Blu-blood Comes To Animeigo: Shogun Assassin

While we at the SA prefer our chanbara subbed, not dubbed, there's no denying the influence 'Shogun Assassin' has had on Western audiences. This film (cobbled together from parts of the first two 'Lone Wolf And Cub/Kozure Okami' films and given an English language dub) introduced the ultra violent samurai epics of the 70's to a audience that had previously had only Kurosawa fare to watch for a jidaigeki fix. Interestingly enough, the film has also had a big crossover impact in the horror/splatter film genre, being celebrated in many works devoted to Splatter Cinema. It even made it into the #6 position on the late Goremeister Extraordinaire Chas Balun's 'Dirty Dozen' list! The latter group would surely approve of the tag line Animeigo has given to its new Blu-ray release of this seminal offering-"The film that brought new life to BLOOD-DRENCHED DEATH!" From Samuel L. Jackson to Quentin Tarantino (who paid homage to the film in 'Kill Bill 2'), the film has made its presence felt. You might say that 'Shogun Assassin' is now the Blu-blood of Animeigo's classic film lineup!

This 1980 release saw the film take twelve minutes of footage from the first Baby Cart film, Sword Of Vengeance, and lift the remainder of the footage from Baby Cart At The River Styx (both of which are also available from Animeigo). The original film provides the background to the series-how Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto was stripped of his title, marked for death by the Shogun, and along with his infant son Daigoro became a ronin and began to roam the countryside as an assassin-for-hire. The footage from part two is highlighted by the conflict between Itto and the 'Masters Of Death', three killers who each specialize in an exotic weapon-a tiger claw, spiked club, and spiked knuckles.

If you've only watched the original Lone Wolf And Cub films, noting the different ways in which Shogun Assassin strays from them makes for interesting viewing. The most notable difference is that the Yagyu clan has been stricken from the books, with clan leader Retsudo now being installed as the Shogun. While Daigoro says next to nothing in the Japanese versions, he becomes the chronicler/narrator of Shogun Assassin. Most of the subplots involving the motivations of the Masters Of Death and the Yagyu are eliminated. The American producers did leave in the one thing that mattered-the buckets of blood, flying limbs, and intense sword fighting. From krazed kunoichi karving up a rival shinobi to make a point, to the baby cart tricked out with as many gadgets and weapons as the Batmobile, to the all out assault and showdown between Ogami and the Masters of Death, not a drop of blood has been omitted. One of the more amusing anecdotes given about the film in the commentary (discussed at length in the next paragraph) is how 'The Masters Of Death', while not being up to defeating Ogami Itto, did manage to defeat the evil censors on the MPAA ratings board. The biggest difference is actually in the trailer for the film, which attempts to promote Shogun Assassin as a 'Conan The Barbarian' sword-and-sorcery film. Hearing about how Itto massacres hundreds of enemies 'with one sweep of his mystic blade', the description of himself and Daigoro as the 'greatest team in the history of mass slaughter', and seeing the Shogun described as a wizard-well, to anyone who grew up watching misleading film trailers it's a real treat.

There are not one but two commentary tracks on the disc. The first is a carryover from the boxed set of Shogun Assassin films (it didn't appear on the individual initial release) and is done by 'Film Scholar' Ric Meyers and 'Martial Arts Expert' Steve Watson. Myers dispenses with the self-referential praise and poor grasp of Japanese culture and history that tainted his commentary for Animeigo's 'Shinobi No Mono 2', turning in an excellent examination of the film's history, stars, voice actors, and production staff. Watson doesn't chime in often and generally seems to be there to correct Meyers's poor Japanese pronunciation. The second commentary is by far the most interesting-it's done by 'Shogun Assassin' Producer David Weisman, Graphic Designer Jim Evans (who designed the memorable 'two sword' English language poster), and Gibran Evans (the English language voice actor for Daigoro). This is definitely Weisman's show, and the insight he brings to the acquisition/localization of foreign films for distribution in the US is a treasure trove for Japanese film enthusiasts. If you've wanted to know why they spliced together two films to make one, why these particular films were chosen, had Daigoro narrate the story, why the story was changed to exclude the Yagyu clan, or why it was dubbed in English rather than subtitled-Weisman has an answer for you. From a business standpoint, it's obvious he was dead on-the film was a box office smash despite the fact that an earlier subtitled version of another of the 'Baby Cart' films flopped badly. The dubbing process is examined in depth (including Sandra Bernhard's fabled cacklings) and the level of dedication and pride taken in the process will come as a surprise to many. Weisman also has an interesting theory that the 'Baby Cart' films revolve around the love of father and son and their bonding. While this aspect of the series is seen in the excellent TV version of the series (featuring Nakamura Kinnosuke's superior portrayal of Ogami Itto), we've always found it absent in Wakayama Tomisaburo's Ogami-quite the opposite. His cold and calculating manner seems to relegate his son to the status of nothing more than a convenient tool. Still, Weisman provides enough food for thought to back up his viewpoint.

