Kurosawa's "After the Rain" DVD
 

DVD-Basen only lists the French DVD (with French subs only) of this movie, but I read about a Region 2 Japanese DVD with English subs. Does anyone here know anything about that? What are some good Japanese DVD online stores?

I have the Ame Agaru (After the Rain) R2 Japanese disc. Anamorphic transfer, and a bounty of extras, which include an hour long making-of film, Kurosawa's handwritten notes, set designs, a photo gallery, trailers, profiles of cast and crew, and more. Well worth it, especially for fans of Kurosawa. An excellent film, as well. I got mine from CD Japan, and others recommend Amazon Japan. I got the disc a couple years ago, so you'll want to see if it's still in print.

There are English subs, right?

Oh, yeah. Not on any of the extras, but on the movie.

Excellent. Thanks a ton.

I agree, I enjoyed this movie a whole lot.

For anyone coming into the thread confused, the screenplay was written by Akira Kurosawa (adapted from a novel), but it was directed by Takashi Koizumi. So technically, it's not a "Kurosawa movie" in the strict sense, but well worth tracking down.

skokefoe.

While not directed by Kurosawa, the movie was made as a final tribute to him, and features many actors and crew who had worked with him previously, and also Shiro Mifune, son of Toshiro, as a sort of reconciliation between the two men, postmortem. It's not an action film by any means, though it does feature a couple fight scenes. It fits quite solidly in Kurosawa's late period.

Why did Mifune and Kurosawa stop making movies together after "Red Beard", anyhow? I could never find a straight answer for that.

Ok so I checked everywhere and only CD Japan and HMV carry the title. But it costs a whopping $40! Are they my only hope?

To answer your second question first, most Japanese DVDs are indeed in that $40+ range. The recent release of Kurosawa's Dreams in Japan was a pleasant surprise at about $24 or so. The Japanese DVD market is simply more expensive. It is outrageous, but you either pay the money, or go without, I guess. I paid $220 three years ago for the Giant Robo DVD set, as well as various other insanely priced items, so believe me, I understand your pain.

As to Mifune and Kurosawa and why they split; there doesn't seem to be a clear cut answer. According to Stuart Galbraith's massive book The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, various events came between the two that kept them from working together. They had just spent two years making Red Beard, and essentially needed a break from each other, for starters. Then, Kurosawa tried getting two movies made with Hollywood money: Runaway Train and Tora! Tora! Tora! Both fell through disastrously. Supposedly, Kurosawa was upset that Mifune played Admiral Yamamoto in a Toho WW2 film made around Tora! instead of appearing in Tora!, and Galbraith states that Kurosawa was upset with the garbage films Mifune was making at the time to pay the bills. So Kurosawa eventually made Dodeskaden in 1970, which had no real role for Mifune. After the failure of that film, he didn't direct again until Derzu Uzala in 1975, which again had no role for Mifune.

Essentially, they simply drifted apart. Mifune had a production company of his own to support, and couldn't afford to spend the time it took to make a Kurosawa film. Neither one would give in to the other, and they remained aloof.

sorry
 

Damn, that's a real shame. Although I can't really think of any post-Red Beard Kurosawa movies that could have used someone like Mifune in them.