Harakiri - Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni and Akira Ishihama (The Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray - 2011)

This well-regarded Japanese drama follows an aging samurai as he attempts to regain his family's honor. In 17th century Japan, a shift in the country's political structure has thrown the feudal Shogun system into disuse. Impoverished samurai wander the countryside, asking wealthy estate owners if they can commit hara-kiri, a grisly form of suicide, on their property. The usual and honorable response is an offer of some work for food or shelter. Into the house of a lord comes Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai), an elderly warrior who asks chief retainer Kageyu Saito (Rentaro Mikuni) that the manor's three hired swordsmen serve as his seconds in the ritual. When the appointed hour arrives, however, the swordsmen do not appear, dishonoring the man. Hanshiro reveals himself to be the father-in-law of Motome Chijiiwa (Yoshio Inaba), a young samurai who had earlier approached Saito and been cruelly forced to go through with the fatal act, disemboweling himself with a dull bamboo blade, as his own had been sold to feed his family.

Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed

Cast & Crew - Harakiri
Tatsuya Nakadai
(Films) Hanshiro Tsugumo
Akira Ishihama
(Films) Motome Chijiiwa
Shima Iwashita
(Films)(Biography) Miho Tsugumo
Tetsuro Tamba
(Films)(Biography) Hikokuro Omodaka
Rentaro Mikuni Kageyu Saito
Yoshio Inaba Jinai Chijiiwa
Masao Mishima Tango Inaba
Yoshio Aoki Umenosuke Kawabe
Jo Azumi Ichiro Shimmen
Hisashi Igawa Young Samurai
Shouji Kobayashi Actor
Ichiro Nakaya Hayato Yazaki
Kei Sato Masakazu Fukushima

Technical Credits
Masaki Kobayashi Director
Shinobu Hashimoto Screenwriter
Tatsuo Hosoya Producer
Seiji Iho Consultant/advisor
Yoshio Miyajima Cinematographer
Jun-Ichi Ozumi Art Director
Hisashi Sagara Editor
Toru Takemitsu Score Composer
Shigemasa Toda Art Director

Full Product Details - Harakiri
Format: Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: October 4, 2011
Run Time: 133 minutes

Features:
Video Introduction by Japanese-film Historian Donald Richie; ; Excerpt from a rare Directors Guild of Japan video Interview with Director Masaki Kobayashi, Moderated by Filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda; ; Video Interviews with star Tatsuya Nakadai and Screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto; ; Original Theatrical Trailer; ; Plus: A Booklet featuring an Essay by Film Scholar Joan Mellen and a reprint of Mellen's 1972 Interview with Kobayashi