50 Classic Samurai (Chambara, Jidaigeki) Films
StephenClark 50 Classic Chambara and Jidaigeki style samurai films. Of course there are countless more but this is a good place to start for anyone interested in this genre. I intend to do more films in groups of 50 in the future until someday I can compile most if not all of these amazing films.
- Stephen Clark
- Stephen Clark
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The Betrayal
1966“ Tokuzo Tanaka's dark masterpiece is the story of a young samurai asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for his clan. After the son of a high ranking member of the clan murders a visiting dojo challenger from an opposing clan, Takuma (Raizo Ichikawa) a young honorable samurai is asked by his f*ture father in law to take the blame for this murder and go into hiding for a year after which he can return and his name will be cleared. Takuma accepts believing it is vital to the clans survival. While in exile the man who promises to clear his name dies and the only other man who knows the truth betrays him. Now a wanted criminal he is hunted by his former clan and by clan of the murdered samurai. Refusing to surrender he decides to fight to the death in an amazing final battle.
Stephen Clark „ - 2Up 1Down 0
Incident At Blood Pass
1970“ Mifune and Katsu made two movies together around 1970, this one and Zatoichi vs Yojimbo, an entry in the "blind swordsman" series. This one has significantly better direction (not surprising since Inagaki is one of the best) and production values and a more interesting ensemble of characters. For fans of the Zatoichi series, its fun seeing Katsu in such a different role. Mifune plays his usual laconic yojimbo character, however, a little more serious-minded than usual. The plot structure reminded me of Petrified Forest as a diverse group of characters assemble at the remote inn run by a miserly old man together with his romantically minded granddaughter. I like this film more each time I watch it due to the eccentric characters and their interactions. Although it's not an A list film on a par with many of Kurosawa, Kobayashi or even others by Inagaki (Samurai trilogy, Chushingura) its well done and fun. Definitely recommended for fans of Mifune and samurai movies.
Author: gkbazolo „ - 3Up 1Down 0
Eleven Samurai
1966 - 4Up 1Down 0
1965“ February 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii, a powerful man in the Tokugawa government, which has ruled Japan for 300 years. They suspect a traitor in their midst, and their suspicions fall on Niiro, an impoverished ronin who dreams of samurai status, and Kurihara, an aristocratic samurai who befriends Niiro. Niiro longs to identify his father, knowing he is a high-ranking official who will disclose himself only if Niiro achieves samurai status. With American ships in Japan's harbors, cynicism among the assassins, and change in the air, Niiro resolves to reach ends that may prove ephemeral. „ - 5Up 1Down 0
1968“ In this pitch-black action comedy by Kihachi Okamoto, a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin. Based on the same source novel as Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro, Kill! playfully tweaks samurai film convention, borrowing elements from established chanbara classics and seasoning them with a little Italian western. „ - 6Up 0Down 0
Three Outlaw Samurai
1964“ Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death „ - 7Up 0Down 0
Sword Devil
1965 - 8Up 0Down 0
Sasaki Kojiro
1967 - 9Up 0Down 0
Samurai Wolf 2
1967 - 10Up 0Down 0
Satans Sword: Final Chapter
1961 - 11Up 0Down 0
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
1972“ The first entry in a series of master pieces. Based very strongly upon the manga series `Lone Wolf and Cub' is most likely the best film series derived from comics. And truly great films as well. One cannot base one story on a single comic. There are so many elements in each. There is a basic story, but often times there are mixed with others. Little things are thrown in as well. Normally it would make any less a film seem crammed or just forced in. But it is pulled off brilliantly.
This film, the first entry is largely a set up for the sequels but still brilliant, from its beautiful camera shots to the extremely gory ascetic fights. It tells the story of how the main character Ogami Itto was exiled from his royal position as the Shoguns decapitator. It flashes from past to present until the entire past story is told. The ending fight is a great climax.
The sword work although at times seems fake is brilliantly choreographed. The gore in the film is not overly done, but rather thrown in to give it an artistic feel, as if you're watching a moving painting. Often times one may think every scene could very well be a panting.
Some aspects of the plot may seem odd to most western audiences. The scene where Ogami gives his son a choice between a ball and a sword. Or rather life or death, may strike many people as cold. However one must understand bushido and know that the way of the samurai is life in death. Ask yourself what would be worse taking your son on a trip as you kill men beyond number, or giving somewhat of a choice.
