3 Kichijirō Ueda films on 4K Blu-ray, ranked S to D by transfer quality.
dir. Akira Kurosawa
The BFI 4K is the version collectors are buying while everyone else waits for a Criterion Kurosawa box that may or may not happen. Kurosawa's Macbeth adaptation with Mifune at full intensity, and the fog sequences are exactly the kind of high-contrast material that rewards a good restoration.
BFI · 4K + Blu-ray (United Kingdom)
dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Noriaki Yuasa
Unusual volcanic activity in Japan awakens Gyaos, a bloodthirsty flying monster with the power to slice things in half with an ultrasonic ray. While scientists and the military scramble to devise a way to stop this new threat, a young boy forms an alliance with Gamera; a monster no one else seems to trust.