TWO VERSIONS FOR ONE MASTERPIECE BY HIROSHI INAGAKI (THE "MUSASHI" TRILOGY)
A man with a temperament as tempestuous as he is endearing, Matsugoro is a rickshaw driver appreciated by the inhabitants of his town. One day, he rescues a little boy, Toshio, and meets his parents, the Yoshiokas. When the father suddenly dies, Matsugoro promises his widow to watch over their son. A fearful and reserved child, Toshio will gradually flourish in contact with Matsugoro. Yoshiko also appreciates the company of this man who is far from his environment...
Like Alfred Hitchcock with The Man Who Knew Too Much or Leo McCarey with Her and Him , Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Inagaki shot two versions of his film The Man in the Rickshaw 15 years apart. To camp the charismatic Matsugoro, the director of the Musashi trilogy will twice call on stars: Tsumasaburo Bando, big star of chambara (Japanese sword films), and the immense Toshiro Mifune ( The Seven Samurai ). While the 1943 version is one of the masterpieces of humanist cinema, the 1958 version, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, remains an incomparable model of melodrama with a strong visual identity. Two unreleased films on Blu-ray™ and DVD to be found in their new restoration!
THE MAN WITH THE RICKSHAW, two films by Hiroshi Inagaki
(1943 / 1958 - Black & White / Colors - 79 mn / 104 mn)
Original version with French subtitles
Blu-ray or DVD edition with 2 double-sided visuals (Blu-ray sleeve or reversible DVD cover)
"THE MAN WITH THE RICKSHAW" 1943 VERSION
NEW 4K RESTORATION (Black & White – 79 mins)
"THE MAN WITH THE RICKSHAW" 1958 VERSION
NEW HD RESTORATION (Colors – 104 mn)
SUPPLEMENT (IN HD*)
. THE WHEELS OF DESTINY: THE STORY OF “THE MAN WITH THE RICKSHAW” (2020 – Colors and Black & White – 19 mins)
Directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Wheels of Destiny follows cinematographer Masahiro Miyajima on his quest to restore the original 1943 version of The Man in the Rickshaw , while tracing the film's history through interviews, archival documents and animation sequences.
* in HD on the Blu-ray Disc™ version
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BD 50 • HIGH DEFINITION MASTERS • 1080/23.98p • AVC ENCODING
Original Version DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 • French Subtitles
Formats 1.37 and 2.35 respected • Black & White and Colors • Length of Films: 79 mins / 104 mins
DVD 9 • NEW MASTERS RESTORED • PAL • MPEG-2 ENCODING
Original Version Dolby Digital 1.0 • French Subtitles
Format 1.33 and 2.35 respected • 4/3 and 16/9 compatible 4/3 • B&W and Colors • Length of Films: 76 mins / 99 mins
Released May 3, 2022
