Sword of the Beast 1965

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium—from laserdisc to DVD and Blu-ray to streaming—Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film.

Films listed in order of spine numbers. Releases with multiple films are listed as individual items where appropiate.

Last Update: Releases up to July 2024 (Spine #1228)

Source: https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse/list?sort=spine_number

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements for a wider and wider audience. The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, and Kubrick. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made it into the collection.

Source: https://www.criterion.com/library/list_view?b=Criterion&m=dvd&s=spine

The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company which specializes in licensing and selling "important classic and contemporary films" in "editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."

This is a list of all films (main feature, extra featurette, making of, box-set meta entry, etc if it has a separate entry on trakt) released under Criterion Collection catalog, Essential Art House, Eclipse, Merchant Ivory collections etc. as DVD/BluRay. So far LaserDisc releases have not been included.

Notes to self:
Reviewed/cross-checked entries till Criterion Collection #200.
Last entry: Criterion Collection Spine #845 / Eclipse Series #44.

This list combines 2 books by Patrick Galloway:
#1-51: Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook (2005)
#52-91: Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion (2009)

"Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves provides essential background on the samurai warrior in Japanese culture to help explain what makes these tales of loyalty, revenge and explosive swordsmanship so watchable. It covers top directors and stars and has over 50 original reviews of a wide variety of films, from classics like Samurai Trilogy and Yojimbo to influential films like Lady Snowblood, plus newly released hits like Takeshi Kitano’s Zatoichi."

"Warring Clans, Flashing Blades picks up where Galloway’s fan-favorite Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves left off, delving deeper into the samurai film and its spin-off genres—yakuza, ninja, and matatabi."

Source:
https://www.amazon.com/Stray-Dogs-Lone-Wolves-Handbook/dp/1880656930
http://www.amazon.com/Warring-Clans-Flashing-Blades-Companion/dp/1933330783

PTW Asian movies

https://www.criterion.com/explore/19-samurai-cinema + maybe additional stuff later on.

From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa, to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The directory aims to play a part in the distribution of academic output by building a forum for the study of film from a disciplined theoretical base.

This is in the form of an A-Z of reviews, longer essays and research resources. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters are discussed in addition to the politically charged works of the Japanese New Wave, making this a truly comprehensive volume.

-

The list is based on the contents of the Book, sorted by chapters:
Film of the Year
Alternative Japan
Anime / Animation
Chambara / Samurai Cinema
Contemporary Blockbusters
Jidaigeki & Gendaigeki / Period & Contemporary
J-Horror / Japanese Horror
Kaiju Eiga / Monster Movies
Nuberu Bagu / The Japanese New Wave
Pinku Eiga / Pink Films
Yakuza / Gangster

More information on this is also aviable on http://worldcinemadirectory.co.uk/!

List for the 2nd edition: http://trakt.tv/user/sp1ti/lists/directory-of-world-cinema-japan-2

[Missing Virus (1980), has the same year+name as another movie (TMDB:41972)]

From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa, to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The directory aims to play a part in the distribution of academic output by building a forum for the study of film from a disciplined theoretical base.

This is in the form of an A-Z of reviews, longer essays and research resources. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters are discussed in addition to the politically charged works of the Japanese New Wave, making this a truly comprehensive volume.

The list is based on the contents of the Book, sorted by chapters:

• Film of the Year
• Alternative Japan
• Anime / Animation
• Chambara / Samurai Cinema
• Contemporary Blockbusters
• Jidaigeki & Gendaigeki / Period & Contemporary
• J-Horror / Japanese Horror
• Kaiju Eiga / Monster Movies
• Nuberu Bagu / The Japanese New Wave
• Pinku Eiga / Pink Films
• Yakuza / Gangster

More information on this is also aviable on http://worldcinemadirectory.co.uk/!

List for the 2nd edition: http://trakt.tv/users/sp1ti/lists/directory-of-world-cinema-japan-2

Updated Jan 2022

Clasic movies from asia.

Cinema Samurai is a Versátil's collection that came with 6 genre films.
https://www.versatilhv.com.br/departamento/71780/0510/cinema-samurai

Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films, which feature numerous martial arts fights between characters. These fights are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently featured in training scenes and other sequences in addition to fights. Martial arts films commonly include other types of action, such as hand-to-hand combat, stuntwork, chases, and gunfights.