Product Details

• Directors: Akira Kurosawa
• Format: Black & White, Import, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Msi Music/Super D
• DVD Release Date: April 25, 2006
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0002JC5XY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,692 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in Translation, November 30, 2008

By 

Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Most Beautiful (DVD)

I was surprized to see that "The Most Beautiful" was even available on DVD since it was a very early film of Kurosawa's. I got this edition and I see that there is a more recent production available. However, I HAVE to review this earlier production since it offers a most unique perspective.

First of all, this is a standard propaganda production about a group of young Japanese women who are working in an armaments factory. They are challenged to double their productivity over the next few weeks and the movie is about how they meet the challenge. A lot of rah-rah and not much insightful stuff. It may have been outstanding in comparison with other Japanese movies produced during the War but, let's face it, if this movie wasn't directed by Akira Kurosawa, nobody'd be watching it these days; not even the Japanese. I know that it was the only reason I rented it.

Forgive me for what I am about to say but the enjoyment factor in this film is the atrociously hilarious English subtitles. I laughed out loud a number of times during the movie. I wish I had written down the best of them but I just let the movie continue running. The subtitles reminded me of Jay Leno's "Headlines" where he would often use bizarre English translations on Chinese food menus. I recall one of the first odd subtitles that translated the surprized comments of some male workers coming upon an animated arguement between the women. "What is hell today" was how it was shown. I figured that the proper translation would have been "What the heck's going on now?" Someone was working too closely with a dictionary. A sign translated as "Don't Come In" was probaly a translation of "Keep Out", "Authorized Personnel Only", or "No Admittance". I was also surprized to see English profanity in the tranlations of the conversation of these proper young women. If I recall, one of the translation had a matronly woman saying something like, "I'm cleaning up this s**t. You all left this like s**t". These examples may not seem all that funny but, as I kept watching the movie, I found myself more engrossed in the subtitles than the plot. Incidently, as I was reading the subtitle options, I got the distinct impression that the producers of this film thought it was in Chinese.

I would love to sing the praises of Akira Kurosawa. I have now seen all but three of the movies that he directed. Unfortunately, in "The Most Beautiful" I found more to enjoy from the unnamed translator that the acclaimed director.