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Harakiri - Criterion Collection
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780780030060
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 0780030060
Label: Criterion
Languages: English (Subtitled), Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Manufacturer: Criterion
MPN: 110
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 23, 2005
Running Time: 133 minutes
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: August 04, 1964
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Editorial Review:
Dramatically compelling and emotionally intense, Harakiri is a certified classic of Japanese film, and a riveting study of samurai codes of honor. Unlike Kurosawa's rousing samurai epics, this is an uncompromisingly tragic tale, exposing the hypocrisy of 17th-century Japanese society with its story of a family destroyed by the cruelty of feudalism toward warriors in peacetime. The film is truly Shakespearean in its emotional scope, embodied by the unforgettable performance of Tatsuya Nakadai (star of Kurosawa's Ran) as an elder warrior seeking revenge for the unnecessary seppuku (ritual suicide) of his beloved son-in-law. Director Masaki Kobayashi begins at story's end, then recounts the narrative (adapted from a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi) as told by Nakadai's character. The effect is almost unbearably suspenseful, leading to an explosive climax of supreme defiance and samurai swordplay, erupting from a battle of wills, called bluffs, and hotly defended honor. For connoisseurs of samurai action, Harakiri is not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon
Following the collapse of his clan, unemployed samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to commit ritual suicide on his property. Iyi's clans men, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for charity, try to force him to eviscerate himself - but they have underestimated his honor and his past. Winner of the 1963 Cannes Film Festival's Special Jury Prize, Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri is a scathing denouncement of feudal authority and hypocrisy.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Criterion version MUCH better than the original release
I have both versions. The video is cleaner now and the translation/subtitles make MUCH more sense.
Kudos to the production company for Improving the movie and not just re-releasing the old version!!!!
Rating: - What is the true nature of honor?
I hesitate to add my two cents to this collection of excellent reviews. I have long been a fan both of Japanese cinema and Sword films, as well as a life long student of Zen. Samurai culture has roots in Zen traditions, and the most sophisticated Sword films address this spiritual context. These principles are illustrated profoundly in the famous Samurai Trilogy, by Inagaki Samurai Trilogy Box Set - Criterion Collection. It is said that the soul of a Samuai is his sword. To approach a craftsman and ... Read More
Rating: - A Scathing and Devastating indictment of the Way of the Samurai...
"Rage when FOCUSED on a Single purpose is a very powerful weapon..."
HARAKIRI (1962) (aka. Seppuku) is the award-winning film from Masaki Kobayashi (Samurai Rebellion, Kwaidan) and has been pronounced as Kobayashi's masterpiece by his mentor Kinoshita and as one of the TOP Five Greatest Japanese films ever made. The film was originally titled "Seppuku" in Japan which translates into ritual suicide. Western audiences are more familiar with the word Harakiri; Hara means belly and Kiri means ... Read More
Rating: - An eloquent exploration of the word "honor"
One interesting fact I read about Director Masaki Kobayashi was that he was drafted into the Japanese army in 1941. He subsequently rejected any chances at promotion, instead remaining a private. That was his way of protesting the war itself.
This movie itself makes a similar statement against the rigors of war and authoritarian power. It explores the very definition of the word "honor".
An unemployed samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo asks the leaders for permission to commit Harakiri (ritual ... Read More
Rating: - The Greatest "Action" Movie Ever....
... and yet the action takes only the last five or ten minutes of the film! Mr Zack Davison's "most helpful" review describes the premise of the movie very eloquently; it's helpful indeed, since I don't feel like writing a straight expository essay, just a few impressions:
Black and white! Every frame of such stunning black and thoughtful white that it rivals a Zen garden in stones, or closer to home, an Ansel Adams photo of Yosemite in winter. The new print from Criterion captures most of the ... Read More
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