High and Low (DVD) (Criterion Collection) (US Version) DVD Region 1

Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshirô Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the head of his Yokohama shoe company, he is contacted by a criminal who informs him that he's kidnapped his son. The crook demands a huge ransom for the boy's return--an amount that has taken Gondo 30 years of labor to amass. As the worried industrialist prepares to pay the ransom, he discovers that his son is safe at home--the kidnapper has mistakenly snatched his chauffeur's son. The question quickly becomes: Does Gondo abandon his plans to pay off the criminal, or does he do the honorable thing and help save his driver's child? This moral dilemma drives Akira Kurosawa's intelligent, detailed thriller that features Mifune in a thoughtful, nuanced performance as a man forced to make a startlingly difficult decision. The first half of Kurosawa's film takes place high upon Gondo's hilltop home, in scenes shot almost entirely in his spacious living room. The second half, however, is largely set in the lowly, cramped confines of the city where the kidnapper hides from the police investigation led by the determined Inspector Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai). The film's excellent cast also includes Kurosawa regulars Kyôko Kagawa, Takashi Shimura, and Susumu Fujita. With its bleak backdrop of 1960s industrial Yokohama, HIGH AND LOW stands as one of the finest examples of Japanese film noir, lensed through the meticulous vision of a master filmmaker.

"[With] superb tension-racheting sequences..." - Kevin, Maher (Film Critic), Uncut, 04/01/2005

"Kurosawa expertly balances cop-thriller elements with quieter, more personal moments." - Geoffrey, Macnab (Sight And Sound Critic), Sight and Sound, 06/01/2005

"[A]n epic doozy....Witness its many intricately timed sequences..." -- Grade: A- - Ken, Tucker (Entertainment Weekly Critic), Entertainment Weekly, 07/25/2008

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Product Title:	High and Low (DVD) (Criterion Collection) (US Version) High and Low (DVD) (Criterion Collection) (美國版) High and Low (DVD) (Criterion Collection) (美国版) High and Low (2-Disc Special Edition Set) (US Version) High and Low (2-Disc Special Edition Set) (US Version)
Also known as:	The Ransom/Heaven and Hell The Ransom/Heaven and Hell The Ransom/Heaven and Hell The Ransom/Heaven and Hell The Ransom/Heaven and Hell
Artist Name(s):	Mihashi Tatsuya (Actor) | Toshirô Mifune (Actor) | Isuzu Mifune (Actor) | Yamazaki Tsutomu (Actor) | Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Ed McBain | Ryuzo Kikushima | Kurosawa Akira (Actor) | Hashimoto Shinobu | Asakazu Nakai (Actor) 三橋達也 (Actor) | Toshirô Mifune (Actor) | Isuzu Mifune (Actor) | 山崎努 (Actor) | 仲代 達矢 (Actor) | Ed McBain | Ryuzo Kikushima | 黑澤明 (Actor) | Hashimoto Shinobu | Asakazu Nakai (Actor) 三桥达也 (Actor) | Toshirô Mifune (Actor) | Isuzu Mifune (Actor) | 山崎努 (Actor) | 仲代 达矢 (Actor) | Ed McBain | Ryuzo Kikushima | 黑泽明 (Actor) | Hashimoto Shinobu | Asakazu Nakai (Actor) 三橋達也 (Actor) | Toshirô Mifune (Actor) | Isuzu Mifune (Actor) | 山崎努／著 (Actor) | 仲代達矢 (Actor) | Ｅｄ ＭｃＢａｉｎ | Ｒｙｕｚｏ Ｋｉｋｕｓｈｉｍａ | 黒沢明 (Actor) | 橋本忍 | Asakazu Nakai (Actor) Mihashi Tatsuya (Actor) | Toshirô Mifune (Actor) | Isuzu Mifune (Actor) | Yamazaki Tsutomu (Actor) | Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Ed McBain | Ryuzo Kikushima | Kurosawa Akira (Actor) | Hashimoto Shinobu | Asakazu Nakai (Actor)
Director:	Yamazaki Tsutomu | Hashimoto Shinobu 山崎努 | Hashimoto Shinobu 山崎努 | Hashimoto Shinobu 山崎努／著 | 橋本忍 Yamazaki Tsutomu | Hashimoto Shinobu
Producer:	Ryuzo Kikushima Ryuzo Kikushima Ryuzo Kikushima Ｒｙｕｚｏ Ｋｉｋｕｓｈｉｍａ Ryuzo Kikushima
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Release Date:	2008-07-22
UPC Code:	715515030922
Language:	Japanese
Country of Origin:	Japan
Picture Format:	NTSC What is it?
Color Information:	Black & White
Disc Format(s):	DVD
Region Code:	1 - USA, Canada, U.S. Territories What is it?
Rating:	Not Rated
Publisher:	Criterion Collection
Other Information:	2 DVDs
Package Weight:	280 (g)
Shipment Unit:	2 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.:	1011010107

Director: Akira Kurosawa

DVD Features:

Keep Case
2-Disc Set
Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 1.0 - Japanese
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Akira Kurosawa, Director
2. Stephen Prince, Scholar
Documentary - The Making of HIGH AND LOW - Toho Masterworks Series
AKIRA KUROSAWA: IT'S WONDERFUL TO CREATE
Interview - 1. Toshiro Mifune, Actor
2. Tsutomu Yamazaki, Actor
Trailers - Japan and U.S. Theatrical Trailers
Additional Product:
Booklet - Essays - 1. Geoffrey O'Brien, Critic
2. Donald Richie, Japanese Film Scholar