterion and ArtsMagic. Especially the Criterion trailer looks "flawless". - Henrik Sylow

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(Crash Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Criterion Collection - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. ArtsMagic - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)