Dersu Uzala (1975) – Imprint Films Limited Edition

Akira Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala is a film by an artist in transition. Released in 1975 and the Oscar winner of Best Foreign Language Film in 1976, Dersu Uzala is Kurosawa’s one Oscar win that wasn’t honorary, and it could be considered the beginning of the final act of Kurosawa’s career.  After the box office failure of Dodes’-ka-den and his subsequent suicide attempt, Kurosawa was despondent, until Soviet Union studio Mosfilm approached him and his writing team for a joint Japanese-Soviet film production. Kurosawa, who was always fond of Russian literature, chose the true story of a friendship between a Russian surveyor captain and a native Siberian hunter-tracker. Kurosawa was given full creative control, and this was the first film that Kurosawa shot in 70mm film. The film proved to be a worldwide box office success, returning Kurosawa to world acclaim and honor. Over the years, this is a film that probably is not in the conversation as much as Kurosawa’s other films but is just as deserving of attention.

Akira Kurosawa is probably my favorite film director, and before the Imprint Blu-Ray was released, I had not seen Dersu Uzala before. I am often in awe of his films, and they are not casual viewings for me. I was waiting for a quality release before seeing it, and Imprint delivers here with a remarkable Blu-Ray loaded with special features. As for the film itself, Dersu Uzala is Kurosawa at his most humanistic and empathetic; in fact, this may be his warmest film since Ikiru, despite being set in Siberia. Later works would show Kurosawa withdrawing from that outlook, as his cynicism took over, but this has very little of that jaded worldview. This is also a big-scale film for Kurosawa, filming on location, and taking more than a year to shoot, as Kurosawa wanted to realistically photograph the changing of the seasons in the Russian Far East. 

It is the friendship between Captain Vladimir Arsenyev (Yury Solomin) and hunter-tracker Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk) that is the main thrust of the story; while Arsenyev’s fellow soldiers at first do not give Dersu much consideration, Dersu proves time and again of his use, saving the men several times, and saving Arsenyev’s life when he and Dersu get stranded in the Russian tundra.  Arsenyev and Dersu become close, and the film charts the life of their friendship and companionship.

Dersu Uzala is a beautiful, emotional saga that blends the epic and the intimate together in the manner that Kurosawa does so well. Dersu knows only his life on the tundra, and his knowledge and respect for nature is a constant, and Captain Arsenyev comes to admire and revere Dersu. But over the years, Dersu’s skills atrophy with age, and once Dersu is taken out of his element, he has difficulty coping with civilization, which tests his and Arsenyev’s friendship. 

Visually, the film is stunning, and the camerawork feels like it comes from nature itself – the colors are lush, and vibrant, even in the cold snowbanks of the countryside, and the sunrises and sunsets seem to burn with a fierce light. You can feel Kurosawa’s love of nature and harmony in the cinematography; it’s as if the camera is a dispassionate observer of these people as they attempt to traverse the vast expanse of the Russian Far East.

Dersu Uzala was Akira Kurosawa’s first film since Dodes’-ka-den five years earlier, but he directs the film with the confidence and the skills that he’s always had. Akira Kurosawa would not direct again for another five years, having difficulty securing funds and producers for his meticulous, perfectionist style, and Dersu Uzala feels like a forgotten film in Kurosawa’s catalog.  But it is just as alive, and as vibrant, as his best work, and I’m very happy that Imprint has released what is probably the definitive release of this film on Blu-Ray.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Imprint Films brings Dersu Uzala to Blu-Ray as a single-disc, region-free standard Blu-Ray, with a sturdy slipcase outside the Blu-Ray keepcase. Spine Number for this release is #158. At startup, the disc goes to an opening menu featuring the disc cover art and the standard play, special feature, and audio and subtitle options.

Akira Kurosawa did not butt heads often with the Russian film producers, but in one particular incident, Kurosawa lost the battle.  Kurosawa, in shooting in 70mm, wanted to use Fujifilm or Kodak for his cinematography needs, but the Russian film agency insisted in using their homeland brand of 70mm film stock. Sadly, it was an inferior stock, and Dersu Uzala shows its age a little bit, with some bits of faded color, soft resolution, and flickering.  That said, this is probably the best this film will ever look, and even through the defects in the stock, Kurosawa and cinematographers Asakazu Nakai, Yuri Gantman, and Fyodor Dobronravov give everything an appropriate scale and glow.

