The story of the forty-seven ronin of Ako avenging their fallen master is a significant historical event in Japanese history that has practically gone down as a legend. The events that transpired have frequently been retold in media, most notably in literature through the fictionalized accounts known as “Chushingura.” In addition, many retellings of the vengeful retainers' plot for revenge have been depicted in traditional theater and in cinema. Filmmakers that have directed their depictions include Kenji Mizoguchi, Kunio Watanabe, and Hiroshi Inagaki. Of the countless cinematic renditions, one of the more underrated and unique is Kon Ichikawa's “47 Ronin.”
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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
- 5/4/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
The samurai special police force known as the Shinsengumi has been solidified as a significant part of Japanese history. The army of passionate warriors organized by the bakufu did everything in their power to try and protect the Tokugawa shogunate, as political conflict, bloodshed and war spread across Japan. Despite their controversial reputation, they remain popular in pop culture and entertainment. Various media would depict them, from anime to J-dramas to movies. One of the most popular feature films to adapt the true story of these violent warriors is Tadashi Sawashima’s “Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor.”
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Director Tadashi Sawashima is primarily known for directing yakuza features. Still, he was no stranger to period pieces, so he is a fitting filmmaker to tell the story of the controversial bakufu swordsmen. Writing the screenplay is Kenro Matsuura and producing the...
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Director Tadashi Sawashima is primarily known for directing yakuza features. Still, he was no stranger to period pieces, so he is a fitting filmmaker to tell the story of the controversial bakufu swordsmen. Writing the screenplay is Kenro Matsuura and producing the...
- 12/16/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Miyamoto Musashi has been solidified in history for his phenomenal skills as a swordsman. As such, he’s been depicted in cinema for decades. His story has been shown as a hopeful journey in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy” or as a Zen-seeking quest in Tomu Uchida’s five-part film series. The ronin would even be used as a symbol of patriotism in the propaganda feature “Miyamoto Musashi,” directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Yet, the famed warrior was far from perfect, and there was more to him besides his sword skills. He was also a human and one with imperfections for that matter. These complexities are showcased in Tai Kato’s gritty but human jidaigeki epic “Miyamoto Musashi.” An alternative title for the picture is “Sword of Fury.”
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
After being in the shadows for far too long, in the last few years Tibetan cinema has found its voice and a representative in director Pema Tseden, whose works have found favour in festival circuits and arthouse audiences around the world. Other directors also have begun to emerge slowly, including Tseden’s own son Jigme Trigley, who makes his debut with “One and Four”, with the father also coming on board as producer.
One and Four is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
Late 1990s. On the Tibetan side of the Himalayas, somewhere in the mountains lives Sanggye, a Forest Ranger. His lonely days are passed trying to stay warm and feeding on the little food that doesn’t get frozen over. Today, he is rather hungover when there is a knock on his door and when he opens it, he is greeted by the barrel of a gun,...
One and Four is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
Late 1990s. On the Tibetan side of the Himalayas, somewhere in the mountains lives Sanggye, a Forest Ranger. His lonely days are passed trying to stay warm and feeding on the little food that doesn’t get frozen over. Today, he is rather hungover when there is a knock on his door and when he opens it, he is greeted by the barrel of a gun,...
- 7/20/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
“Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” much like the first entry of “The Samurai Trilogy,” was a financial and critical success. A lot transpired storywise, and the ending teased for a great follow-up. It was time for Hiroshi Inagaki to wrap things up for Musashi Miyamoto. More stakes are to be raised, and loose ends are to be tied. Upon release, the third and final entry in Inagaki’s rendition of the famous swordsman would perform well like the previous two. Musashi would now face off against his greatest opponent, Sasaki Kojiro, in the enjoyable finale “Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.”
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Following his newfound wisdom and immense regret for his failed awkward romantic advances on Otsu, Musashi Miyamoto retires his sword and pursues the life of a reserved commoner. He has taken in a younger apprentice and grown a liking for woodcutting. However, the...
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Following his newfound wisdom and immense regret for his failed awkward romantic advances on Otsu, Musashi Miyamoto retires his sword and pursues the life of a reserved commoner. He has taken in a younger apprentice and grown a liking for woodcutting. However, the...
- 7/20/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto” was a critical and box office success. It was time to continue the narrative in the second entry of “The Samurai Trilogy.” Inagaki would raise more stakes, and much of Musashi’s history would be covered, albeit in a more theatrically romanticized way. Also, a major player in the narrative would be introduced, one that would participate in a significant event in the life of Musashi Miyamoto. So much content would be covered in the entertaining follow-up “Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple.”
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A majority of the cast from the previous returned, but some were recast here. Rentaro Mikuni was replaced in the part of Matahachi Honiden by Sachio Sakai. This change was likely due to Mikuni’s demanding schedule as he became more and more of a popular star in Japan. The renowned talent would work with...
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A majority of the cast from the previous returned, but some were recast here. Rentaro Mikuni was replaced in the part of Matahachi Honiden by Sachio Sakai. This change was likely due to Mikuni’s demanding schedule as he became more and more of a popular star in Japan. The renowned talent would work with...
- 7/15/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
The famous swordsman Musashi Miyamoto has been depicted in entertainment countless times with various interpretations. Some depictions of him are grounded and closer to his known history, while other versions are more romanticized in nature with elements of truth. Eiji Yoshikawa would detail the samurai’s life in his grand novel “Musashi,” which loosely details the life of the skilled warrior but with a fictional spin. Yoshikawa’s version of events would be the template for countless cinematic adaptations. One of the most popular adaptations is “The Samurai Trilogy,” directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, a three-part epic chronicle of the life of Musashi. The trilogy would be off to a terrific start in the first entry, “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto.”
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As typical with the work of Hiroshi Inagaki, high production values would be on full display and this time in luscious Eastmancolor. With Toho being the production company,...
