Samurai Cinema

Hey I'm having a Samurai Sunday with my friends who are less antiquated with older samurai films. I'm looking for a couple good movies to help introduce them to the genre. Any suggestions?

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:50:00 -0400

Depends a bit on your friend’s tastes, but I would go with a couple classics on different ends of the spectrum to introduce the genre.

First, Yojimbo. Because of how fun, badass, and hilarious it is, it’s a great entry point to the genre I think. Particularly if they’re fans of westerns (Sergio Leone essentially took Yojimbo, and put it in the American west to make A Fistful of Dollars). It also introduces Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, and Tatsuya Nakadai (and quite a few other samurai movie ‘regulars’) which you’ll hopefully be seeing more of soon.

Next, I would go with my favorite, and perhaps the most dramatic and gut-wrenching- Harakiri. Many people don’t appreciate just how deep samurai movies can get, and brush them off as simple action flicks, but Harakiri proves just how complex they can be. Brilliant direction from another staple, Masaki Kobayashi, brilliant acting, lots of symbolism, questioning, and criticism of the samurai and Japanese society in general (many samurai films like this one where used to veil social commentary in a time where they would be censored). Despite the complexity, it’s not hard to follow or understand, but rather, a film that you’ll find more and more to appreciate with each viewing. One of the most amazing endings around also.

Good luck with your Samurai Sunday! We need more of those around. If you need more suggestions you can check the list on my page of course, but Criterion’s Samurai Cinema selection is a great list of guaranteed classics.

Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance

Wed, 15 May 2013 01:25:00 -0400

Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance

Nujabes || Battlecry (Samurai Champloo theme)

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:27:15 -0400

Nujabes || Battlecry (Samurai Champloo theme)

Tetsurō Tamba and Tatsuya Nakadai in Harakiri and Goyokin

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:54:03 -0400

Tetsurō Tamba and Tatsuya Nakadai in Harakiri and Goyokin

distancetouch: Three Outlaw Samurai Hideo Gosha, 1964

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:10:38 -0400

distancetouch:

Three Outlaw Samurai

Hideo Gosha, 1964

movietitleinferno: Bandits vs Samurai Squadron - 1978

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:26:00 -0400

movietitleinferno:

Bandits vs Samurai Squadron - 1978

Three Outlaw Samurai

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:20:35 -0400

Three Outlaw Samurai

Samurai Spy

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:53:33 -0400

Samurai Spy

iwdrm: “The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 18:05:00 -0400

iwdrm:

“The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.”

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Photo

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:01:44 -0400

Nakadai faces. Kill!

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:29:40 -0400

Nakadai faces.

Kill!

Kill!

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:01:50 -0400

Kill!

Kill!

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:53:24 -0400

Kill!

silviowilma: lecollecteur: Drop everything, Akira...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:52:00 -0400

silviowilma:

lecollecteur:

Drop everything, Akira Kurosawa’s Criterion films are free on Hulu for the weekend

To celebrate what would have been Akira Kurosawa’s 103rd birthday if he hadn’t died in 1998, Hulu is streaming 24 of his films from the Criterion collection, plus various supplementary featurettes and interviews, for free this weekend. They’re available now through Sunday at the site’s Happy Birthday, Akira Kurosawa page, and they amount to more than 44 hours of viewing, so you’ve got just about enough time to make some lame excuse to your boss, professor, or the friends you made plans with this weekend, then head straight home, grab some popcorn, and move in for the duration. Need help prioritizing? Our Kurosawa Primer from 2010 covers the director’s career, which films are essentials, and why he’s a crucial part of the cinematic landscape. It does not cover the essentials of peeing into a cup and going without sleep for three days so you don’t miss anything, but we figure you’ll work that out for yourself.

!!

The Hidden Fortress // dir. Akira Kurosawa

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:45:35 -0400

The Hidden Fortress // dir. Akira Kurosawa

Heaven and Earth

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:08:13 -0500

Heaven and Earth

A few of my favorite Harakiri posters.

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:57:12 -0500

A few of my favorite Harakiri posters.

Samurai Banners

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:38:52 -0500

Samurai Banners

Heaven and Earth

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:55:52 -0500

Heaven and Earth

Heaven and Earth

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:48:43 -0500

Heaven and Earth