Single-disc Essential Art House edition of Akira Kurosawa‘s classic film, Ikiru. Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is an aging bureaucrat who discovers he’s dying of stomach cancer. With his final days upon him, he finally realizes that all the years he’s spent obsessing over petty company rules has rendered much of his life completely meaningless. Because of this, he becomes determined to have his final act on this Earth actually mean something for once.

Region 1, NTSC, new HD transfer (restored image and sound), DVD-9. Japanese audio with newly-translated English subtitles. Features include audio commentary by Stephen price (author of “The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa”), documentary: “A Message from Akira Kurosawa” (filmed in 2000, 90 min.), documentary: “Akira Kurosawa: To Create Is Beautiful” (41 min.), and original theatrical trailer.

Available at the following retailer(s) on February 9, 2009:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.ca

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