The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (The Rickshaw Man) and starring the inimitable Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai), was one of Japan’s most successful exports of the 1950s, a rousing, emotionally gripping tale of combat and self-discovery. Based on a novel that’s often called Japan’s Gone with the Wind, this sweeping saga fictionalizes the life of the legendary seventeenth-century swordsman (and writer and artist) Musashi Miyamoto, following him on his path from unruly youth to enlightened warrior. With these three films—1954’s Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955’s Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956’s Duel at Ganryu Island—Inagaki created a passionate epic that’s equal parts tender love story and bloody action. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New high-definition digital restorations of all three films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-ray edition • New interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson about the real-life Musashi Miyamoto, the inspiration for the hero of the films • Trailers • New English subtitle translations • PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film historian Stephen Prince and Wilson Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto 1954 • 93 minutes • Color • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 1.33:1 aspect ratio Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple 1955 • 103 minutes • Color • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 1.33:1 aspect ratio Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island 1956 • 104 minutes • Color • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 1.33:1 aspect ratio