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As typical with the work of Hiroshi Inagaki, high production values would be on full display and this time in luscious Eastmancolor. With Toho being the production company,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” has won Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards. The Japanese film is only the second film from that country to win this prize competitively, following 2008’s “Departures.” Japan previously won three Honorary Oscars before the (previously named) Best Foreign Language Film category was instituted for films from 1956. Those honorees were Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon,” Teinosuke Kinugasa’s “Gate of Hell,” and Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto.”
“Drive My Car” was far and away the the favorite to win Best International Feature this year, and it stands as not just one of the most acclaimed international features of the year, but one of the most acclaimed films full stop. It was up against Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated Danish submission “Flee,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” (Italy), Bhutan’s entry “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” by Pawo Choyning Dorji,...
“Drive My Car” was far and away the the favorite to win Best International Feature this year, and it stands as not just one of the most acclaimed international features of the year, but one of the most acclaimed films full stop. It was up against Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated Danish submission “Flee,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” (Italy), Bhutan’s entry “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” by Pawo Choyning Dorji,...
- 3/28/2022
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
“I am a person rarely impressed by actors… but in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed. The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression. Toshirō Mifune needed only three feet,” said Akira Kurosawa.
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
- 2/4/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Onibaba
Blu ray
Criterion
1964/ 2.39:1/ 102 Minutes
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Directed by Kaneto Shindô
Kaneto Shindô’s Onibaba is a campfire tale not for the faint of heart. The director was just a child when he first heard the Buddhist fable about a bewitched matriarch, told to him by his own mother in lieu of a bedtime story. That evening, the child’s perception of the world, and the women in it, took on a new dimension. The movie Shindô made from those memories is unclassifiable—a Bergmanesque allegory filmed in a graceful yet spartan style with a healthy dose of Grand Guignol to mitigate its pretensions. Produced in 1964, the film is set in the medieval era just as civil war has leveled Kyoto, sending the populace scurrying to the hinterlands.
Shindô wrote the screenplay and he leaves it to one of his characters, a deserter named Hachi, to...
Blu ray
Criterion
1964/ 2.39:1/ 102 Minutes
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Directed by Kaneto Shindô
Kaneto Shindô’s Onibaba is a campfire tale not for the faint of heart. The director was just a child when he first heard the Buddhist fable about a bewitched matriarch, told to him by his own mother in lieu of a bedtime story. That evening, the child’s perception of the world, and the women in it, took on a new dimension. The movie Shindô made from those memories is unclassifiable—a Bergmanesque allegory filmed in a graceful yet spartan style with a healthy dose of Grand Guignol to mitigate its pretensions. Produced in 1964, the film is set in the medieval era just as civil war has leveled Kyoto, sending the populace scurrying to the hinterlands.
Shindô wrote the screenplay and he leaves it to one of his characters, a deserter named Hachi, to...
- 10/19/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The film features a 77-minute, single-shot action sequence.
US sales firm Princ Films has picked up Yuji Shimomura’s martial arts action film Crazy Samurai Musashi for international sales, which it is launching at this week’s Toronto Film Festival.
Shimomura’s third feature debuted at Barcelona’s Asian Summer Film Festival in July, before a North American premiere at Fantasia Film Festival last month.
Well Go USA has acquired rights for the US and Canada, with My Theater Dd releasing the film in Japan.
It features a 77-minute single-shot action sequence, which represents 85% of the film’s 91-minute runtime.
US sales firm Princ Films has picked up Yuji Shimomura’s martial arts action film Crazy Samurai Musashi for international sales, which it is launching at this week’s Toronto Film Festival.
Shimomura’s third feature debuted at Barcelona’s Asian Summer Film Festival in July, before a North American premiere at Fantasia Film Festival last month.
Well Go USA has acquired rights for the US and Canada, with My Theater Dd releasing the film in Japan.
It features a 77-minute single-shot action sequence, which represents 85% of the film’s 91-minute runtime.
- 9/12/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Wife of a SpyThe programme for the 2020 edition of the Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Gia Coppola, Lav Diaz, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Alice Rohrwacher, Gianfranco Rosi, Frederick Wiseman, Chloé Zhao, and more.COMPETITIONIn Between Dying (Hilal Baydarov)Le sorelle Macluso (Emma Dante)The World to Come (Mona Fastvold)Nuevo Orden (Michel Franco)Lovers (Nicole Garcia)Laila in Haifa (Amos Gitai)Dear Comrades (Andrei Konchalovsky)Wife of a Spy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)Sun Children (Majid Majidi)Pieces of a Woman (Kornél Mundruczó)Miss Marx (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Padrenostro (Claudio Noce)Notturno (Gianfranco Rosi)Never Gonna Snow AgainThe Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane)And Tomorrow The Entire World (Julia Von Heinz)Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Zbanic)Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesThe Ties (Daniele Luchetti)Lasciami Andare (Stefano Mordini)Mandibules (Quentin Dupieux)Love After Love (Ann Hui)Assandria (Salvatore Mereu)The Duke (Roger Michell)Night in Paradise (Park Hoon-jung)Mosquito...
- 8/3/2020
- MUBI
With Telluride Film Festival forced to cancel their yearly event, what is now the first of the major fall festivals, Venice, has announced their complete lineup. Along with Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, which was revealed yesterday, the lineup includes more of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Wife of a Spy, Gia Coppola’s Mainstream, Abel Ferrara’s Sportin’ Life, Lav Diaz’s Genus Pan, Mona Fastvold’s The World to Come, Kornél Mundruczó’s Pieces of a Woman, Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno, and more.
There were also a few surprises in the lineup. Luca Guadagnino has directed a new documentary titled Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, while Alice Rohrwacher and Jr have teamed for the new short film, Omelia Contadina. Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibules will also premiere out of competition.
In perhaps the best surprise of all, a new, recently uncovered film by Orson Welles,...
There were also a few surprises in the lineup. Luca Guadagnino has directed a new documentary titled Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, while Alice Rohrwacher and Jr have teamed for the new short film, Omelia Contadina. Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibules will also premiere out of competition.
In perhaps the best surprise of all, a new, recently uncovered film by Orson Welles,...
