ACF 895: Reminder - "The Sword of Doom" screens tonight at Japan Society (NY)

The Sword of Doom / Dai-bosatsu toge
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
Japan, 1966, 119 minutes
When: Friday, February 18, 2011, at 7:30 PM
Where: Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY
(Between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

The soul is the sword.
Study the soul to know the sword
Evil mind, evil sword.
- Instructor and master swordsman Toranosuke Shimada (Toshiro Mifune)

Kihachi Okamoto's chambara classic The Sword of Doom, which stars Tatsuya Nakadai and features Toshiro Mifune in a significant role, will be shown tonight at Japan Society, NY.

For my review of The Sword of Doom which appeared earlier this week, click here.

Buy Tickets Online for Friday's screening or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

And for a really good, recent New York Times article about samurai films written by Wendell Jamieson, in which The Sword of Doom looms large, click here.

ACF 640: Book Review - Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves
Written by Patrick Galloway
Published by Stone Bridge Press, 2005
Paperback version M.S.R.P. $19.95 U.S.
238 pages, numerous b&w illustrations

If you only buy one book about samurai films, this probably should be it. If you have several books about samurai films, this definitely should be one of them. Galloway provides the reader with the kind of information that everyone who loves, or has at least a passing interest in samurai films, should be familiar with.

The first part consists of four chapters of Background:

- The World of the Samurai - provides the historical context of samurai films
- The Samurai Film Genre - includes descriptions of "The Big Five" Japanese movie studios that produced the overwhelming bulk of samurai films
- The Artists - discusses several important directors, screenwriters, and actors
- Seeing the Films - is primarily devoted to explaining the system by which Galloway characterizes the availability of each film reviewed, ranging from "easy" to "tricky" to "tough." Be advised that availability fluctuates over time. Most, perhaps all, of the "easy" titles are still available, though some films do go "out-of-print." In other cases, some films have become "easier" to buy or rent than they were when the book was published.

Part II: The Films, the bulk of the book, uses a chronological approach to discuss the films, starting in the '50s with Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) and ending with Yoji Yamada's Twilight Samurai (2003). These make wonderful "bookends" as Yamada''s film - the first in his "Samurai Trilogy" - is in many ways the anti-thesis of Kurosawa's style in his saumurai films.

All -- and I do mean all -- the "biggies" are here: Kurosawa's films in the genre, as well as picks from such well-known series as Zatoichi, Sleepy Eyes of Death, Lone Wolf and Club, The Razor, and Lady Snowblood. I've seen all of these, many years ago, but it was still fascinating to read Galloway's descriptions of and thoughts about them. There were also several films discussed that I wasn't familiar with and that I'm grateful for learning about.

The final section is a brief appendix. The major portion of it is a very helpful Glossary and Cross-Index. A nice touch here is having phrases, such as baka ("fool") in black typeface in a grey rectangle, while names of individuals and of movies are in white typeface set in black rectangles. The two page bibliography is divided into print and Internet sources.

Stray Dogs... is both interesting and informative. It's essential reading and a must-have book for anyone with a serious interest in the samurai film genre.

ACF Rating; 4 out of 4 stars, highest recommendation.

ACF 441: Samurai Films by Roland Thorne

This book was one of those 'faith' purchases I make every now and then. It was 'recommended' by Amazon.com based on my other purchases of Asian film related books. Because the book seemed interesting and was reasonably priced, I decided to take a chance on it. While it has its faults, overall I'm quite happy I bought it and consider it a worthwhile addition to my collection.

Roland Thorne is a writer based in Australia and this is his first book. He rather broadly defines samurai films to include other Japanese swordplay movies. This is actually tipped off by the cover photo of Takeshi Katano in his 2003 version of 'Zatoichi,' which he both directed and starred in. Zatoichi is a blind masseur and, despite his visual handicap, a master swordsman, but he most definitely is not a samurai. Still, Thorne shouldn't be faulted for this decision, as he has picked terrific films to discuss, whether actually concerning samurai or considering swordspersons in general. Furthermore all his picks are readily available on DVD.

The first chapters briefly discuss the history of the samurai and of samurai films, some important directors, and a few of the major stars. The bulk of the book is devoted to actual reviews , and takes a chronological approach. Information about each film - including the Japanese title - is followed by sections devoted to plot summary, analysis, and a verdict of the films worthiness.