This film is truly beautiful, and hold up today as not just one of the greatest samurai films ever made, but films period.
Author: Jolgo 13 „ - 12Up 0Down 0
Under The Banner of Samurai
1969 - 13Up 0Down 0
The Last Samurai
1974“ Kenji Misumi was one of the preeminent Japanese chambara directors in the 1960's. A distinctive stylist who could elevate his films with emotional context. He was a regular Zatoichi director as well the main director for the exceptional Lone Wolf series in the 1970's. This is his last film and it is a high point of his career.
The film follows the story of Sugi Toranosuke, a ronin, who returns to his home town of Edo many years after his attempted suicide as a sickly child. Rescued and adopted by a master swordsman, he has grown into a master swordsman and a very kind gentleman. The time is around 1868 the year that the nails were finally put into the coffin containing the feudal system that nurtured and sustained the samurai. Sugi is confused and unsure about what is happening but his teacher wants him out of the chaos of the multiple power struggles between the various clans.
The story is very complex and features several important characters who disappear for a time and come back. Familiarity with the events of the time will help the viewer transverse the complexities of the different clans and who is who. For example, we are briefly shown Kondo, who is the leader of the Shogun's Shinsengumi force (but we are not told that) and later we are told his head is being publicly displayed. It's meaningless for anyone unfamiliar with Japanese history.
Regardless the movie is very well made and the story of Suga thru this chaotic time is compelling. Director Misumi, who is known for his stylistic flourishes, keeps the movie restrained but the the visuals retain his signature style. Viewers expecting the strong visuals of the Lone Wolf series won't be entirely disappointed but Misumi directs this film in a more serious tone. The sound track is by Akira Ikufube, better known for his Godzilla themes. It actually gives the film a feeling that it was made in the early 1960's and that might have been purposeful by Misumi. Many of his films show his high disdain for the samurai times and this film certainly keeps up with that theme. It's almost as if this film was trying to end the chambara genre once and for all. Certainly the genre had petered out by 1975.
Author: Chung Mo from NYC „ - 14Up 0Down 0
Sanjuro
1962“ Akira Kurosawa is probably the best Director in the entire History of film-making. He has not been that prolific given the amount of time he has spent making films, but many of these have subsequently been remade - Seven Samurai became the magnificent seven. Yoijimbo (the prequel to this one) became A fistful of dollars - and more recently last man standing. The hidden Fortress became Star Wars. Sanjuro marked the return of Toshiro Mifune as the Sardonic Ronin from Yoijimbo. Yet again, the photography is excellent - the period costumes and buildings beautiful to look at even in black and white. From one of the first scenes, in the grounds outside the Shrine, Mifune shows a 500% improvement in the art of Kenjutso - he must have been practicing night and day! But it is the character of Sanjuro itself that makes the film so absorbing. He is on the surface, a dirty, disrespectful abrasive man - but his deeds portray him as a hero - someone who once was a shining example of a Samurai and despite being put through the ringer still holds to a deeply rooted code of honor. When this shows however, he is most anxious to cover it up again..... The film involves a power struggle within a small city in Japan between the old faction and the new power-hungry one. It deals with false perceptions and truth. Two of the tenets that are at the heart of Kurosawa's films. This is a Gem - rent it - if you can, Buy it!
Author: Dan Marcus „ - 15Up 0Down 0 1969“ Gosha knocks it out of the park in this tale of an honorable samurai at odds with his former clan and their evil deeds. After a shipment of shogunate gold crashes on a beach near a village, the Sabai clan led by a brutal chamberlain (Tetsuro Tanba) hatch a plan to steal the gold and slaughter all the villagers, to eliminate witnesses. The chamberlains best friend and brother in law Magobei (Tasuya Nakadai) is outraged by such brutality and severs ties to his clan. Leaving behind his home and wife he becomes a Ronin doing sword demonstrations for money. One night assassins try to kill him, he learns that his former clan intends to repeat their murderous plans, and fearing his interference they order him killed. Finding help from a government spy (Kinnosuke Nakamora), and the sole survivor of the first massacre (Ruriko Asaoka) Magobei commits himself to stopping his former clan no matter what the cost.