The Blu-Ray video is in 1080p, and unlikely to be improved upon, due to the weathering of the source print, but the vistas, wide scope shots, and the colors are vibrant and bright. Unless a complete and cost-prohibitive remastering of the original film happens, this is the best the film has ever looked. There is no detail about the restoration in the set, other than the discussion in the special features.

The sound is in lossless HD DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, with original Russian language and English dub options. The sound mix is mostly center, as this is an older film, and the dialogue is easily heard and understood. The score, by Isaak Shvarts, is strong and powerful, with only a little film hiss to distract.  Again, this is likely the best the film will look and sound from the source material, unless a new master shows up down the road.

If finally having the film on Blu-ray wasn't enough, Imprint has loaded this disc with an incredible array of informative bonus features to absorb. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Stuart Galbraith IV - This is a first-rate audio commentary with special guests from Russian film history and Japanese film history to help fill in the gaps of Galbraith’s knowledge. Galbraith wrote the phenomenal Akira Kurosawa/Toshiro Mifune biography The Emperor and The Wolf and is one of the foremost authorities of Kurosawa’s work, and he brings his vast knowledge and understanding of context to the film. If you can find it - as it’s currently out-of-print - I highly recommend The Emperor and the Wolf as well; it does a remarkable job of documenting Kurosawa and Mifune’s friendship.
• Mapping Kurosawa - A History of Dersu Uzala (HD, 23:17) Film historian and Akira Kurosawa expert Michael Brooke describes the historical context of Dersu Uzala and how it fits into Kurosawa’s filmography.  This is a highly informative bullet point essay for those who do not have the time to hear the commentary, as Brooke goes into detail about Kurosawa’s career and how the film came to be. Brooke is genuinely invested, and his enthusiasm is infectious.
• Sounds of the Taiga (HD, 18:00) This is a video essay by music historian David Schecter, on Isaak Shvart’s remarkable score.  Schecter gives us context on how the score came to be, and Shvarts’ collaborations with Kurosawa to give DERSU UZALA its signature sound and music.
• Interviews with Yuri Solomin:
• Interview One (HD 03:54) Yuri Solomin’s knowledge and experience with the author of the novel, and real-life captain Vladimir Arsenyev
• Interview Two (HD 09:05) Yuri Solomin’s recollections of working with Akira Kurosawa, As a renowned Russian actor, you can see Solomin light up as he talks about working with Kurosawa. This segment was very enlightening.
• Interview Three (HD 06:57) Yuri Solomin’s recollections of the film shoot, working with actor Maxim Munzuk, and his memories on set.  All three interviews are fun and informative.
• Making the Film (HD, 5:03)  This is an archival making-of Russian short, showing Kurosawa at work directing, and the film’s presentation at the 1975 Moscow Film Festival.
• Archive footage of the real Vladimir Arsenyev (HD, 0:53) Dersu Uzala is a true story, and a beloved one in Russian history. This is a brief segment, showing Captain Vladimir Arsenyev and his soldiers at work.
• Trailer (HD, 2:27) This is the theatrical trailer from Roger Corman’s studio, New World Pictures. Corman was a huge fan of Kurosawa and bought Dersu Uzala for release in the United States.  Because of Corman’s involvement, Dersu Uzala was screened for Academy members, who nominated and awarded Dersu Uzala the Oscar for Best Foreign Language picture. This is the trailer for the United States’ domestic release.

While Criterion has released special editions of most of Akira Kurosawa’s films, Imprint Films has done fans of the director a huge service with this release. This was a major period of Kurosawa’s life – his return to filmmaking after his attempted suicide and his struggles with depression, his first 70mm film, and his first and only production outside of Japan. This makes Dersu Uzala particularly important in Kurosawa’s filmography. It also helps that the film is a beautiful, devastating masterpiece, a mediation on the power of nature, and a friendship that spans the years. For anyone who is a fan of Akira Kurosawa, this is a must-see, and it fills a space in his filmography that is essential to understand. Although the picture has shown its age, the special features and the quality of the film itself more than make up for it. Highly Recommended