- 7/28/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There are not as many new films being made and some completed films are holding out until 2021 to make their festival premiere, but there’s no shortage of new restorations coming to film festivals soon. Cannes recently revealed their Classics lineup of titles screening this fall and hopefully coming to discs in the near future, and now it is Venice’s turn.
They’ve revealed the new restorations that will first screen at Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy on August 25-31, followed by screenings at Venice Film Festival soon after. New restorations include work by Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé, Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov, and more. Some of these films already have forthcoming disc releases announced, including Claudine, coming to Criterion this fall.
Check out the lineup below (via Deadline) as well as the Venice Critics’ Week slate, which includes the Terrence Malick...
They’ve revealed the new restorations that will first screen at Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy on August 25-31, followed by screenings at Venice Film Festival soon after. New restorations include work by Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé, Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov, and more. Some of these films already have forthcoming disc releases announced, including Claudine, coming to Criterion this fall.
Check out the lineup below (via Deadline) as well as the Venice Critics’ Week slate, which includes the Terrence Malick...
- 7/22/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Restoration strand to take place outside of the city this year.
Films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet are among the lineup of the Venice Classics section at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
The 13 titles include Scorsese gangster drama Goodfellas, which has been restored by Warner Bros. and received its world premiere at Venice in 1990.
Others include Antonioni’s 1950 drama Chronicle Of A Love, which as been restored by Cineteca di Bologna; Sidney Lumet’s 1973 neo-noir thriller Serpico, restored by Studiocanal; and Souleymane Cissé’s 1975 Malian film The Young Girl, restored by Cinémathèque Française.
The strand, which comprises restored versions of classic films,...
Films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet are among the lineup of the Venice Classics section at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
The 13 titles include Scorsese gangster drama Goodfellas, which has been restored by Warner Bros. and received its world premiere at Venice in 1990.
Others include Antonioni’s 1950 drama Chronicle Of A Love, which as been restored by Cineteca di Bologna; Sidney Lumet’s 1973 neo-noir thriller Serpico, restored by Studiocanal; and Souleymane Cissé’s 1975 Malian film The Young Girl, restored by Cinémathèque Française.
The strand, which comprises restored versions of classic films,...
- 7/22/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
The full lineup for the 77th Venice Film Festival will be announced on July 28. In the meantime, organizers have set the roster of restored titles that will make up the Venice Classics section which, unconventionally this year, will be hosted as part of the Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy from August 25-31 in a show of solidarity between the events. The selection, which includes works by Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov and Martin Scorsese will then be screened in Venice in the following months.
The Venice Film Festival, the first major international film event to take place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held from September 2-12 on the Lido. Certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the Covid-19 crisis were announced earlier this month, including the shifting of venues for the Classics section. The overall number of...
The Venice Film Festival, the first major international film event to take place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held from September 2-12 on the Lido. Certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the Covid-19 crisis were announced earlier this month, including the shifting of venues for the Classics section. The overall number of...
- 7/22/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Our Toshiro Mifune centennial tribute has come to its final day. Here's Cláudio Alves...
Throughout his career Toshiro Mifune worked with some of the best Japanese directors ever, becoming the face of that country's cinema in the aftermath of World War II. He gave great support to Mizoguchi's leading ladies, provided emotional intensity to Naruse's deepfelt dramas, was perfect in Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion and utterly iconic in many a Hiroshi Inagaki production. Still, his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa remain the most important. From 1948 to 1965, they made 16 films together, ranging from crime thrillers to action spectacles, from melodrama to historical epics, and the great majority of them are either considered classics or should be.
While I find High and Low to be their best film and Throne of Blood to feature Mifune's greatest performance, when it came time to choose, I knew there was no other option than to write about Red Beard.
Throughout his career Toshiro Mifune worked with some of the best Japanese directors ever, becoming the face of that country's cinema in the aftermath of World War II. He gave great support to Mizoguchi's leading ladies, provided emotional intensity to Naruse's deepfelt dramas, was perfect in Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion and utterly iconic in many a Hiroshi Inagaki production. Still, his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa remain the most important. From 1948 to 1965, they made 16 films together, ranging from crime thrillers to action spectacles, from melodrama to historical epics, and the great majority of them are either considered classics or should be.
While I find High and Low to be their best film and Throne of Blood to feature Mifune's greatest performance, when it came time to choose, I knew there was no other option than to write about Red Beard.
- 4/2/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Japanese actress Kaoru Yachigusa, who appeared opposite Toshiro Mifune in Oscar-winner Samurai, the Legend of Musashi, has died. She was 88.
Yachigusa died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo, her agency announced Monday.
Born in Osaka, Yachigusa began her career in the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe and made her film debut in 1951. Her big break came in the 1954 film Samurai, The Legend of Musashi, starring Mifune as legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. It was the first of a trilogy by director Hiroshi Inagaki and one of the first color films from the Toho studio. Samurai won the ...
Yachigusa died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo, her agency announced Monday.
Born in Osaka, Yachigusa began her career in the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe and made her film debut in 1951. Her big break came in the 1954 film Samurai, The Legend of Musashi, starring Mifune as legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. It was the first of a trilogy by director Hiroshi Inagaki and one of the first color films from the Toho studio. Samurai won the ...
- 10/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Japanese actress Kaoru Yachigusa, who appeared opposite Toshiro Mifune in Oscar-winner Samurai, the Legend of Musashi, has died. She was 88.
Yachigusa died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo, her agency announced Monday.
Born in Osaka, Yachigusa began her career in the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe and made her film debut in 1951. Her big break came in the 1954 film Samurai, The Legend of Musashi, starring Mifune as legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. It was the first of a trilogy by director Hiroshi Inagaki and one of the first color films from the Toho studio. Samurai won the ...
Yachigusa died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo, her agency announced Monday.
Born in Osaka, Yachigusa began her career in the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe and made her film debut in 1951. Her big break came in the 1954 film Samurai, The Legend of Musashi, starring Mifune as legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. It was the first of a trilogy by director Hiroshi Inagaki and one of the first color films from the Toho studio. Samurai won the ...
