One of the best mini-series of all time is (finally) coming to Blu-Ray. James Clavell’s Shogun, directed by Jerry London, may have been the best thing Richard Chamberlain ever – and it introduced Japanese star Toshiro Mifune to his biggest American audience. The plot had Chamberlain’s John Blackthorne, and English navigator going from being shipwrecked off the coast of Japan to becoming part of warlord Toranaga’s efforts to become Shogun. The mini-series was notable for not employing subtitles, so viewers had to not only follow the complex plotlines, but figure out what was being said. Even with that couldn’t keep Shogun from becoming a ratings giant. The Blu-Ray set, due July 22nd, includes a series of featurettes under the heading The Making of Shogun, a series of Historical Perspective Featurettes and Select Scene Commentary by Jerry London. For more details, check out the press release following the jump. LANDMARK TELEVISION EVENT STARRING RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN MAKES HIGH DEFINITION DEBUT SHOGUN Groundbreaking, Critically-Acclaimed Miniseries Arrives On Spectacular Blu-ray™ July 22, Packed With Fascinating Multi-Part Special Features And Commentary From Director Jerry London HOLLYWOOD, Calif.– Journey to the brutal, thrilling world of 17th century feudal Japan with SHOGUN, the unforgettable adventure based on the bestselling novel from James Clavell. Winner of three Golden Globes® and three Emmys®, the three-part miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain arrives for the first time on stunning Blu-ray July 22 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The sweeping story of love and war follows John Blackthorne (Chamberlain), an English navigator shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. Rescued, he becomes an eyewitness to a deadly struggle involving Toranaga (Toshiro Mifune), a feuding warlord intent on becoming Shogun – the supreme military dictator. At the same time, Blackthorne is irresistibly drawn into the turmoil and finds himself vying to become the first-ever Gai-Jin (foreigner) to be a made a Samurai Warrior. One of the most watched miniseries of all time, the SHOGUN Blu-ray collection arrives with remastered picture and sound in a special three-disc set including nearly two hours of compelling features that delve into the fascinating world of the epic adventure. In addition to two multi-part features, “The Making Of Shogun” and “Historical Perspective Featurettes,” the Blu-ray collection of SHOGUN also features commentary from director Jerry London. The SHOGUN Blu-ray will be available in 1080p with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Restored Mono (Dolby Digital), German Mono (Dolby Digital), French Mono (Dolby Digital), and Japanese Mono (Dolby Digital). The discs also include English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles. The Blu-ray is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated 14A in Canada. It will be available for the suggested retail price of $85.00 U.S. and $94.00 Canada. The disc breakdown is as follows: Disc One: · Part 1 Special Feature
- The Making of Shogun (SD)
- A Novel Adventure
- The Cast
- Nagashima
- Toho Studios
- Cultures Collide
- The Art of Shogun
- The Erasmus and The Galley
- Controversy
- The Earthquake
- Escape From Osaka Castle
- The Blockade
- Post Production
- Shogun Makes History
Disc Two: · Part 2 Special Feature · Historical Perspective Featurettes (SD) o The Samurai o The Tea Ceremony o The Geisha Disc Three: · Part 3 Special Feature · Commentary by Director Jerry London on Select Scenes (SD) o Blackthorne’s Arrival at the Castle o Blackthorne at Ochiba’s Party o The Crazy Dance o Lord Buntaro Shoots Arrows o Blasting of the Fishing Boats o The Arrival of Toranaga o Blackthorne Rebuilds His Ship CBS Home Entertainment manages the worldwide DVD and Blu-ray businesses for the CBS Corporation across all lines of content including current hits and classic series from the vast CBS library, as well as new releases from Showtime Video. CBS Home Entertainment products are released on the CBS DVD and CBS Blu-ray labels. Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment, digital and television distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for certain DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and distribution across worldwide digital and television distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies. SHOGUN BLU-RAY Street Date: July 22, 2014 Suggest retail price: $85.00 U.S. / $94.00 CAN Catalog #: 7914498 Runtime: Approx. 9 hrs, 8 min U.S. Rating: Not Rated CAN Rating: 14A