***

Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard (Akahige, 1965) is a towering humanist epic that stands as one of the director’s most ambitious and emotionally profound works. Running nearly three hours, the film follows the transformation of arrogant young doctor Yasumoto (Yūzō Kayama) as he is assigned to a rural clinic run by the formidable, red-bearded Dr. Kyojō Niide (Toshiro Mifune in one of his greatest performances). What begins as a clash of egos gradually unfolds into a powerful portrait of compassion, sacrifice, and moral awakening, as Yasumoto confronts poverty, suffering, and the quiet heroism of those who devote their lives to healing the most vulnerable. Shot with Kurosawa’s signature visual mastery—using deep-focus compositions, meticulously choreographed long takes, and a richly textured production design that feels almost novelistic—the film blends social realism with moments of piercing tenderness and moral clarity. Though it was Kurosawa’s final black-and-white feature and marked the end of his long collaboration with Mifune, Red Beard radiates warmth and optimism, affirming the director’s lifelong belief in the redemptive power of human decency even in the face of cruelty and despair.

BONUS CAPTURES:

BFI (British Film Institute)

2.50:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,221,026,371 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:

• Newly recorded audio commentary by Japanese-Australian filmmaker Kenta McGrath
• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Red Beard (2002, 22:03)
• Alex Cox on Red Beard (2003, 14:14): archive piece recorded for the BFI’s original DVD release
• Toshiro Mifune in Conversation (1986, 60:53, audio only): the legendary Japanese actor discusses his life and career in this interview with critic and writer David Shipman
• Treasures from the BFI National Archive (1947-1952): a selection of public information films exploring advances in healthcare in rural districts – Mother (1947, 16:02), Doctor's Dilemma (1948, 1:06), and District Nurse (1952, 27:22)
• Original trailer (3:52)
Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Hayley Scanlon, on the music and the film’s composer by Charlie Brigden, an essay on actor Yûzô Kayama by James-Masaki Ryan and writing on the short films by Yuriko Hamaguchi

Blu-ray Release Date: May 11th, 2026
Transparent Blu-ray Case

The BFI Blu-ray offers two strong Japanese-language audio options: a newly created DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track and a linear PCM dual-mono track (both 24-bit). As Kurosawa’s first film to employ a magnetic 4-track stereo soundtrack, Red Beard was originally designed with greater spatial depth than typical mono productions of the era; the new 5.1 mix intelligently expands upon this foundation (much like the Criterion DVD’s 4.0 presentation), delivering clear, natural dialogue anchored in the center channel while tastefully opening up the ambient “reality sounds” - wind-bells, rustling leaves, distant street cries, clinic murmurs, and echoing well effects - across the surrounds for a more immersive, enveloping experience. Masaru Sato’s sweeping, string-heavy orchestral score gains welcome breadth, warmth, and emotional resonance without feeling gimmicky or overly modernized. The lossless mono LPCM track remains a clean presentation with excellent clarity, suprising depth, and no noticeable artifacts. Both options serve the film’s contemplative tone beautifully, balancing quiet introspection with the score’s dramatic swells and enhancing the tactile, lived-in atmosphere of the clinic. The audio is a big part of the film experience and this is the best it has been presented. BFI offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The BFI Blu-ray extras are generous and intelligently assembled, offering more than two hours of substantial supplementary material alongside a well-written booklet. At the heart of the package is a newly recorded, full-length audio commentary by Japanese-Australian filmmaker and critic Kenta McGrath, which stands out for its thoughtful, deeply researched analysis of the film’s humanist themes, its portrayal of compassion and suffering, the arduous two-year production history, Kurosawa’s meticulous visual style and long-take technique, Toshiro Mifune’s nuanced performance, and the significance of Red Beard as the final collaboration between the director and his iconic leading man. Complementing this is the excellent 22-minute 2002 documentary Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create – Red Beard, produced for Toho’s Masterworks series, featuring rare interview footage with Kurosawa himself as well as collaborators including actors Yoshio Tsuchiya and Kyoko Kagawa and art director Yoshiro Muraki, providing intimate firsthand insights into the film’s creation and intentions. Also included is Alex Cox’s engaging 14-minute 2003 introduction, originally made for the earlier BFI DVD, in which the cult filmmaker offers an accessible yet perceptive overview of Kurosawa’s career and the thematic and production background of Red Beard. A major historical highlight is the 61-minute audio-only 1986 interview Toshiro Mifune in Conversation with critic David Shipman, recorded at the National Film Theatre, where the legendary actor reflects at length on his life, career, and working relationship with Kurosawa. Thematically linked to the film’s medical focus are three rare public information shorts from the BFI National Archive - Mother (1947, 16 minutes), a UN-sponsored educational film on modern childbirth in India; the brief 1948 trailer Doctor’s Dilemma promoting Britain’s new National Health Service; and District Nurse (1952, 27 minutes), which encourages nursing careers - adding an intriguing archival dimension. Rounding out the package are the original Japanese theatrical trailer and an attractive booklet containing fresh essays by Hayley Scanlon on the film, Charlie Brigden on Masaru Sato’s score, James-Masaki Ryan on Yūzō Kayama, and Yuriko Hamaguchi on the short films. Together, these extras provide a rich blend of scholarly insight, personal testimony, and contextual depth that greatly enhances appreciation of Kurosawa’s humanist masterpiece.

To me the BFI release looks quite good. Perhaps slightly darker, but just as sharp as the magnificent Criterion. Charles tells me there is some print damage and speckling, but it is not intrusive. The BFI release has burnt in subs that suggest a different translation from the Criterion release. Although single lines appear outside the image area and double lines have one in and one on the image, they are 16X9 friendly. The BFI menu has a background loop of clips from the film with music from main theme with the option to play film with 5 min intervals. There is some very slight cropping in the BFI release, but I find it negligible. There are some short Extra features. Overall a very good release from BFI!

***

Once again the Criterion is obviously superior in every way. The Mei Ah version is one of their better efforts probably the best Kurosawa from them that I have seen. The same can be said for the Criterion which may be their best Kurosawa DVD production. The biggest failing of the Mei Ah disc are the subtitles. Apparently the Japanese dialogue was translated into Chinese, then the Chinese translated into English - so there are flaws. Also the spelling is poor and the image is badly cropped on the top and bottom as well as contrast boosted. The Mei Ah is a DVD 10 - two sides/single layered.

The Criterion is a superb DVD. The film has barely a nick or scratch and has wonderful smooth contrast and shadow detail, often in a very muted, soft appearance while still maintaining sharpness. There is an appropriate intermission and the Extras include Donald Richie liner notes and commentary by Stephen Prince which goes into great detail about Kurosawa's visual technique. I'm very proud to own this one.

 - Gary W. Tooze