Stephen Clark „ - 16Up 0Down 0 1972“ Kozure Okami:Sanzu no Kawa no Ubaguruma/Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart at the River Styx(1972) is made up of a few episodes from graphic novel series. One part of story is loosely based on an episode called EIGHT GATES OF DECEIT. The sub plot involving the masters of death is inspired by THE FLUTE OF THE FALLEN TIGER. The part where Daigoro is used as bait to lure out Ogami Itto is based on another episode known as EXECUTIONER'S HILL. The bits and pieces from the different stories are sown together to form an exciting samurai flick.
First few minutes produce a stunning sequence of action mis-en-scene. Baby Cart at the River Styx(1972) is the best of the six film series because of complex character development, interesting story, and outstanding action sequences. The Chimes heard by Ogami Itto and his son, Daigoro during early moments of film are a reminder for them of their painful past. Humorous moment occurs when an owner of a hotel inn takes in Itto and son(Lone Wolf gave him gold pieces to watch over) after thinking of not taking them in moments earlier. There is a brilliant 360 to 180 degree pan of the camera that features an effective tight close up to display expressions of intuition from faces of Ogami Itto and Daigoro.
Places a little more focus into the code and demeanor of Ogami Itto than Part One. Ogami Itto as the Lone Wolf lives by Meifumado as a way towards restoring his family name while at the same time take revenge on the Yagyu clan. Ogami Itto kills without emotion yet a shed of humanity is somewhere within his soul. He is an action character of three dimensional depth that is rare for an action picture. Ogami Itto intriques me as a character of graphic novels and for this instance film because of his strong paternal presence.
Author: Marquis De Cinema from Boston Mass „ - 17Up 0Down 0 1973“ Five swordsmen hire Ogami, each revealing a portion of his mission as they are defeated in this fifth entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. After defeating the swordsmen, Ogami discovers his mission is to save a clan's honor by killing its royal family. The senile lord of the clan has substituted his daughter (raised as a boy) to be the heir he never had. In addition to murdering the lord, his concubine, and the girl, Ogami must stop a document revealing the deception from reaching the hands of Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Daigoro is again separated from Ogami in a delicate sequence revealing much about the relationship between father and son, and finding young Daigoro learning to maintain honor in the face of injustice. After seeking out the lord and carrying out his mission in a final battle within the castle, father and son become closer than ever as they follow the road to their final battle. Graced with the finest photography of the series, along with excellent action set pieces, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons is noted as possibly the best (as well as the grimmest) of the series. „
- 18Up 0Down 0 1972“ Fourth chapter in the great franchise and (in my opinion) the best film in the series. Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) is hired to kill a "tattooed woman" who is using her martial arts skills to seek revenge. In the meantime, the evil Yagyu clan is still trying to kill Ogami and his son. Director Misumi shows no signs of exhaustion, still delivering a complex movie in a very economical manner. I'm always amazed at how many plot twists the director is able to handle in a relatively short amount of time. The fight sequences get better and better, and the subplots are always very interesting. Kazuo Miyagawa's breathtaking color cinematography is again a big plus, and the work of editor Toshio Taniguchi is exemplary. I don't think I've had this much fun with another franchise. So far, Misumi's work has been consistently great. Bloody, stylish and very entertaining.
Author: Hal 9000 from U.S „ - 19Up 0Down 0 1972“ The third Baby Cart film is probably my favorite one. Ogami Itto dispatches of a group of ninja hidden in the treetops and is challenged to a duel by a more than capable ronin all in the first 10 minutes of the film. He refuses to fight the ronin saying "You are a great warrior and I wish to see you live on". At an inn Itto and Daigaro come to the aid of a women being pursued by the infamous Bohachimono. Itto offers to undergo the dreaded Buri Buri water torture in her place. Itto discovers their leader is the former chamberlain of a lord he executed as the shoguns executioner. The chamberlain asked Itto to kill the man responsible for the lords death and the destruction of his former clan. He travels to the town where his target is and all hell breaks loose. Great action throughout as Itto battles his targets bodyguards, as well as the still pursuing Yagyu Clan, and when all that's over the ronin from the beginning shows back up to finish their battle. The body count is massive.
Stephen Clark „ - 20Up 0Down 0
Destiny's Son
1962“ The same year he directed the first of the Zatoichi series, Kenji Misumi directed this tale based on a famous novel by Renzaboro Shibata. With an eye for composition, Misumi created an amazing bit of visual cinema.
