Based on a famous incident in Japanese history, Samurai Assassin assumes a certain amount of historical knowledge on the part of its audience, but don't let that put you off. Most of the movie is fiction. After the Americans arrived, the new Tokugawa Shogun was a child, so Chief Elder Ii actually ran the country … Continue reading Samurai Assassin / Samurai (1965)
13 Assassins
Seventeen Ninja / Jushichinin no ninja (1963)
Just when you think you've sorted out the standard genres of Japanese films so that you can basically predict what you are likely to see, you stumble on a movie like Seventeen Ninja that defies all expectations. Made fairly early in the ninja craze by a different studio than the Shinobi no mono films, it … Continue reading Seventeen Ninja / Jushichinin no ninja (1963)
The Great Duel / Odeiri (1964)
In a sense, Odeiri is the quintessential chanbara of the mid sixties. Artistically, there are many better movies in the genre, but no movie I have found so completely combines all the cultural and stylistic developments of the genre at its date. This is, of course, another way to say that Odeiri doen’t have an […]
The Great Killing / The Great Melee / Dai satsujin (1964)
After decades of Tokugawa family rule, the Shogunate had evolved into a kind of second Emperor, though without the assumed divine origin. The office was inherited, like the Emperor, so each individual Shogun's capabilities varied significantly. The advisors gradually chose not to bother him with the mundane problems of actual government, not least because it … Continue reading The Great Killing / The Great Melee / Dai satsujin (1964)
Satan’s Sword I / Daibosatsu toge (1960)
Another version of the Daibosatsu Pass story, Satan's Sword is a trilogy, and Part I covers much the same territory as the earlier Sword in the Moonlight.* As I have covered the basic story line elsewhere, I don't think I need repeat it here. The only major change is to eliminate the confusion of the Tenchu … Continue reading Satan’s Sword I / Daibosatsu toge (1960)
13 Assassins / Jusan-nin no shikaku (1963)
Like most Americans, I first heard of Eiichi Kudo’s 13 Assassins when Takashi Miike’s remake appeared in 2010. I expected a somewhat stodgy low-budget exploitation film, something like Inglorious Bastards, and looked at the DVD primarily out of curiosity. After all, not even Patrick Galloway had bothered with it in his two books,¹ and no … Continue reading 13 Assassins / Jusan-nin no shikaku (1963)
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