There's also an original interview done with Samuel L. Jackson on Shogun Assassin and the influence it's had on his film career, including his voice work on 'Afro Samurai'. It's also obvious Jackson is a huge chanbara fan, with hundreds of films in his collection. Other extras include cast and crew bios for the principles, a still gallery, and the film's ungodly misleading trailer. Aniemigo's always excellent program notes are on display as well, giving historical background and cultural explanations for the action in the film. There's also a very cool section that allows you to compare scenes from the bootleg, DVD, and Blu-ray versions of Shogun Assasssin and how the quality of the transfers has improved over the years. Even on our old-school 1992 TV, you can see a big difference in quality from the Animeigo DVD to Blu-ray. It would be even more pronounced on a modern big-screen HD TV! The next step will no doubt be a 3-D version where the blood comes right into your living room-when that happens, it'll be time for us to upgrade our antique TV.

New TV or old, the excellent transfer along with the new commentaries make this a welcome addition to any chanbara film's collection. If you've put off watching the 'American version' of Lone Wolf, now would be the time to indulge yourself. You'll come away with a better understanding of the difficulties involved in marketing foreign films in the US and be treated to one of the iconic splatter/sword releases of the eighties to boot. At $13, how can you go wrong? Just don't sit too close to the screen-regular blood's hard enough to get out, but Blu-blood is a real bitch. The Blu-ray release of Shogun Assassin is available directly from Animeigo or through Amazon at the Samurai Archives Store.

Film Review: Death Trance

Death Trance, Directed by Yuji Shimomura, gives the viewer a pretty bare-boned plot: Essentially a super-human fighter steals a coffin from a temple that is supposed to allow the one who opens it to have his biggest desire granted. In this mish-mash cross between a kung-fu movie, Mad Max, and Samurai-chambara, 4 Characters fight it out to steal the magic coffin from each other. That's basically the whole plot right there. Who are these four stolid warriors?

1. Sid (or, Totally Pointless Ronin with 80's Hair) This pointless character is played by Steven Seagal's son Kentaro. The character does nothing to advance the plot (not that there is much of one to begin with), and Kentaro just plain lacks any of the screen presence or bad-ass charisma of his father.

2. Grave (or, Eternally hungry super human number one fighter) Played by Tak Sakaguchi - Sakaguchi makes up for all of Kentaro Seagal's faults as an actor with charisma and stage presence in spades. Well, as long as he doesn't open his mouth. He owns every scene he's in with a Mifune-like flair, but for some reason, all of his lines fall flat. His action scenes are lightning fast and rock-solid whereas Kentaro's one marginal fight scene is pretty weak in comparison.

3. Yuri (or, Pale mysterious death angel lady) More of a plot device than a character, she sort of moves the plot along with the main protagonist:

4. Ryuen (or, Naive Over-His-Head Junior Priest) Tasked by the bishop of his destroyed temple with bringing back the coffin. He's the joe everyman in this crazy story of swordplay, blood, vampires, creepy little kids in kimonos, and kung-fu flying action.


Director Shimomura, who was action director for Ryuhei Kitamura on both "Aragami" and "Versus", obviously brought this experience with him. "Death Trance" is smoother than versus but not as much so as "Aragami", and the action is a combination of both films. I actually watched this movie specifically to see Kentaro Seagal, to see if he has inherited any of his father's screen presence or action skills. He disappoints in both areas. Tak Sakaguchi absolutely steals the show as the super human killing machine. I almost wonder if he actually studied Toshiro Mifune's swagger and bravado - he pulls it off brilliantly. Unfortunately he utterly lacks any power with his lines. Unlike Mifune, his voice definitely does not even come close to matching his swagger in this movie.

The locations and costumes were great, as was the washed out color most of the movie was filmed in, it gives it a dark and stylized look. All in all an OK popcorn movie with lots of katana, gun, and fist action, with some gunkata, capoeira, vampires, a motorcycle, and a bazooka thrown in for good measure. Final verdict:

Three Smilin' Sammys out of five:

Interview with Patrick Galloway Part 2

This week continues Obenjo Kusanosuke's two-part interview with Patrick Galloway, Author of Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook and Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong & Thailand. Enjoy!