The story follows the adult life of Shingo, a humble orphan raised by a low ranking samurai. He decides to to wander Japan for three years and returns with an unexpected new skill; he can bring swordsmen to their knees quaking in fear just with a sword pose. This technique, unfortunately brings tragedy to Shingo's family and he ends up wandering in misery after they are killed by jealous samurai.
There are marked similarities with Misumi's later film, "Ken Ki" which is also based on a book by Renzaboro Shibata. Unfortunately in this film, unlike "Ken Ki" and like many other films based on a famous novel, much of the story seems to be told in short hand as if the audience is expected to be familiar with the story and characters already. It's a testament to Misumi's talent that the movie works so well visually, we can forgive the odd jumps in time and the sparse character development. Curious since the movie is unusually short for a Japanese film. By 40 minutes in the movie settles down and everything works much better dramatically. Some of the shots are amazing masterpieces of composition. The action is well done.
Author: Chung Mo from NYC „ - 21Up 0Down 0 1965“ This early Hideo Gosha jidai-geki that was released by Criterion opens quite abruptly with a ronin named Gennosuke being hunted down for having killed his clan's counsellor. We're at 1857, on the brink of the Meiji reformation that saw Japan opening to the west after years of seclusion and the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The central plot revolves around the struggle between the old and new in a country on the verge of change. Although short in duration (clocking in at 85 minutes), the story never lets up with numerous twists and a fast pace. A series of events will find Gennosuke and a prospector he meets along the way searching for gold in a mountain, until they get caught up in another clan's schemes. Nothing is what it seems though, and therein lies the beauty of Sword of the Beast. As the story progresses both forwards and backwards (with glimpses in Gennosuke's past in the form of flashbacks), the characters' motives are fully fleshed out and this provides the extra dramatic oomph that pushes Sword of the Beast above "merely OK" territory. Behind all the swordfighting (and there's enough of it to be enjoyed here, certainly not Lone Wolf and Cub though), Gosha has a story to communicate.
With beautiful natural exteriors photographed in stark black and white, confident directing from Gosha, very good swordfighting scenes from actors who know their trade and decent performances all around, Sword of the Beast should appeal to all jidai-geki fans. It's neither as monolithic and tragic as Masaki Kobayashi's work from the same time nor as lyrical as Kurosawa's, but it stands somewhere in the middle, stripped to the essentials with a focus on story and theme.
Author: Chaos Rampant from Greece „ - 22Up 0Down 0 1966“ Imagine your favorite action movie, then take out all the cheesy one-liners ("Asta la vista, baby!"), the irritating sidekick, the love interest, the techno-porn, and the off-handed moralistic ending. Then add a Commando-league body count, incredible swordplay, and great photography, and you've got Sword of Doom. This is a wrenching, visceral drama about an antagonist armed not with a stolen nuclear device, but with the best sword-fighting skills in Japan and a psychopath's indifference to human life. Unlike other more recent movies that try to portray the same raw, killing-machine kind of character, Sword of Doom does not resort to grimy photography or an adolescent delight in visual assault. Instead you get pure, distilled, ultra-kinetic fighting suffused with a thrilling coldness.
Author: Alcibiade Del Mezzogiorno „ - 23Up 0Down 0
Tenchu (Hitokiri)
1969 - 24Up 0Down 0
Samurai Wolf
1966 - 25Up 0Down 0
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven In Hell
1974“ These movies were infamous for their incredibly brutal and bloody swordplay sequences, but equally impressive IMHO was the leading actor- Tomisaburo Wakayama a.k.a. "Lone Wolf" was surely the greatest martial arts star ever. The command and authority with which he wielded a sword (and other weapons) was just phenomenal. The blade truly was an extension of himself, and his use of it was the definition of lethal, with none of the unnecessary/show-off flourishes so desperately thrown about by today's wannabes. He had incredible presence and charisma- easily on a par with the likes of say Eastwood or Bronson- with eyes that reflected pure death, and the desolation in his soul. There were moments in the "Babycart" series where you'd swear he was the personification of his namesake, the Wolf. You never doubted for one second that he WAS shogun executioner, masterless samurai, assassin for hire. One look at him in action, and you could readily understand why his enemies trembled at the mention of his name, and ran from him in sheer terror. Alas, Lone Wolf is one with void now, but his legend will live on forever in these films. „ - 26Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: Adventure of Nemuri Kyoshiro
1964 - 27Up 0Down 0
Lady Snowblood
1973“ Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Though she dies in childbirth, she makes sure that the child will be raised as an assassin to kill the criminals who destroyed her family. Young Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge. „ - 28Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Mask of the Princess
1966 - 29Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Mysterious Sword of Kyoshiro
1965 - 30Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Swordsman and the Pirate
1965 - 31Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: Nemuri Kyoshiro at Bay
1964 - 32Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: Full Moon Cut
1964 - 33Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: Enter Nemuri Kyoshiro, the Swordsman
1963 - 34Up 0Down 0
Duel at Fort Ezo
1970 - 35Up 0Down 0
The Ambitious
1970 - 36Up 0Down 0
Red Lion
1969“ When winds of change sweep Japan, overthrowing three centuries of Shogunate Rule, Gonzo, a peasant, enlists in the Imperial Restoration Force, which promises to abolish the oppressive practices of the past. When the advance guard approaches his old hometown, he convinces his commander to let him ride ahead and prepare the locals for the advent of the New World Order.
