Red Beard (Blu-ray)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Yûzô Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kagawa
Contributors: Ryûzô Kikushima, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Akira Kurosawa, Masato Ide, Hideo Oguni, Masaru Satô
Studio: BFI
Genre: World Cinema
Main Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region: Region B
Release Date: 11 May 2026
Originally Issued: 1965
No of Discs: 1
BBFC Cert: (15) Suitable for 15 years and over.
Run Time: 172 minutes

Description

The final collaboration between Akiro Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, 'Red Beard' is set in a rural hospital at the end of the Tokugawa period in the 1860s - a time when Japan was being opened to western influences. Domineering Dr Niide (Mifune), known as 'Red Beard', is responsible for training new doctors, among them the lazy and socially ambitious Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama). However, through a series of lessons in human sufferings, Yasumoto is eventually transformed into a caring doctor.

Special Features

• Interactive Menus
• Bonus Footage
• Trailers
• Interviews: Toshiro Mifune (actor, audio only)
• Commentary: Kenta McGrath (film-maker)
• Other Documentary: 'Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create: ''Red Beard' (2002)