OK: Hi Pat! Welcome back for part two of our interview. We left off part one with you mentioning some fabulous films that were directed by some of Japan’s all-time great jidai geki directors. I know from past discussions that you are fan of Mizoguchi Kenji’s films. Mizoguchi was a master filmmaker in his own right but never found the kind of overseas commercial success that Kurosawa enjoyed. Can you tell us what it is about Mizoguchi’s directorial style that is so appealing to you? Why do you think that Mizuguchi remained relatively unknown in some key overseas markets such as America?

PG: Kenji Mizoguchi is considered one of the Big Three Japanese auteurs, along with Ozu and Kurosawa (a triumvirate demarcated decades ago by film critics here and abroad). His style is fluid, graceful and magnificent. There are three reasons why Mizoguchi's profile in the US has never been as high as Kurosawa's: 1) Kurosawa was at Toho, a studio with distribution deals and a chain of theaters in the US (as opposed to Mizoguchi's studio, Daiei, which had neither); 2) Kurosawa's style is far more influenced by American film (he idolized John Ford), and is thus more accessible to American audiences than Mizoguchi's; and 3) Mizoguchi's choice of subject matter was a bit dark for American audiences -- cruelty and prostitution were two big themes for him, not the kind of topics that are going to sell a lot of popcorn. Mizoguchi was much bigger in Europe, particularly in France. Andre Bazin, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard lauded him in Cahiers du cinéma during the 50's, considering him greater than Kurosawa. Style-wise, the fundamental difference between Kurosawa and Mizoguchi is that, as Mizoguchi himself famously stated, his films unfurl like a scroll, rather than moving from cut to cut like the turning pages of a book. Mizoguchi's takes are longer, the camera often moving from scene to scene, rather than cutting like Kurosawa.

OK: And it’s a little strange, but while Mizoguchi got the credit he deserved in Japan, Kurosawa was often panned. Why was that?

PG: Ironically, it was due to Kurosawa's early success in Europe and America. Rashomon won the Grand Prix at the Venice International Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1951. Japanese critics, in a stunningly xenophobic turn, assumed that if Western critics liked his films, there must be something wrong with his work, that it couldn't be authentically Japanese (for then, surely it would be incomprehensible to the West). Bear in mind this was just a few short years after Japan's defeat in World War II, and some measure of antipathy towards the West is understandable. Plus his films did exhibit a Western influence. Nevertheless, he was ill-served by these early critiques, and they disturbed him deeply.

OK: Staying on the subject of directors, some have had an incredible ability to make their stars shine brighter than usual on the silver screen resulting in some very special director - actor collaborations. We all know about Kurosawa and Mifune, but take an incredible actor like Nakadai Tatsuya—who possesses an unbelievable range of talent. But is there one director, whom in your opinion made Nakadai’s star burn brighter than it normally does?

PG: Well my first thought is Masaki Kobayashi who gave Nakadai his start, introducing him to the world in profound and disturbing films likeBlack River and the Human Condition trilogy. But Tatsuya Nakadai had already been acting on the stage prior to his screen debut with Kobayashi, and his particular star tends to burn quite brightly no matter which director he's working with. Take a look at his performances in Satsuo Yamamoto's Blood End, Hideo Gosha's Goyokin, Kihachi Okamoto's Sword of Doom, Kurosawa's Ran, Kon Ichikawa's The Key, Kenji Misumi's Zatoichi -- The Festival of Fire, Masahiro Shinoda's Buraikan, Shiro Toyoda's Portrait of Hell, Mikio Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, hell, even Tonino Cervi's spaghetti western Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die (Nakadai plays a psychotic Mexican bandit in that one). He's always brilliant, always gives 100% and is, in my opinion, the greatest Japanese actor of the 20th century (and beyond ... ).

OK: Do you think Shinoda Masahiro brought out the best in Iwashita Shima? By the way, I was surprised she didn’t make your list of favorite actresses! But seriously, she has an unnerving beauty and sensuality that when combined with her on-screen intelligence, is enchanting to the point of lethality! I intend to rest my case by mentioning her collaboration with Shinoda, who is also her husband, in his amazing Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees. You wrote a very good piece about this film in your book, Asia Shock. Would you agree that this film is a perfect marriage of the jidai geki and horror genres? The film is violent, sexually charged and downright spooky!

PG: I would put Shima Iwashita in the same class as Nakadai, a consummate professional and transcendently gifted performer who tends to shine no matter who she's working for. I think it's the lesser talents that need a director to "bring out the best" in them (like, say, Brad PItt needs David Fincher -- I've never seen Pitt top his performance in Fight Club). So yes, Iwashita's terrific. Having said that, she's not one of my favorites. You mentioned the term unnerving, and that's what I get from her, an ice queen vibe that makes a performance like that in Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees all the more disturbing. The scene where she suckles a severed head -- not for a minute did I doubt her sincerity, and that's pretty shocking! Incidentally, I give her her props in the new book, Warring Clans, Flashing Blades.