When he triumphantly rides into town wearing the Red Lion Mane of Office he borrowed from his commander, he expects a warm welcome, but gets far more than he bargained for. His friends think he's going to save them, the incompetent local officials think he's after their heads, a secret band of Shogunate fanatics want him dead, and he can't even read his own proclamations! „ - 37Up 0Down 0
Samurai Rebellion
1967“ Samurai Rebellion is a stellar example of Japanese cinema in the 1960's. It also serves as a reminder that Kurosawa was not the only master filmmaker making movies in Japan, in fact there were several directors who were pushing not just Chambara but cinema in general to another level. Masaki Kobayashi was certainly one of these. A samurai film that replaces emphasis on action with lush and beautiful shot composition, rich characters, and a terrific plot. As well as a performance By Toshiro Mifune that will break all previous conceptions you may have had of this actor. Mifune plays Isaburo Sasahara, a loyal samurai with an overbearing wife he married for position instead of love. He is visited by the clan steward who tells him that one of the ladies in waiting at the castle has displeased the lord. The lord has ordered that Lady Ichi be married to Isaburo's son Yogoro. Having little choice Yogoro accepts the marriage to Lady Ichi. After some time Isaburo comes to like Ichi and Yogoro and her fall in love and have a child. It is then that a series of circumstances leads the lord to demand Ichi back. Isaburo is moved by his son's love for his bride, something he never had and convinces his son they should not give Ichi up. Their defiance of the lord even causes the rest of their family to turn against them, leaving father and son all alone in their fight for Ichi.
Stephen Clark „ - 38Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Sword that Saved Edo
1966 - 39Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: A Trail of Traps
1967 - 40Up 0Down 0
Seppuku
1962 - 41Up 0Down 0
Warring Clans
1963 - 42Up 0Down 0
Satans Sword
1960 - 43Up 0Down 0
Satans Sword: Dragon God
1960 - 44Up 0Down 0
Yojimbo
1961“ Classic samurai action pic; often imitated but never equalled. Mifune creates a memorable character (who appeared in a sequel) in the Ronin who decides the course of his life on the toss of a stick, and ends up risking his life to save a village full of peasants he finds revolting. It's possible to see "Yojimbo's" actions as either heroic or as the game of a bored warrior in need of amusement -- as often in Kurosawa's films, the fact that the characters' motives remain open to interpretation adds depth to the film.
Wonderful images, and skillful direction that keeps the pace of the storytelling tight and tells most of the story through images -- this is the kind of film that is so good it can be watched a silent film without losing too much of its impact or meaning.
I think that if Kurosawa had spent more of his time in litigation and less making movies, he might have made a living for the rest of his life off all the movies that have ripped off this movie. Certainly Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character owes a lot to Mifune's contribution; not only in Leone's films (the first of which borrows its entire plot from Kurosawa; a court settlement ensued which made sure Kurosawa made most of the profits from "Fistful of Dollars" in Asia his own) but also in Eastwood's best film as a director -- "High Plains Drifter", which borrows scenes such as Eastwood's rebuke of the villagers from "Yojimbo".
The really funny thing about all this, and what not too many American critics or audiences have noted, is that "Yojimbo" is itself a western. All the ingredients for a western are here, and the film's plot and style obviously owe a debt to Zinnemann's "High Noon". "Yojimbo" even borrows the device of time, setting up a confrontation at 3:00 a.m. as shouted by the town crier. I like "Yojimbo" better than "High Noon", so I don't want to go too far into this line of thought...