- 10/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
One of the aspects of Westworld Season 2 that a lot of fans are excited about is the introduction of Shogun World. It's just a part of history that some many of us are fascinated with, and if I ever had the opportunity to actually embark on an adventure at Delos Destinations, it would be Shogun World! All we've really known about Shogun World up to this point comes from a description provided at the Delos Destinations viral website:
For those for whom Westworld is not enough, the true connoisseur of gore can indulge their fantasies with the slash of a katana. Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogun World offers a chance for guests to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of highest beauty and darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form.
Now thanks to writer-producers Jonathan Nolan and...
For those for whom Westworld is not enough, the true connoisseur of gore can indulge their fantasies with the slash of a katana. Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogun World offers a chance for guests to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of highest beauty and darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form.
Now thanks to writer-producers Jonathan Nolan and...
- 4/9/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
An Actor’s Revenge
Blu ray
Criterion
1963 / Color / 2.39:1 / 113 Min. / Street Date February 20, 2018
Starring Kazuo Hasegawa
Cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi
Written by Daisuke Itô, Teinosuke Kinugasa
Edited by Shigeo Nishida
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
From Twelfth Night to Homicidal, casting calls for cross-dressers are a Hollywood tradition. The stories are alike in their differences; Katherine Hepburn was dodging the cops, Jack Lemmon was fleeing the mob, Dustin Hoffman was just an actor begging for work. Yukitarō, the enigmatic hero of An Actor’s Revenge, is gainfully employed but his motives are far more complicated than Hoffman’s needy thespian.
The story of a female impersonator’s vengeful killing spree, Kon Ichikawa’s 1963 film boasts a plot line John Waters would surely appreciate. But where Waters revels in the high comedy of lowlifes, Ichakawa’s movie is a ravishing melodrama set in the elevated atmosphere of death-dealing samurai, 19th century Kabuki...
Blu ray
Criterion
1963 / Color / 2.39:1 / 113 Min. / Street Date February 20, 2018
Starring Kazuo Hasegawa
Cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi
Written by Daisuke Itô, Teinosuke Kinugasa
Edited by Shigeo Nishida
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
From Twelfth Night to Homicidal, casting calls for cross-dressers are a Hollywood tradition. The stories are alike in their differences; Katherine Hepburn was dodging the cops, Jack Lemmon was fleeing the mob, Dustin Hoffman was just an actor begging for work. Yukitarō, the enigmatic hero of An Actor’s Revenge, is gainfully employed but his motives are far more complicated than Hoffman’s needy thespian.
The story of a female impersonator’s vengeful killing spree, Kon Ichikawa’s 1963 film boasts a plot line John Waters would surely appreciate. But where Waters revels in the high comedy of lowlifes, Ichakawa’s movie is a ravishing melodrama set in the elevated atmosphere of death-dealing samurai, 19th century Kabuki...
- 3/27/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Haruo Nakajima, the first actor to play the role of Godzilla on the big screen, died Monday at age 88. The actor’s daughter, Sonoe Nakajima, confirmed the news and revealed her father died of pneumonia.
Read More‘Godzilla vs. Kong’: While Director Adam Wingard Is Hollywood’s Gain, Indie Film Loses a Talent
Whether you knew his name or not, you would certainly recognize his most iconic role. Beginning with Ishirō Honda’s 1954 original “Godzilla,” Haruo Nakajima played the lizard monster in 12 films. He was only 25 years old when he first put on the costume, which reportedly weighed over 200 pounds. His last appearance as Godzilla was in 1972’s “Godzilla vs. Gigan.”
Nakajima was born in Yamagata, Japan in 1929. He began acting at 23 when he landed a part in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Sword for Hire” in 1952. The same year he donned the Godzilla costume for the first time, he also...
Read More‘Godzilla vs. Kong’: While Director Adam Wingard Is Hollywood’s Gain, Indie Film Loses a Talent
Whether you knew his name or not, you would certainly recognize his most iconic role. Beginning with Ishirō Honda’s 1954 original “Godzilla,” Haruo Nakajima played the lizard monster in 12 films. He was only 25 years old when he first put on the costume, which reportedly weighed over 200 pounds. His last appearance as Godzilla was in 1972’s “Godzilla vs. Gigan.”
Nakajima was born in Yamagata, Japan in 1929. He began acting at 23 when he landed a part in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Sword for Hire” in 1952. The same year he donned the Godzilla costume for the first time, he also...
- 8/8/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This July will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Saturday, July 1 Changing Faces
What does a face tell us even when it’s disguised or disfigured? And what does it conceal? Guest curator Imogen Sara Smith, a critic and author of the book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, assembles a series of films that revolve around enigmatic faces transformed by masks, scars, and surgery, including Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966).
Tuesday, July 4 Tuesday’s Short + Feature: Premature* and Ten*
Come hitch a ride with Norwegian director Gunhild Enger and the late Iranian master...
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Saturday, July 1 Changing Faces
What does a face tell us even when it’s disguised or disfigured? And what does it conceal? Guest curator Imogen Sara Smith, a critic and author of the book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, assembles a series of films that revolve around enigmatic faces transformed by masks, scars, and surgery, including Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966).
Tuesday, July 4 Tuesday’s Short + Feature: Premature* and Ten*
Come hitch a ride with Norwegian director Gunhild Enger and the late Iranian master...
- 6/26/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
The modern movie hero owes a great debt to Toshiro Mifune, the longtime Akira Kurosawa star who provided a ferocious centerpiece to everything from “Seven Samurai” to “Yojimbo.” Steven Okazaki’s documentary “Mifune” chronicles the scope of the actor’s sprawling career as well as his lasting cultural impact. The filmmaker spoke to IndieWire about his interest in Mifune, gathering interviews with filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, and why more people should be appreciating Mifune’s legacy as “the first movie hero who wasn’t a white guy.
Read More: ‘Mifune: The Last Samurai’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg Sing the Legendary Actor’s Praises
A version of this interview was original published at the Telluride Film Festival, where “Mifune” premiered this fall. The film opens November 25 at the IFC Center in New York with more cities to follow.