OK: What other jidai geki horror films would you recommend?

PG: Well there's Kobayashi's Kwaidan for starters. That's four films in one, so you definitely get your money's worth there, plus a great cast: Rentaro Mikuni, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsuro Tamba, and Katsuo Nakamura as Hoichi the Earless! Then there are a number of film versions of the classic The Ghost of Yotsuya to check out; I'd particularly recommend the 1959 version directed by King of Japanese Horror Nobuo Nakagawa. Teruo Ishii's The Joy of Torture is fairly horrendous, cataloging heinous acts of cruelty down through the ages. In the new book I discuss freaky jidai geki films like the bloody revenge thriller Shura, the supernatural, Heian era drama Kuroneko and the gruesome Toei exploitation flick Quick-Draw Okatsu (all highly recommended).

OK: Yes, those are indeed very good films. I do think that one of the great things about jidai geki, is that as period pieces, you can drop any kind of genre into them, such as musicals and comedies and make them work quite well. And regarding comedies, I really think that Okamoto Kihachi was able to bring a very sharp and witty sense of humor to his jidai geki directorial efforts. Which of his films make you laugh?

PG: I think Kill! and Warring Clans are two of his funniest, most uproarious films. But what's amazing about Okamoto is his ability to blend comedy with drama, action and violence, often in the same scene! Okamoto fought in World War II and experienced his share of carnage. The dark absurdities of war instilled in him a gallows humor that shows up in many of his films, particularly the ones in which he had the most creative control. Unfortunately, he was often at odds with the Toho brass, and some of his films clearly show a stifled Okamoto phoning it in (see Battle of Okinawa).

OK: Sadly East Meets West , Okamoto’s 1995 “samurai in the Wild West” comedy, hasn’t been legitimately released on DVD in the US or other overseas markets. It’s a shame as nearly half the movie is in English and I thought Takenaka Naoto was a real treat to watch. He kept me in stitches! Have you managed to see it?

PG: No, that's yet another film on my ever-lengthening wish list.

OK: And what about another samurai western, Red Sun, featuring the fearsome threesome of Mifune Toshiro, Charles Bronson and Alain Deon? What do you think of this movie?

PG: Not bad. But take Mifune out of the equation and it's a pretty routine affair. There are some great set pieces, though, with Mifune and Bronson fighting together against hordes of attackers -- the sword 'n pistol combo is exciting and unique. And as always, Alain Delon is super cool and Ursula Andress is smoking hot!

OK: Ah, yes, I see what you mean. And thanks for bringing up the fact that Ursula Andress starred in that movie as well. It seems that after this film, she went on to star in some not-so-great soft-core Italian exploitation films. And speaking of exploitation movies, this is also a genre that has shown up under the guise of jidai geki to give us some surprisingly entertaining B-style films during the 1970s and early 80s. One such series of films were the Hanzo the Razor movies starring the late and great Katsu Shintaro, of Zatoichi fame. You wrote about this series in Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves and this convinced me to plop down the cash to buy the set, even though I’m not the biggest fan of exploitation jidai geki. I actually really enjoyed these films! What’s your take on the Hanzo the Razor series?

PG: It's all in the book, Obenjo. The fact that I wrote reviews for all three movies, rather than a blanket review of the trilogy, speaks to my enthusiasm for this short-lived, severely twisted, boisterously priapic series. As you may know, the films were based on a manga by Kazuo Koike (of Lone Wolf & Cub fame). I have a particular passion for manga movies, as they tend to occupy most outrageous corner of Japanese cinema.

OK: Yeah, the “enormity” of it all was quite funny! But I do have to say, I thought Brick McBurly, in Samurai Sexecutioner put Katsu’s “Hanzo” to shame in oh so many ways. What did you think of this film? I thought it was another McBurly masterpiece!

PG: Since our last interview, I took it upon myself to screen a film starring this McBurly guy you seem so keen on, the very film you mention in fact. It didn't merit more than a two-word review so I guess I'll go with "pond scum," or better, "shit sandwich."

OK: What’s up with you and Brick? I guess it is fair to say that none of Brick’s films will make your desert isle top ten list! So, if you were on a deserted island all to yourself with a TV, DVD player and a power source, what would be the top 10 samurai movies you’d want with you?

