Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray + DVD)

Stories of Ichi. My favorite martial art series.

Got everything and have had many a fun hours watching this Classic Saga. However I personally think 200+$ is a bit overpriced. So I bought it while it was discounted.

I had read about this series of movies and when this collection came up I took a chance and am not disappointed.First the discs themselves, the DVDs are very good (I watched a few to sample the quality) with nice picture and sound. The BDs are really nice, beautiful picture and clear sound with no discernible background noise. The films are set up in groups of 3, the first 2 discs contain 3 of the films in DVD and the third disc contains all 3 in Blu-ray. The first 2 films are in black and white and the quality is wonderful (even in the DVDs). Good blacks and nice shading and contrast. The third film and those following are in color and it is vibrant in the 13 films I have watched so far. Criterion's explanation of the idea of selling the films in DVD and BD in the same package and not separately is on their website. I have notice that there is no increase in the list price of their BDs due to this and I assume it will continue until almost all DVDs players are replaced with BD players. They did justice to these films in both formats.There are 25 films from the original series, a 26th was done 16 years after the last one in this group and I do not know why they did not include it but whatever the reason it is not a great loss as it is available on the market. There was also a TV series that followed these films, done by the same production company, run by the star Shintaro Katsu, that did the last group of films and that is also available on the market. It would be great if in the future Criterion obtained the rights to the TV episodes and the final film, did restoration, and released them in another box set.The films are almost like an American TV western series (like The Rebel or Kung Fu) with the same basic plot for each one. Zatoichi is a blind masseur (who likes to gamble at dice and is a lightning fast swordsman) that travels from town to town and is on the hit list of every Yakuza gang he has ever crossed and eventually has to fight, usually a dozen opponents or MORE at a time and vanquishes them all. The acting is superb and the photography is wonderful. These are "swordplay" movies with underlying moral stories, not just a slice 'em up action pictures.I have no quarrel with the packaging. I always handle the discs carefully from similar packaging and have never had a scratch that cause a playback problem. The extras are also good and the hard cover booklet is great, the summation and assessment of the series at the beginning is spot on.Really well done, recommended.Updated 6/2014. I finished watching the rest of the set awhile back and finally am getting around to adding to my review. The second 13 films fit my original review, great picture and sound in both formats. Opinions of the acting and portrayal vary from person to person. The Zatoichi character seems to get a little meaner in some of the later films and there were some that were "bloody" where as the others have almost no indication of blood at all. I do not think I have ever bought such a great set of films in a single package. If you like this genre this is a MUST for you, you will not be disappointed.

I have only one nagging question about this Criterion release: Why package DVDs on the left of each page and then a BLU-RAY of the same three movies on the right?! Why does anyone need DVDs who has the BLU-RAY? And if our budgets are stretched by the added cost of a BLU-RAY, why can't we just buy the cheaper DVD? Why both?! I just would like to know the rationale behind what seems insane packaging to me. Thank you for allowing me to gush . . . NOW! to my review! When I learned that Criterion was issuing all of the Zatoichi films, I was overjoyed and exhilarated, but then to have wait for three months for the release was a bummer. But the long wait is over and the enjoyment begins. I have been watching the films in the order of release because I want to see how Shintaro Katsu handles the character of Ichi as he progresses through life and, in fact, ages. In those earliest films he looks so young, but I am amazed that this charismatic, versatile actor had already found Ichi's character in those first ventures. It was in film clubs in the early 1980s (before videocassettes and DVDs) that I first met Ichi and fell in love with the character and his stories. There was palpable delight in those small venues as we enjoyed his antics, sentimental attachments and, of course, lightning sword-play. ZATOICHI is formula film-making: the plots are mirror-images of each other, the villains are one-dimensional, often the sentimentality becomes cloying -- but I was not bothered by these issues when I was seeing, at best, two Zatoichi films per month, and - happy surprise! - I'm not bothered now when I sometimes watch one each day. I feel the production values are so superior that I get pulled into each episode with the wonderful details of each setting, the fine acting of guest stars and, of course, the wonderful sword-play, as kinetic an experience in cinema as you could hope for. But none of this would matter were it not for Shintaro Katsu: he is a hero who plays his role as if he were an anti-hero, until those final moments when he effortlessly reveals himself to be the Strong Man who defends the helpless against the greedy. I saw a documentary about Shintaro Katsu on PBS many years ago. When it was over, I wished I hadn't seen it, because the man who was Katsu was not Ichi. All of us who identify with a star go through this disillusionment. I prided myself for years that I was never duped by a Hollywood star into confusing the persona with the person. And yet I fell completely under the spell of Katsu-Ichi. That's why I quoted the line from Yeats in my title because all of us confuse fictional characters and real characters. Why is that? I believe the answer lies in our very genuine human need for exceptional human beings who transcend the ordinary world with its compromises, disillusionments and predictability. I just learned that Shintaro Katsu's older brother, who memorably portrayed base villains in two of earliest Zatoichi films, played the Lone Wolf in that six-film series. I saw those films too back in the 1980s, but I found the violence too extreme and bloody, the character merciless and unrelenting and the stories unrelieved by sentiment and humor. And that brings me back to my delight in this issue of two dozen wonderful Zatoichi films. Ichi is one of the noblest, most admirable, friendliest, wittiest, greatest inventions of world cinema. I know those of us who are his fans will always see the dancer and the dance as one.

This is a great box set. However I have the same issue as another customer with disc 6. Region coding error. My advice - this is a manufacturing error. Raise it with Criterion!

At first glance the set might seem pricey, but with 25 great movie, beautifully presented, this is by far the best purchase I've made in some time, if not the greatest blu ray I ever bought. The movies, in essence are westerns in Japan, with Kitanas replacing guns (you can clearly see the shift of influence from American western to Italian over the course of the movies), but all are highly entertaining and surprisingly humourous, although certainly not to everyone's taste, maybe not as high brow as Kurosawa, for those who enjoy a western or samurai movie, this is essential and again, considering the amount of movies, very reasonable compared to buying each individually. On a side note, issues with the coding on disc 6, have been dealt with effectively for anyone affected with, in my case, a replacement disc dispatched very quickly. High recommended..

I have been after this box set for many years looking on amazon and finally l have it, the box is very colourful and there is a nice book inside l will enjoy reading, Zato is a very lovable man and only the wicked need fear him, the storys all have people in need and are a joy to watch, not too much blood so if thats your thing try the Lone Wolf movies, but if you want touching storys buy this box set, l love it!

Although in Japanese, with English subtitles, and sometimes I missed some of dialogue cos it went too fast, I got the gist of it. Good gory gushing, lovely stuff, gud acting with a storyline which is relevant in todays world. Really felt for character. Very gud film, very good plot. I recommend it

Very exciting DVD wonderful gift fora club members