Japanese Death Poem

A Buddhist monk searches for mystical texts. French lords and ladies tell stories to pass the time. African warriors fight against European conquerors. These and other fascinating stories stem from some of the world's greatest literary masterpieces. Yet as different as they are, each reflects a common impulse: our need to tell stories. Whether around the campfire, between the covers of a great book, or in the theater, this urge to express life's meaning is a human constant.

The John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection boxes together eight films from a star-and-director team rivaled only by Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, or Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Maybe. Revisiting the set - which, even with its major omissions, gathers the lion's share of the Wayne/Ford collaborations - it's tough to consider any rivals. The liberal Ford and the conservative Wayne had nothing in common politically, but artistically, they're perfectly in sync. WHV now introduces a ten-disc set featuring eight of the team's finest collaborations: The Searchers: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1956), Stagecoach: Special Edition (1939), Fort Apache (1948), The Long Voyage Home (1940), Wings of Eagles (1957), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948), They Were Expendable (1945), 3 Godfathers (1948).