Author: FunkyFry from Oakland California „ - 45Up 0Down 0
Shingo's Challenge
1961 - 46Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Castle Managerie
1969 - 47Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Human Tarantula
1968 - 48Up 0Down 0
Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Ronin Called Nemuri
1968 - 49Up 0Down 0
Throne of Blood
1957“ As most people know, this is Shakespeare's Macbeth rendered by Kurosawa into Noh format for cinema. Not for nothing is Akira Kurosawa regarded as Japan's greatest director, for this is the best cinematic version of any Shakespeare play (and also one of Kurosawa's best films). Kurosawa had the advantage of working in a different language (Japanese), so he didn't have to agonize over the usual dilemma - whether to use Shakespeare's rotund oratory and blank verse (which is glorious, but goes badly on screen). Kurosawa essentially translates Shakespeare's poetry into visual images, while keeping dialogue to a minimum. He also had the good fortune of accessing two great cultures - European literature and Japanese visual art (he was originally a painter before entering cinema as a set-designer). There are many painterly images reminiscent of Ukiyo-e (e.g. Washizu full of arrows).
The Noh style of acting (like Kabuki, but more refined) seems stilted and exaggerated for the first few minutes; then you realize that is ideally suited to a story like this - more natural acting would seem out of place, as other Macbeth-movies go to prove.
The Japanese title of this film translates as "Cobweb Castle" (or Spider City) and this really should have been the title in English. The film is full of the notion of spiders spinning webs (and plots) in secret. It is worth noting that the witch (or "monster") is first seen with a ghostly spinning-wheel. This symbolizes the thread of fate, but also reflects the cobweb theme.
The story is sometimes slow-moving, but you have to realize that this is a story of insidious slow rot (hence the references to spiders and cobwebs). The decay is punctured by occasional bursts of violent action, as befits the story. The black-and-white picture adds to the creepiness, and the atmosphere is so thick that the movie works more effectively than "Ran" (Kurosawa's more polished Shakespeare-adaptation).
Author: Professer Losthiswits from Cyberia „ - 50Up 0Down 1
Shinobi No Mono
1962“ Raizô Ichikawa plays Ishikawa Goemon, a legendary bandit hero in this Japanese trilogy set during the reign of Oda Nobunaga--the man who nearly conquered all of Japan during the 16th century (before this, the country was split into many disunited kingdoms). The problem with this is that after I researched about the real life Goemon, I found that very little is known about the man and so over the years Japanese plays and movies have taken great liberties with who the man MIGHT have been. In this movie, Goemon is a ninja--though other sources I read didn't make mention of this nor did I read about him trying to assassinate Nobunaga, but another man (Hideyoshi)--but this isn't even certain.
In this film, the ninjas are not just lone agents of death or spies but are an organized group led by an inscrutable man whose real goals and machinations are a bit hard to follow, as he plays so many different angles. The one fairly constant thing about the boss is his desire to see Nobunaga die, as he apparently represents a threat to their way of life. Initially, Goemon is give great responsibility and power within ninjadom (Is that a word? Well, it should be if it isn't.). However, Goemon is too proud and not especially careful (even though his father warned him) and he falls into a trap--a trap that obligates him to personally murder the seemingly indestructible Nobunaga.
I'll be honest here--the plot was so convoluted and hard to follow at times that I had to struggle to keep watching. This is NOT the easiest Japanese series for a Westerner to follow--not nearly as easy as Ichikawa's "Sleepy Eyes of Death" series or Kitano's "Zatoichi" series. Now this isn't to say it's bad--just a bit tougher to follow--and I already DID know quite a bit about Nobunaga and his dream of forcibly unifying Japan.
Overall, while you'd think this is a big action movie, it isn't. Sure, there's some fighting but the emphasis is much more on the behind the scenes stuff and the conniving--not the battles or even many of the assassination attempts. I liked the movie but was far from in love with it. I will have to see the final two films to see what I think of the overall product, though I do love the idea of a story so big it takes several films to complete (such as the epic "Samurai" series from the 1950s).
Author: PlanktonRules „
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50 Classic Samurai (Chambara, Jidaigeki) Films at 10/23/2012 5:30 AM
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