When did you first encounter Mifune’s performances?...
Read More: ‘Mifune: The Last Samurai’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg Sing the Legendary Actor’s Praises
A version of this interview was original published at the Telluride Film Festival, where “Mifune” premiered this fall. The film opens November 25 at the IFC Center in New York with more cities to follow.
When did you first encounter Mifune’s performances?...
- 11/23/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
To star in nearly 170 films in your career is an incredible feat, and to have your performances influence the works of Hollywood giants like Clint Eastwood and George Lucas is almost unimaginable. That is, unless, you’re Toshiro Mifune.
Read More: 5 Things You May Not Know About Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’
From Academy Award-winning director Steven Okazaki comes “Mifune: The Last Samurai,” a new documentary that chronicles the life of the famed Japanese actor, narrated by Keanu Reaves. Included in his resume are “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai” (two of the sixteen collaborations with director Akira Kurosawa), and Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy.”
In the latest trailer for the upcoming film, fellow actors, directors and film aficionados discuss Mifune’s incredible impact on both Japanese and American cinema, as well as the actor’s battle with alcoholism. Included in the film are interviews with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who notes,...
Read More: 5 Things You May Not Know About Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’
From Academy Award-winning director Steven Okazaki comes “Mifune: The Last Samurai,” a new documentary that chronicles the life of the famed Japanese actor, narrated by Keanu Reaves. Included in his resume are “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai” (two of the sixteen collaborations with director Akira Kurosawa), and Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy.”
In the latest trailer for the upcoming film, fellow actors, directors and film aficionados discuss Mifune’s incredible impact on both Japanese and American cinema, as well as the actor’s battle with alcoholism. Included in the film are interviews with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who notes,...
- 10/21/2016
- by Mark Burger
- Indiewire
Craig Lines Oct 5, 2016
Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy is a feast best enjoyed in one go. We revisit the groundbreaking films right here...
The 1950s are widely regarded as a golden age of Japanese Cinema. To enormously simplify a complex period in history (so we can get talking about swords and duels and all that badass stuff), a lot changed between the end of WWII in 1945 and the end of the Allied Occupation of Japan in 1952. Censorship was simultaneously lifted and imposed. The Occupation restrained Japan in terms of what it could say in films being produced (for example, anything that 'promoted feudal values' was not allowed), yet at the same time, exposed it to all kinds of western material that had been forbidden in the pre-war years. When the Americans left, the restrictions were lifted but the new influences survived, unleashing a tsunami of innovative, passionate cinema, much of...
Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy is a feast best enjoyed in one go. We revisit the groundbreaking films right here...
The 1950s are widely regarded as a golden age of Japanese Cinema. To enormously simplify a complex period in history (so we can get talking about swords and duels and all that badass stuff), a lot changed between the end of WWII in 1945 and the end of the Allied Occupation of Japan in 1952. Censorship was simultaneously lifted and imposed. The Occupation restrained Japan in terms of what it could say in films being produced (for example, anything that 'promoted feudal values' was not allowed), yet at the same time, exposed it to all kinds of western material that had been forbidden in the pre-war years. When the Americans left, the restrictions were lifted but the new influences survived, unleashing a tsunami of innovative, passionate cinema, much of...
- 9/28/2016
- Den of Geek
Not for nothing is Toshiro Mifune one of the most renowned actors of world cinema. Known mostly for his many collaborations with Akira Kurosawa — including such classics as “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai” and the “Yojimbo” cycle — as well as Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy,” the Japanese thespian appeared in nearly 170 films before his death in 1997. Steven Okazaki directed the new documentary “Mifune: The Last Samurai,” which just released its first trailer.
Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch
Narrated by Keanu Reeves and featuring interviews with the likes of Martin Scorsese (who offers that “Mifune’s performance is layered, complex. He studied the movement of lions. He’s like a caged animal”) and Steven Spielberg, the trailer touches on Kurosawa and Mifune’s joint influence on American cinema as well as the actor’s two main vices: alcohol and cars.
Read More:...
Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch
Narrated by Keanu Reeves and featuring interviews with the likes of Martin Scorsese (who offers that “Mifune’s performance is layered, complex. He studied the movement of lions. He’s like a caged animal”) and Steven Spielberg, the trailer touches on Kurosawa and Mifune’s joint influence on American cinema as well as the actor’s two main vices: alcohol and cars.
Read More:...
- 9/22/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
★★★★★ Sadly overlooked by western audiences, Hiroshi Inagaki's superlative Samurai Trilogy is the definitive on screen depiction of legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. 1954's Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto begins with Takezo (Toshiro Mifune) losing the battle of Sekigahara with his friend Matahachi (Rentarô Mikuni) and on the run as a fugitive. Both men are brash and inexperienced, but where Matahachi is cowardly and lecherous, Takezo is full of inner turmoil, horribly aware of his inadequacies and lashing out at Matahachi and the women who shelter them after Sekigahara.
- 8/30/2016
- by CineVue
- CineVue
The first successes of Asian films in the Oscars occured during the 50’s, when the award for Foreign-Language Film was not yet introduced and the Academy presented Special/Honorary awards to the best foreign language films released in the United States. Three Japanese productions received these awards during this decade.
1951. Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa. A priest, a woodcutter and another man are taking refuge from a rainstorm in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. The priest and the woodcutter are recounting the story of a murdered samurai whose body the woodcutter discovered three days earlier in a forest grove. Both were summoned to testify at the murder trial, the priest who ran into the samurai and his wife traveling through the forest just before the murder occurred.
Three other people who testified at the trial are supposedly the only direct witnesses: a notorious bandit named Tajômaru, who allegedly...
1951. Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa. A priest, a woodcutter and another man are taking refuge from a rainstorm in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. The priest and the woodcutter are recounting the story of a murdered samurai whose body the woodcutter discovered three days earlier in a forest grove. Both were summoned to testify at the murder trial, the priest who ran into the samurai and his wife traveling through the forest just before the murder occurred.