The writing at times is a bit repetitive, and Thorne has a tendency to overuse the phrases "worthy of mention, 'should be commended,' and variations of them. Also the images are somewhat disappointing: most of them appear to be screenshots that are not particularly sharp.

Occassionally his statements are rather questionnable, to say the least. For example, on page 23 he writes: “Beginning with the excellent Rashomon, Kurosawa made one classic film after the other, throughout the 1950s and 60s” [emphasis mine]. In fact, Kurosawa's next film after Rashomon was The Idiot (1951), which was a critical and box office failure. In Something Like An Autobiography, Kurosawa wrote that if it hadn't been for the awards that he received for Rashomon, he would have had to "eat cold rice" because The Idiot would have seriously derailed his career. And several of his other post-Rashomon films, while worthwhile, are hardly deserving of being called "classics."

Still, Thorne writes about films that anyone interested in samurai or Japanese swordplay films should know about. I've seen almost all the films covered and I think he has done an essentially sound job in describing and discussing them. I learned a fair number of new things.

Samurai Films is a very worthwhile guide book for viewers new, or relatively new, to samurai and swordplay cinema. However, if you're already very knowledgeable, it may not be of particularly great value.

ACF 132: Sword of the Stranger bi-coastal theatrical release starts 07.18.08

Sword of the Stranger

Directed by Masahiro Ando

Japan, 2007, 102 min

Sword of the Stranger is a wonderful movie that succeeds brilliantly both as an animation feature and as a samurai film.

The main characters are a young boy named Kotaro and his dog, which I believe is a Sheba Inu. (Full disclosure: I'm very partial to the breed because my wife and I have a nine year old Sheba Inu/Yellow Lab mix.) They're being chased by Chinese operatives of the Ming Emperor and their Japanese guides for reasons that eventually become clear.

Having escaped from a burning monastery, Kotaro hires a ronin (masterless samurai) known simply as No Name to help them get to another monastery. Along the way there are numerous bloody encounters. The action climaxes with an incredible battle scene that culminates with No Name facing off against Rarou, a fierce light-haired Westerner who's working for the Chinese.

No Name (l) faces off against Rarou

Although there are a few scenes in bright sunlight, most of the film is done in low-key lighting. The primary colors are earth-tones and are very well done, not the least but muddied.

Tomorrow, Friday, July 18th, 2008, Sword of the Stranger will begin a bi-coastal theatrical run, at The ImaginAsian Theater in New York and at The ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles.

In New York the film will have an English language soundtrack, although the characters speaking in Chinese are subtitled. That's how it was in the DVD screener I had to review, and although I generally prefer original language soundtracks and subtitles, Sword of the Stranger had excellent dubbing. The Los Angeles screenings will have a Japanese language track with English subtitles.

I give it a 3.5 out of 4 star rating (highly recommended), and strongly suggest that you check it out if you can.

ACF 066: Dawn of Japanese Animation

Japan Society is presenting a four part program of Japanese animations from the 1920s-40s, plus live-action add-ons for each program.

Part 1 : Chambara Action & Adventure
- Twelve animations and Fighting in Ashura Town (Program approximately 95 min.)
- Live benshi narration of some animations!
- Reception to follow screenings!
- Wednesday, February 13 at 7:00 PM

Part 2: Horror & Comedy
- Six animations and Kid Commotion (Program approximately 80 min.)
- Live benshi narration of some animations!
- Thursday, February 14 at 7:00 PM

Part 3: Propaganda
- Eleven animations and Mother of the Nation (Program approximately 75 min.)
- Live benshi narration of some animations!
- Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM

Part 4: Music & Dance
- Nine animations and Singing Lovebirds (Program approximately 115 min.)
- Saturday, February 16 at 5:00 PM

Special Screening - Orochi (1925, 75 min.)
- An epic film about an innocent samurai falsely accused of a crime
- Live benshi narration in English by New York-based theater director & actor Leon Ingulsrud!
- Saturday, February 16 at 7:30 PM

All screenings will be at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017

For further information or to order tickets online, go to www.japansociety.org/film, or call 212.715.1258.