#Jidaigeki film

[moviesmoodboards]

Lady Snowblood 1973 dir.Toshiya Fujita

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On February 21, 2007, Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance was released on DVD in Germany.

[mcpirita]

NINJA SCROLL, dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri (1993)

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Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) duels the samurai Akazuka (Jushiro Konoe) in the climax of Zatoichi Challenged (1967), the seventeenth film of the 26-film series.

This duel was one of the longest of the longest one-on-one fights in the series. Zatoichi and Akazuka were good friends and had great respect for each other, but - as usual in the Zatoichi films - circumstances forced them to opposing sides.

What also makes this duel so outstanding is that both actors were excellent swordsmen themselves.

The Rutger Hauer film, Blind Fury (1989), is loosely based on Zatoichi Challenged, albeit set in modern times.

[redsamuraiii]

The Valiant Red Peony : Red Peony Gambler (1968)

Set during the Meiji era, RED PEONY GAMBLER stars Fuji as Ryuko Yano, the daughter of a gambler. When her father is murdered, Ryuko takes on a new name derived from the crimson flower tattooed on her shoulder – “Oryu, the Red Peony” – and sets out for revenge.

One thing I noticed about Japanese films is the use of flower names to reflect their character like in Shogun (2024) and Yae no Sakura (2013). Here, Red Peonies are flowers that can live over 100 years and thrive in cold winters, indicating that she survived the worst.

As mentioned in my earlier post, Asian films like Japanese films have always featured strong women who are feminine, gentle and caring with those they love and care but fearless, cunning, steadfast and a force to be reckoned with, against enemies.

There are numerous films such as this, Lady Snowblood (1973), Crimson Bat : The Blind Swordswoman (1969), Undercover Geisha (2003) & Ichi (2008), and anime such as Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran (2000), Joran : The Princess of Snow and Blood (2021) & Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023).

They inspire Hollywood shows like Kill Bill (2003), Blue Eye Samurai (2003) and Shogun (2024). Japanese films are underrated, especially the old ones that I feel it's wasted that most of these shows are not available on global mainstream sites for the world to enjoy and appreciate. But it's good to see people becoming aware of them.

[labyrinthofstreams]

羅生門 / Rashomon (1950) | dir. Akira Kurosawa.

[minayuri]

Toshiro Mifune in Akira Kurosawa's THRONE OF BLOOD (1957) | 蜘蛛巣城

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Lady Snowblood | 修羅雪姫 (1973) dir. Fujita Toshiya

[vraisetzen]

before he was toranaga, sanada hiroyuki was the beautiful okuda ukyōnosuke in sure death 4: revenge (1987) ✨

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF JAPANESE CINEMA -- LUNCH-TIME ON THE SET.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on classic Japanese actors Toshiro Mifune (who played the title actor) and Yuzo Kayama (samurai youth Iori Izaka), enjoying their meal on the set of "Sanjuro" (1962), co-written & directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Source: https://x.com/mutokuten/status/1428768677323739147.

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: Kubi

[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Kubi is a film of deliciously compelling contradictions. A period drama with little regard for “historical accuracy,” it reimagines the Sengoku Era as only Takeshi Kitano could: drenched in gore and dripping with homoeroticism. It is simultaneously his most cynical work and his funniest, deconstructing the borderline mythological status attributed to various real-world figures by depicting them not as cunning strategists or Machiavellian masterminds, but rather as mentally unstable psychopaths competing for underserved power.

Kitano himself, for example, leans into his comedic roots by playing Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a bumbling, insecure country bumpkin whose political ambitions are constantly thwarted by his utter lack of finesse when it comes to court intrigue and samurai etiquette; his schemes and machinations depend entirely upon the competence of such unwaveringly loyal subordinates as Kanbei Kuroda (Tadanobu Asano in a role that is essentially the antithesis of his sniveling, amoral character in Shogun)—many of whom he impulsively has assassinated as soon as he perceives their intelligence to be a threat. Ryo Kase, meanwhile, delivers an unapologetically theatrical performance as Oda Nobunaga; a far cry from the brilliant tactician of popular folklore, there is no grand design behind this hedonistic tyrant’s plans of conquest and “unification”—he simply revels in bloodshed, wantonly and remorselessly abusing peasants and fellow nobles alike.

The movie’s depiction of violence is equally subversive. The spectacular battle sequences are chaotic and harrowing, evoking Orson Welles�� Chimes at Midnight (and, consequently, the derivative cinematic epics helmed by Ridley Scott and Mel Gibson); there is no honor or glory in war—just men clumsily flailing about in the mud and filth, their suffering serving no greater purpose. On other occasions, however, the carnage delves into outright absurdist humor. In one scene, for instance, Hideyoshi grows increasingly impatient as he waits for a vanquished foe to commit ritual suicide—an excruciatingly prolonged joke that satirizes the pomp, poetry, and idealism traditionally associated with bushido.

[FINAL WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!]

This irreverent attitude towards death culminates in a hilariously brutal, ironic punchline. Following the decidedly gruesome climax, Hideyoshi searches for his chief rival’s corpse amidst a veritable mountain of human remains. Unable to make a successful identification, he lashes out in impotent frustration, inadvertently kicking the correct severed head like a soccer ball—whereupon the screen abruptly and unceremoniously cuts to black. Roll credits.

An appropriately cruel conclusion to such a gleefully grotesque dissection (hell, damn near evisceration) of the typical tropes, clichés, and conventions of the jidaigeki genre.

[schlock-luster-video]

On October 25, 2003, Kill Bill Volume 1 debuted in Japan.

Here's some new Chiaki Kiriyama art to celebrate!

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Throne of Blood 蜘蛛巣城 (1957) Akira Kurosawa.

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Daimajin finally finds the guys responsible for his splitting headache in Daimajin (1966).

[captaingimpy]

13 Assassins (2011) Review: A Modern Masterpiece in Samurai Cinema

13 Assassins, directed by Takashi Miike, is an electrifying revival of the samurai film genre. It stands as a modern counterpart to classics like Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, blending reverence for tradition with a willingness to push boundaries. Miike’s direction is as precise as it is chaotic, delivering a film that speaks to the soul of the samurai ethos while challenging our understanding of…

[trulyunpleasant]

Kubi, the upcoming final Takeshi Kitano film.