Three other people who testified at the trial are supposedly the only direct witnesses: a notorious bandit named Tajômaru, who allegedly...
- 2/28/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Let’s not pretend it doesn’t take some sand to make an amped-up CGI spectacle about the 47 ronin. This is one of the key national legends of Japan, already immortalized in film numerous times, notably in Kenji Mizoguchi’s spare, grim 1941 masterpiece The 47 Ronin and Hiroshi Inagaki’s splendorous Chushingura (1962). Attempting to demean such a glorious cinematic lineage with a fanboy-ized fantasy-action flick would be like someone making an Abraham Lincoln movie in which he fights vampires. Crazy talk! Or you could look at this way: The legend, about a group of leaderless samurai who reclaimed their dead lord’s honor and then committed ritual suicide, comes pre-debased. Every writer, filmmaker, playwright, or whatever who has tackled the subject over the centuries has added his or her own spin on the narrative. So why can’t Hollywood insert a little Pirates of the Caribbean–esque oomph to this...
- 12/26/2013
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
It's been a long journey to get 47 Ronin onto the big screen. The Hollywood remake of Hiroshi Inagaki's 1962 action-drama released a set of posters yesterday (see below) and this morning, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, a new trailer. The original movie centered on a group of 47 samurai warriors who avenge their master who was tricked into committing ritualistic suicide. The latest remake takes the same story but adds a ton of CGI to the process, i.e. Rinko Kikuchi morphing into a hideous dragon. After shifting dates several times, 47 Ronin is slated to open on December 25 (ignore that "Coming Soon" tag at the end of the trailer). (Click the posters for larger versions) What do you think of the trailer? Are you happy to see Keanu...
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- 7/24/2013
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
Studio seizes control of editing samurai epic from Carl Rinsch after Keanu Reeves was not included in climactic scenes
The director of the Keanu Reeves samurai epic 47 Ronin, Carl Rinsch, is no longer in control of the film's editing, it has been reported.
According to the Wrap, Rinsch, a commercials director making his feature film debut on 47 Ronin, was sidelined by Hollywood studio Universal after the film's budget ballooned to $225m (£139m) from an original $175m (£108m). The finishing touches are now being padded by studio co-chair Donna Langley.
Based on the Japanese legend in which a group of early 18th-century samurai avenge the death of their master, the Hollywood version adds fantasy elements such as giants and witches into the mix. It also found space for a half-Japanese, half-British character, Kai, not featured in the original story and played by Reeves.
According to the Wrap's report, the Reeves's character...
The director of the Keanu Reeves samurai epic 47 Ronin, Carl Rinsch, is no longer in control of the film's editing, it has been reported.
According to the Wrap, Rinsch, a commercials director making his feature film debut on 47 Ronin, was sidelined by Hollywood studio Universal after the film's budget ballooned to $225m (£139m) from an original $175m (£108m). The finishing touches are now being padded by studio co-chair Donna Langley.
Based on the Japanese legend in which a group of early 18th-century samurai avenge the death of their master, the Hollywood version adds fantasy elements such as giants and witches into the mix. It also found space for a half-Japanese, half-British character, Kai, not featured in the original story and played by Reeves.
According to the Wrap's report, the Reeves's character...
- 9/20/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
It was released almost two months ago, but I finally got around to savoring Criterion's Blu-ray restoration of Hiroshi Inagaki's The Samurai Trilogy over the last couple of weeks. I've made mention of it in a few posts here and there, but i wanted to make a special point to give it it's own space considering the massive upgrade we are talking about here over the previously released 2004 DVD editions. I can't remember how long ago it was that I bought the DVD editions, but I bought them blind without having seen any of the three films -- Musashi Miyamoto (winner of the 1955 Best Foreign Language Oscar), Duel at Ichijoji Temple and Duel at Ganryu Island -- but watching them those years ago I remember enjoying the films, but not at all moved by the imagery. The DVD presentations were hardly impressive and Criterion's packaging doesn't suggest they were remastered in any way.
- 8/20/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, there have been a few changes around these parts in the last 24 hours. Hopefully they're changes you approve of, but we'll get to more of that tomorrow. For now it's business as usual and a brief look at what I watched when I wasn't watching a computer screen trying to get everything put together for the redesign you're looking at now. The poster included is a dead giveaway, but I did watch (about half of) Bachelorette, which my girlfriend rented from On Demand over the weekend after reading Kevin's article about how great it was doing On Demand and hitting the #1 spot on the iTunes Top Movies chart. Since I didn't watch the whole thing (only because I was buys with the redesign) I can't review it, but I can tell you it's a solid raunchy comedy with a lot of laughs...
- 8/19/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
It has been a bit of a busy movie week for me. I saw The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign and Samsara (in digital 4K at Seattle's Cinerama) in theaters. I watched Side by Side and Baraka, both in HD online. Then I watched the new Jaws and The Raid Blu-rays and also watched Musashi Miyamoto, the first film in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy on Criterion Blu-ray. The Raid Blu-ray I already commented on and if you haven't joined that discussion, I'd ask you to give it a look. As I'm sure most of you are aware, I already reviewed The Bourne Legacy (my review), The Campaign (my review) and Side by Side (my review) and I will have reviews of the Jaws Blu-ray and Samsara soon. However, I do want to talk briefly about Musashi Miyamoto. I own Criterion's previous DVD release of the Samurai trilogy and this new...
- 8/12/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
By Allen Gardner
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion) Director Hiroshi Inagaki’s sprawling epic filmed from 1954-56 is an early Japanese Technicolor masterpiece, rivaling the scope of filmmakers like David Lean and Luchino Visconti. Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s greatest actor, stars as real-life swordsman, artist and writer Musashi Miyamoto, following his growth from callow youth to disciplined warrior. The three films: the Oscar winning “Musashi Miyamoto,” “Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” and “Duel at Ganryu Island” are an incredible story of human growth, tender love and sublime, blood-soaked action. Not to be missed. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson; Trailers. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
The 39 Steps (Criterion) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 story of spies, conspiracies and sexual tension put him on the map on both sides of the Pond. Robert Donat stars as an innocent thrust into a deadly plot alongside a cool blonde (Madeleine Carroll...
