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
My thoughts and admiration for Mark Schilling’s work have already been shared in the review of “Art, Cult and Commerce“. In that regard, continuing with his bibliography was inevitable, and the fact that the present book deals with the oldest Japanese motion picture studio, and particularly its Action Cinema period, made its appeal even more intense. Even more so, since, during the latest years, there seems to be a renewal of interest regarding the genre, especially through the home video releases of companies like Arrow and Eureka.
The book begins with the history of Nikkatsu, focusing on the period from the late 50s until the early 60s, when the Nikkatsu Action genre started, flourished and declined. The second part deals with the main male protagonists of those movies, presenting detailed biographies of Yujiro Ishihara, Akira Kobayashi, Keiichiro Akagi and Tetsuya Watari, highlighting the concept of the...
The book begins with the history of Nikkatsu, focusing on the period from the late 50s until the early 60s, when the Nikkatsu Action genre started, flourished and declined. The second part deals with the main male protagonists of those movies, presenting detailed biographies of Yujiro Ishihara, Akira Kobayashi, Keiichiro Akagi and Tetsuya Watari, highlighting the concept of the...
- 5/15/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
During the late 60s and early 70s, famed screenwriter and director Kaneto Shindō wrote a series of scripts about World War II’s legacy on Japan and the Japanese psyche for a few of those decades’ greatest directors. These included one story about the war’s lingering pains and injustices with Kenji Fukasaku’s solemn and politically fiery 1972 “Under the Flag of the Rising Sun”, another set during the thick of the conflict with Kihachi Okamoto’s graphic and harrowing (if messy) “Battle of Okinawa” and the earliest of them, Seijun Suzuki’s 1966 “Fighting Elegy” which is starkly opposite from from the rest in not being serious at all — at least outwardly.
“Fighting Elegy” screened at Japanese Avant-Garde and Experimental Film Festival 2019
1935 Okayama. A militarized boys’ middle school. Catholic student Kiroku (Hideki Takahashi) finds himself sharing the same Catholic boarding house with the sweet and innocent Michiko (Junko Asano), who...
“Fighting Elegy” screened at Japanese Avant-Garde and Experimental Film Festival 2019
1935 Okayama. A militarized boys’ middle school. Catholic student Kiroku (Hideki Takahashi) finds himself sharing the same Catholic boarding house with the sweet and innocent Michiko (Junko Asano), who...
- 9/22/2019
- by Wally Adams
- AsianMoviePulse
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