Please accept my apologies in advance if this is against any rules.

I have never watched an Akira Kurosawa film. How would I go about doing that?

I’m aware of the Criterion stuff, but it seems expensive if I don’t even know if I’m going to like it (I have weird neuroses around movies; consequently, I don’t watch many). Additionally I just don’t want any more plastic in my house, if you know what I mean.

Any advice would be very much appreciated – thanks!

Edit: thanks very much everyone for the constructive conversation. I’ll get an account at the library since I’d like to support them, and go from there. Cheers!

  • triptrapper@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    7 days ago

    FWIW, The Criterion Channel is worth every penny. They have not enshittified one bit, and they do amazing work in curating, restoring and preserving older films. Not just classics like Kurosawa but more rare and obscure films too. They have themed collections that rotate every month. It’s like visiting an independent video store staffed by film scholars.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
    121·
    7 days ago

    Arr matey, I can’t give ya the best options to watch what you want without having to walk the plank!

    • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
      3·
      6 days ago
      • For
      • Most
      • Help
      • You

      Should google, some term that initially escapes me right now. But it’s all out there, one bold search away

  • Dagwood222@lemm.eeEnglish
    81·
    7 days ago

    Check your local library. Many still have extensive DVD collections and/or free streaming options.

  • klu9@lemmy.caEnglish
    6·
    7 days ago

    Others have already made good suggestions for older movies (libraries, Kanopy, Hoopla, Tubi, Archive.org etc). Also try buying second-hand physical media (DVDs, BDs).

    Specifically re an old Kurosawa movie, there are a couple of channels on Peertube with old movies they say are in the public domain (I am not a lawyer).

    A couple of such channels

    And ClassX has Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai

    There are also YouTube channels that claim to have public domain or licensed movies. I recently found an “all-in-one” site that collates movies from many such channels.

    If you don’t want to go via a third-party site like Cinetimes, you can try some supposedly-legally-free channels directly on YouTube:

    Warning: the movies on the channels are free, but not necessarily any good :) A lot of dross and only a few gems, unless you love trashy B-movies.

    A couple of possibly decent films (in my watchlist, haven’t seen them yet)

    All the ones I’ve given above are for video on demand (VOD), i.e. you pick what you want, press play and it starts.

    There are also linear channels, i.e. like old fashioned TV where things are shown according to a schedule and you see whatever’s on when you tune in. Nowadays sometimes called “live TV”, even when watching stuff made years ago. ( TheArchive.tv does both: VOD and one linear channel.)

    A lot of free linear channels (including some with old movies and TV shows) are available through different ways:

    • channels / apps on streaming devices like Roku, Firestick, Smart TVs etc
    • an app on your phone (currently, I use Televizo on Android)
    • an app on your computer (currently, I use Hypnotix on Linux)
    • websites

    For apps on your phone or computer, you might need to add a “playlist”: a big list of channels that you can pick from to watch. Currently, I use the English language playlist from iptv-org (over 2,000 channels from around the world).

    There is also the IOTV app for Roku, which I think uses the all languages playlist from iptv-org.

    Warning: using these playlists can mean a bunch of the included channels won’t work for you, e.g. because they are geoblocked to a specific country.

    Some example channels with older stuff:

    • lagoon8622@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      4·
      6 days ago

      Thank you very much for this detailed reply. I need to get PeerTube set up, in fact I’ve been needing to do it for a while. Thanks

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    Generally, you’d want to check if it’s on a streaming service you already have access to. That’s the fastest way.

    Then, check your library.

    If both of those fail, you run into choosing to hunt a copy down, or sail the seven seas.

    Stuff like Kurosawa has a big enough fan base that you’re very likely to be able to find used copies fairly cheap. The more obscure the movie, the harder it will be to find, and prices can vary depending on how much of a cult fan base it has. Sadly, eBay really is the best option in that regard. So you don’t always have to pony up for the more expensive editions.

    Since you don’t like accumulating plastic, you can always resell, or donate to your library, depending on how willing you are to lose money on the swap.

    You can check local message boards too. Sometimes folks will give stuff like that away. Pawn shops still occasionally have DVDs around. If you can find film buffs in your area and make friends with them, you may be able to borrow stuff, or have a movie night. Those of us with big collections do tend to like hosting movie nights to share the fun, though you have to rely on making connections with people that happen to have stuff you’re interested in.

    And, yeah, there’s file sharing options as well.

    • jagged_circle@feddit.nlEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      I highly recommend Stremio with a torrent plugin. Its a free streaming service that has the widest selection.

  • PsychoNaut@lemmy.mlEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    Your local library may have a free login available to you through Kanopy. They carry a rotating selection of Criterion films and other classic movies. My library offers 10 films a month.

  • ludrolAEnglish
    141·
    7 days ago

    If some streaming network picked it up than you could try that, sometimes it isn’t available anywhere so you need to resort to piracy.