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion) Director Hiroshi Inagaki’s sprawling epic filmed from 1954-56 is an early Japanese Technicolor masterpiece, rivaling the scope of filmmakers like David Lean and Luchino Visconti. Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s greatest actor, stars as real-life swordsman, artist and writer Musashi Miyamoto, following his growth from callow youth to disciplined warrior. The three films: the Oscar winning “Musashi Miyamoto,” “Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” and “Duel at Ganryu Island” are an incredible story of human growth, tender love and sublime, blood-soaked action. Not to be missed. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson; Trailers. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
The 39 Steps (Criterion) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 story of spies, conspiracies and sexual tension put him on the map on both sides of the Pond. Robert Donat stars as an innocent thrust into a deadly plot alongside a cool blonde (Madeleine Carroll...
- 7/9/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
In stores this week we've got a critical darling and Best Picture winner along with a handful of slightly less prestigious options to choose from. The very funny comedy 21 Jump Street hits DVD and Blu-ray today, possibly in the hopes of capitalizing on the Channing Tatum Magic Mike buzz, plus the largely ignored fantasy sequel Wrath of the Titans and Tarsem's Mirror Mirror. Elsewhere, The Artist has finally arrived on DVD along with the Drafthouse Films release Bullhead, an acclaimed Belgian crime drama that was also nominated for Best Foreign Film. New to Blu, we've got Criterion releases of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Hiroshi Inagaki's The Samurai Trilogy, and not so new to Blu, the 40th Anniversary edition of Deliverance and the Christopher Nolan Director's Collection. What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out the full list of releases after the jump. Amazon.
- 6/26/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Bullhead The best film for your money this week is the Oscar-nominated Bullhead. It's a film that's hard to prepare you for when I mix the fact it centers on a cattle farmer who gets mixed up with the mafioso in a meat trading business that's anything but on the up-and-up. The film will give you a proper introduction to Matthias Schoenaerts, whom you'll see again in this year's excellent Rust and Bone, preparing you for an international star that is going to play a much bigger part on the worldwide stage soon enough. You can read my full review of the film right here.
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion Collection) I have not yet had the chance to watch this trilogy, but I cannot wait. I own Criterion's original DVD release of Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and the quality is, let's just say, not great. The film is loaded with scratches and visual issues,...
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion Collection) I have not yet had the chance to watch this trilogy, but I cannot wait. I own Criterion's original DVD release of Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and the quality is, let's just say, not great. The film is loaded with scratches and visual issues,...
- 6/26/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: June 26, 2012
Price: DVD $59.95, Blu-ray $69.95
Studio: Criterion
Toshiro Mifune stars as a legendary 17th Century swordsman in The Samurai Trilogy.
The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (The Rickshaw Man) and starring the inimitable Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai), was one of Japan’s most successful action-adventure film exports of the 1950s.
Based on the rousing, combat-filled novel by Eiji Yoshikawa that’s often called Japan’s Gone with the Wind, the sweeping Samurai Trilogy fictionalizes the life of the legendary seventeenth-century swordsman (and writer and artist) Musashi Miyamoto. Following him on his path from unruly youth to enlightened warrior, the three films—1954’s Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955’s Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956’s Duel at Ganryu Island—come together as a passionate epic that’s equal parts tender love story and bloody action.
Issued previously on DVD by Criterion in 2004, these latest DVD and Blu-ray editions of...
Price: DVD $59.95, Blu-ray $69.95
Studio: Criterion
Toshiro Mifune stars as a legendary 17th Century swordsman in The Samurai Trilogy.
The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (The Rickshaw Man) and starring the inimitable Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai), was one of Japan’s most successful action-adventure film exports of the 1950s.
Based on the rousing, combat-filled novel by Eiji Yoshikawa that’s often called Japan’s Gone with the Wind, the sweeping Samurai Trilogy fictionalizes the life of the legendary seventeenth-century swordsman (and writer and artist) Musashi Miyamoto. Following him on his path from unruly youth to enlightened warrior, the three films—1954’s Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955’s Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956’s Duel at Ganryu Island—come together as a passionate epic that’s equal parts tender love story and bloody action.
Issued previously on DVD by Criterion in 2004, these latest DVD and Blu-ray editions of...
- 4/2/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Photos of Daniel Radcliffe in costume as Allan Ginsberg on the set of Kill Your Darlings, and both Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara at SXSW filming scenes for Terrence Malick's Lawless.
Photos from Riddick, To Rome with Love, Dark Shadows, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Chernobyl Diaries, Bernie and Sparkle.
Posters for Dark Shadows, Upside Down, Battleship, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Chernobyl Diaries, On the Road.
A new alternate cut of the "Dark Shadows" trailer shows off Alice Cooper's cameo in the film in the final ten seconds. Check that out by clicking here.
Concept illustrator Phil Saunders talks about the design of Iron Man’s Mark VII suit for The Avengers.
"Christopher Nolan has presented his first cut of the anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises" to top Warner Bros. executives…" (full details)
"The world premiere of Marvel's "The Avengers" is set to take place on April 11th at...
Photos from Riddick, To Rome with Love, Dark Shadows, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Chernobyl Diaries, Bernie and Sparkle.
Posters for Dark Shadows, Upside Down, Battleship, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Chernobyl Diaries, On the Road.
A new alternate cut of the "Dark Shadows" trailer shows off Alice Cooper's cameo in the film in the final ten seconds. Check that out by clicking here.
Concept illustrator Phil Saunders talks about the design of Iron Man’s Mark VII suit for The Avengers.
"Christopher Nolan has presented his first cut of the anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises" to top Warner Bros. executives…" (full details)
"The world premiere of Marvel's "The Avengers" is set to take place on April 11th at...
- 3/20/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Well, time to break open those vacation savings for this summer, as The Criterion Collection have dropped a heckuva slate for June, so let's get to it.
