Harakiri (#302)

Following the collapse of his clan, an unemployed samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to be allowed to commit ritual suicide on the property. Iyi’s clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position, try to force his hand and get him to eviscerate himself—but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Harakiri, directed by Masaki Kobayashi is a fierce evocation of individual agency in the face of a corrupt and hypocritical system.

SPECIAL FEATURES

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition

Video introduction by Japanese-film historian Donald Richie

Excerpt from a rare Directors Guild of Japan video interview with director Masaki Kobayashi, moderated by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda

Video interviews with star Tatsuya Nakadai and screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto

Original theatrical trailer

Poster gallery (DVD only)

New English subtitle translation

PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Joan Mellen and a reprint of Mellen’s 1972 interview with Kobayashi