Samurai stories have been an important genre in the Japanese film industry since their inception and have recently seen a resurgence around the world.
Popular period dramas from FX and Disney generalProduced by and starring veteran Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, “” last month became the most awarded drama in Emmy history, winning more awards in one year than any show in television history. The show is a period drama about the power struggles in Japan’s early Edo period. It has also become the most-watched show in the history of Disney+ and Hulu worldwide.
although generalHowever, “Disney” has been an astonishing success, and fans – and Disney’s content executives – will have to wait a while to see more. general The show has been renewed for two seasons, but the first was based on James Clavell’s best-selling 1975 novel, with the show’s storyline wrapping up right where the author’s book ended. Forex and generalCo-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo took a considerable risk by expanding the series’ story without any existing material from the popular classic, while writing, filming and preparing Releasing the additional 10 episodes will likely take months if not years (roughly estimated production will begin in summer 2025).
Luckily for fans general The cunning machinations of Japan’s feudal lords, swordsmen, concubines and maids, the source of samurai storytelling general Clavell’s book is indeed of great depth. samurai television and film production, abbreviated period drama Spanning multiple sub-genres and dating back more than 100 years, Japanese (meaning “period drama”) saddles Japan with its so-called golden age of filmmaking – the postwar period of the 1950s and 1960s, when there were a plethora of Created a masterpiece.
Help tide general Fans come here, hollywood reporter I asked Tokyo International Film Festival artistic director Shozo Ichiyama to choose his 10 favorite samurai movies from film history. Ichiyama is a top movie buff, claiming to watch about 700 movies a year, and is also a veteran filmmaker and a visiting professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. His recommendations are listed alphabetically below. Happy viewing.
Thirteen Assassins, produced by Toei Corporation.
13 Assassin Eiichi Kudo(1963)
“This is a masterpiece of Toei Group’s 1970s period drama, and it is also one of the films that influenced the opening of this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. eleven rebels“Yishan said. 13 Assassin The story takes place in 1844 during the Tokugawa shogunate period – the final period after the events were slightly fictionalized and described on FX general — tells the story of a group of assassins sworn to kill a dissolute lord whose selfish and irresponsible behavior has tarnished the samurai class’ code of honor, Bushido. The story was subsequently remade in 2010 by contemporary director Takashi Miike to critical acclaim.
red light district hero Fuyu Uchida(1960)
Ichiyama said: “This is the work of the master of costume drama Totake Uchida, starring the big star Chiezo Kataoka, and depicts the tragedy that happened in the charming scenery of Yoshiwara.” The film tells the story of a successful textile businessman who has a stain on his face. The story of a disfigured woman with a birthmark who could not find her wife. When he meets an enslaved street prostitute who treats him kindly, he falls in love and vows to free and marry her – leading to tragic failure.
Human nature and paper balloons Sadao Yamanaka (1937)
“This is the last work of the talented director Sadao Yamanaka, who died at the age of 29 during World War II,” Ichiyama said. “The lives of different people intersect in an apartment.” This film is a precious Japanese period drama classic that depicts the harsh reality of life under the shogunate. It is believed that the book angered the Imperial Japanese government at the time of its publication, possibly leading to Yamanaka being sent to the front lines in China – where he died – as retaliation for his anti-patriotic sentiments. Even today, nearly 90 years after its release, the film still contains biting social critique while also being an undeniably entertaining piece of filmmaking.
Kenji Kenji Misumi(1965)
“This work is set against the backdrop of beautiful rural scenery and depicts the tragedy of a kind man being trained as a killer by period drama star Ichikawa Raizo.” Since he created Lone wolf and cub Film series and long-running period drama saga about a blind swordsman Zatoichi. A story of rise and fall, Kenji It tells the story of a man who goes from calmly planting flowers to darker deeds after mastering a special swordsmanship.
Malaysiansproduced by Daying Film Company.
Malaysians (aka Demon, scary monster) Yasuda Kokichi (1966)
“This masterpiece of a monster period drama is inspired by the Golem legend,” said Ichiyama. “Its brutal depiction has traumatized many children.” Partly from the machine, partly Tokusho (A type of Japanese live-action film that relies heavily on practical special effects—— Godzilla is the most famous example), Malaysians It tells the story of an angry spirit (the eponymous Archdemon) sealed within a massive ancient statue who is resurrected to aid the surviving children of a slain lord.
peony lantern Yamamoto Satao(1968)
This gothic period drama set in the age of the samurai is an adaptation of a classic ghost story about the consequences of falling in love with the dead (i.e. no sword can save you). The lesson here is that samurai movies can also be unparalleledly creepy. Ichiyama said: “This is a representative work of many ghost stories set in the Edo period. The ghosts floating in the sky are so scary.
red lion Kihachi Okamoto(1969)
“like eleven banditsThis is a samurai classic that depicts the last stand of people who were deceived and betrayed during the Meiji Restoration War. The film stars the incomparable Toshiro Mifune, who wears a huge, shaggy red wig, as a samurai who becomes a pawn in a political power struggle when he is sent to his hometown to announce the emperor’s latest tax cuts.
Toshiro Mifune is here red lion.
samurai rebellion Kobayashi Masaki(1967)
“A true masterpiece representing the drama of the dark ages, depicting the absurdity of feudal society,” Ichiyama said. Another Mifune star – what actor could be more arrogant? (Hint: No) – This Criterion Collection staple tells the story of a quiet swordsman who is forced to finally stand up against his master’s cowardly injustice. One of the undisputed greats of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema, Kobayashi’s other beloved works include Samurai Masterpieces seppuku (1962), an epic trilogy human condition and the seminal horror anthology Egg (1964).
singing lovebirds Makino Masahiro (1939)
“A masterpiece of musical comedy period dramas that used to be produced in large numbers but then rarely.” Makino made this charming film in just two weeks when the star of another film he was producing suffered from appendicitis . The film stars Takashi Shimura, who played the lead samurai in Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai, In the singing part. Think of a light-hearted musical romantic comedy set in the cruel world of feudal Japan, complete with umbrella-waving dance moves.
throne of blood Akira Kurosawa(1957)
“Although I know seven samurai is a masterpiece that is often chosen for lists like this, and I recommend this adaptation macbeth As my representative Kurosawa work,” Ichiyama said. Despite being transported into an entirely new cultural context, Kurosawa’s film – starring Mifune as the murderous Macbeth, or his Japanese analogue, the samurai Washi Tsutaketoki – is widely regarded as the greatest film of Shakespeare’s play One of the adaptations (including one based on what the late, great literary critic Harold Bloom called “the most successful film version”).
“Throne of Blood”
everett collection