Hinted at in the annual New Year's clue, Danny Boyle's breakout debut film, "Shallow Grave," has indeed joined the collection. Starring Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, and Ewan McGregor, all it takes is a dead body and a suitcase full of money to kick off a twisty, funny and vicious little thriller. This edition will be loaded with extras, including "Digging Your Grave," a documetnary from 1993 about the making of the movie by Kevin Macdonald, two audio commentaries, new cast interviews and more. Pretty great set all around.
Steven Soderbergh and/or Spalding Gray fans have much to rejoice about as the director's 1997 and 2010 films "Gray's Anatomy" and "And Everything Is Going Fine" will get the wacky C. The former is essentially a...
Hinted at in the annual New Year's clue, Danny Boyle's breakout debut film, "Shallow Grave," has indeed joined the collection. Starring Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, and Ewan McGregor, all it takes is a dead body and a suitcase full of money to kick off a twisty, funny and vicious little thriller. This edition will be loaded with extras, including "Digging Your Grave," a documetnary from 1993 about the making of the movie by Kevin Macdonald, two audio commentaries, new cast interviews and more. Pretty great set all around.
Steven Soderbergh and/or Spalding Gray fans have much to rejoice about as the director's 1997 and 2010 films "Gray's Anatomy" and "And Everything Is Going Fine" will get the wacky C. The former is essentially a...
- 3/16/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
A little late this week, mainly because of my own random b.s. that one goes through when attempting to juggle too many things at once. Try not to do it kids, because it means a Hulu article gets sidetracked a bit. A ton of stuff was added since I last was here, but unlike last week’s where I focused on 10 specific films that weren’t in the Collection, this time it’s a bunch of familiar (and not so) faces, be it in their great Eclipse sets or in Criterion’s own pantheon.
A huge thanks to who have already used this link to enjoy their own Hulu Plus and in turn keeping this series of articles up and running. We can always use the help, so please sign up using that specific link. Every little bit does keep this nice and polished. But enough about that. You...
A huge thanks to who have already used this link to enjoy their own Hulu Plus and in turn keeping this series of articles up and running. We can always use the help, so please sign up using that specific link. Every little bit does keep this nice and polished. But enough about that. You...
- 5/28/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
The great Japanese actress Hideko Takamine, who passed away on December 28 at the age of 86, has been eulogized beautifully on Mubi already (here, here, here and here) but I wanted to add my own personal tribute in posters. The 1958 Rickshaw Man (directed by Hiroshi Inagaki) starred Takamine as a young widow opposite Toshiro Mifune. I wish I could have found better poster images for Takamine’s films for Mikio Naruse (if anyone has better ones please let me know) but I did manage to find these smaller jpegs for Naruse’s masterpieces Floating Clouds (1955, top) and Lightning (1952, below left), as well as one for Keisuke Kinoshita’s 1951 Carmen Come Home (below right).
I also really like this poster for a recent Takamine retrospective that I found on someone’s Tumblr page. Hideko Takamine rest in peace.
I also really like this poster for a recent Takamine retrospective that I found on someone’s Tumblr page. Hideko Takamine rest in peace.
- 1/7/2011
- MUBI
I keep thinking about the H-bomb, but all I can do is think! …
It’s a living hell!
This week’s selection for the Journey Through the Eclipse Series is driven by a desire to maintain some continuity with my Criterion Reflections blog. On that site, I’ve been watching and writing about films released by the Criterion Collection in their original order of release (as films, not DVDs.) I Live in Fear, a 1955 film featured in Eclipse Series 4: Postwar Kurosawa, just happens to fall in line with my most recent review over there, Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog. So during the past few days, just like a small handful of movie watchers in late 1955, I’ve been contemplating those two great horrors of the World War II era: first, the Holocaust, and now the prospect of death by nuclear attack and radioactive fallout. Anyone got a Xanax they can spare?...
It’s a living hell!
This week’s selection for the Journey Through the Eclipse Series is driven by a desire to maintain some continuity with my Criterion Reflections blog. On that site, I’ve been watching and writing about films released by the Criterion Collection in their original order of release (as films, not DVDs.) I Live in Fear, a 1955 film featured in Eclipse Series 4: Postwar Kurosawa, just happens to fall in line with my most recent review over there, Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog. So during the past few days, just like a small handful of movie watchers in late 1955, I’ve been contemplating those two great horrors of the World War II era: first, the Holocaust, and now the prospect of death by nuclear attack and radioactive fallout. Anyone got a Xanax they can spare?...
- 6/28/2010
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Tokyo -- In one of the only upsets of the evening, Yojiro Takita's "Departures" won the foreign-language Oscar on Sunday, beating out highly touted competitors "Waltz With Bashir" and "The Class." The victory of Kuni Kato's animated short "La Maison en Petits Cubes" earlier in the evening made it Japan's most successful night in Academy history.
"Departures" got a rousing sendoff to the Oscars at the Japan Academy Prize on Friday, collecting 10 wins from 13 nominations, including best picture.
The story of an unemployed cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who finds work as a "nokanshi," or ceremonial preparer of corpses, was a low-level surprise hit at the domestic boxoffice, centered as it as around a subject even most urban Japanese are unfamiliar with. It took in $33 million in 2008 but failed...
"Departures" got a rousing sendoff to the Oscars at the Japan Academy Prize on Friday, collecting 10 wins from 13 nominations, including best picture.
The story of an unemployed cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who finds work as a "nokanshi," or ceremonial preparer of corpses, was a low-level surprise hit at the domestic boxoffice, centered as it as around a subject even most urban Japanese are unfamiliar with. It took in $33 million in 2008 but failed...
- 2/22/2009
- by By Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Lachie Rutherford, president of Warner Music Asia Pacific, has taken on the title of chairman and CEO Warner Music Japan (WMJ) following the resignation of Hiroshi Inagaki from that post, Paul Albertini, chairman and CEO of Warner Music International, announced Friday. "All of us at Warner Music Japan are deeply appreciative of Hiroshi Inagaki's contribution to WMJ's performance over the past six years," said Rutherford.
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