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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'Dai-bosatsu tôge" or "Daibosatsu Pass" or "The Sword of Doom"')
directed by
Kihachi Okamoto
| Wandering samurai Ryunosuke lives his life in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman—plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule—he kills without remorse, without mercy. It is a way of life that ultimately leads to madness. The Criterion Collection is proud to present director Kihachi Okamoto’s swordplay classic The Sword of Doom, the thrilling story of a man who chooses to devote his life to evil. |
Posters etc.
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Theatrical Release: January 25th, 1966
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Recommended Reading for Martial Arts/Samurai Genre Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp |
Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema (Midland Book, Mb 469) by David Desser |
Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs) by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario |
Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 1) by James Quandt |
Silver Screen Samurai: The Best of Japan's Samurai
Movie Posters by Na |
The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie |
The Yakuza Movie Book : A Guide
to Japanese Gangster Films by Mark Schilling |
Japanese Movie Posters: Yakuza, Monster, Pink, and
Horror by Chuck Stephens, Tetsuya Masuda, Kairakutei Black |
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie |
Check out more in "The Library"
Comparison
:Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT
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| Box Cover |
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The Criterion Blu-ray is coming to Region 'B' UK in December 2017:
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| Distribution | Criterion Collection Spine # 280 - Region 1- NTSC |
Criterion - Spine #280 Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 2:00:08 | 2:00:29.722 |
| Video |
2.31:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.98 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
2.20:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 35,831,673,326 bytesFeature: 35,037,505,536 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.46 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: |
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| Bitrate: Blu-ray |
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| Audio | Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono) |
LPCM Audio Japanese 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps /
24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
| Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
| Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • Liner
notes essay by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien |
Release Information:
2.20:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 35,831,673,326 bytesFeature: 35,037,505,536 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.46 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• Audio commentary featuring film historian Stephen Prince• Trailer (2:26) • Liner Notes Booklet with an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien
Blu-ray Release Date: January 6th, 2015 Black Blu-ray case inside cardboard slipcase 20 chaps |
| Comments: |
NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: Criterion- Region 'A' - Blu-ray (January 2015): Wow... what a beautiful, rich and textured image on Criterion's new1080P transfer of The Sword of Doom. Magnificent! the comparative screen grabs below indicate a substantial improvement in both the detail and tightness as well as the film-like qualities. This stylistic choice is wonderful and adds a whole new layer onto the film experience.
Criterion use a linear PCM 1.0 channel mono track at 1152 kbps. I certainly heard some depth - obviously more buoyant than you might anticipate. Masaru Satô's (The Lower Depths, Hidden Fortress, I Live in Fear, Throne of Blood etc.) score gives the film an intense majestic aura - more so in lossless. There are optional subtitles and the Criterion is, as usual, a Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.
Although their SD was bare-bones, this new Blu-ray has a 2014 audio commentary featuring film historian Stephen Prince who provides excellent background and detail - as professional as ever. Easily the best commentary of the young year. There is also a trailer and the package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien.
I can't overstate how different this viewing was to the 2005 DVD. ten years makes a heck of a difference and this is definitely a keeper - our highest recommendation! ***
ON THE DVD: Excellent
anamorphic 2.31 ratio image that infrequently looks saturated, but
overall quite stupendous. It is quite detailed with sharp contrast.
Typical of Criterion - HD-sourced with excellent subtitles. The original
mono audio sounds uncharacteristically explosive. There are no extras
save the liner notes and that pushes it to the lower price point. This
is fine film with brilliant cinematography - one worthy enough to have
in the Criterion Collection.
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out
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920 X 1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Screen Captures
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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More Blu-ray Captures
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More Shaw Brothers-Martial Arts-Wushu or related films on Blu-ray reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable): |
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| Box Cover |
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The Criterion Blu-ray is coming to Region 'B' UK in December 2017:
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| Distribution | Criterion Collection Spine # 280 - Region 1- NTSC |
Criterion - Spine #280 Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