PG: Well Yojimbo and Sanjuro, I couldn't really live without those. Gosha's Hunter In the Dark, that's one you can watch over and over. I'd need a Nemuri Kyoshiro picture, so I'd take my favorite, Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Seduction (no wait, that's only on VHS ... ). A Bloody Spear on Mt. Fuji, now there's a great film! And Kenji Misumi's The Last Samurai is incredible. What are we up to? Six? Hmm. Oh hell, this is ridiculous. There are so many great samurai films, there's no way I can pick ten without it being a random sampling. But to honor your question and round out the list, let's say Harakiri, Lone Wolf & Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx, The Ceiling at Utsunomiya and Ran.

OK: Excellent list! I think you and I could talk about samurai films all night—as our wives can attest to! Therefore, why don’t we give some other people here the chance to ask you some questions? How does that sound to you?

PG: Fine by me, so long as they don't involve someone named "Brick."

OK: Alright, so if you have a question for Pat Galloway, please respond to this post, and I’ll submit them to Pat. Answers will be posted soon after that. Also, don't forget to check out Pat's website at http://www.cyberpat.com



Pat Galloway says: Oh oh, I think I just
saw Brick McBurly...I did!!! They are filming
an episode of "Abarenbo Gaijin" here!

If you have any questions for Pat, please feel free to post them in the comments for this thread!

S-A Interview with Patrick Galloway

Recently, after discussing various things we could do to keep everything fresh and interesting, fellow Samurai Archives blogger Obenjo Kusanosuke came up with the idea of interviewing people preeminent in their respective fields. Obenjo kicks off the first of many interviews with Patrick Galloway, author of two books on Asian cinema.


Recently, I sat down for a fun-filled email interview with Patrick Galloway, author of Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook and Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong & Thailand . We are honored to inaugurate the Samurai Archives’ Author Interview Series with such a distinguished guest and valued forum member. This is the first part of our on-going discussion and once the interview is finished, the thread will be unlocked so people can post comments and a few additional questions for Patrick. So without further ado, let’s get on with the interview!

OK: Tell us, what got you interested in samurai films? What was the first one you saw?

PG: Way back when I first discovered the Criterion Collection -- that's where I found Yojimbo and Seven Samurai. So like many others, I entered the world of the samurai through the doorway of Akira Kurosawa. I had also been a student of Eastern philosophy for many years, and the Zen aesthetic was attractive to me. Later I found Zatoichi and began to develop an awareness of chambara in terms of the different studios (Toho, Daiei, Shochiku, etc.)

OK: What motivated you to write Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves? I thought this was one heck of a book and it was ‘love at first read’. You really take the reader by the hand on a grand tour of samurai cinema in a way that entertains and educates at the same time.

PG: At the time I wrote the book, there was only one other text wholly devoted to the samurai film genre, Alain Silver's then-out-of-print The Samurai Film. While I've gotten much from Silver's book, there's no denying it's written in a dry, academic style. I wanted to create a book that was informative and fun to read, expressing my personal enthusiasm for the genre. In this way I could offer an alternative to Silver and establish my own style.

OK: How did you come up with the idea of Takuan, "the know-it-all priest"? This was quite a clever idea.

PG: This was a Q&A device to help people new to Japanese film/culture get a handle on some of the more bewildering cultural traditions they're bound to encounter watching the films. I appropriated the irascible yet wise Takuan from the Musashi Miyamoto saga, one of the first stops on many a journey through samurai film.

OK: Is there a specific period of Japanese history you have become interested in because of samurai films?

PG: Since the majority of samurai films take place during the Tokugawa period, that was, of course, my initial fascination. But many films are set during the Sengoku, and a few in the Heian, and these periods have definitely caught my interest as well. The Meiji era is technically no longer jidai geki, but there have been great films set then as well, such as Kenji Misumi's The Last Samurai and the Lady Snowblood films. I think the Meiji is of particular interest to Westerners, as it was a period of rapid westernization, a time when, almost overnight, topknots and kimonos gave way to top hats and frock coats.

OK: How did you find the Samurai Archives? What was it that led you here?

PG: Initially it was my own curiosity, inspired by the films. Once the samurai film obsession had taken hold, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the history and real personages portrayed in the pictures I was discovering. Later I came to rely on the SA as a valuable resource for my research, both with SD&LW and my upcoming Warring Clans, Flashing Swords: A Samurai Film Companion (out Fall '09).

OK: Has the study of Japanese history helped give you any additional insights into the samurai films you view?

PG: I'm always interested in distinguishing samurai fact from samurai fiction. A deeper understanding of the history serves to enhance one's enjoyment of the films. You get a kick out of seeing an historical figure or event faithfully represented, but it's also fun to know when things are getting changed around for dramatic effect (which is more often the case).

OK: Who are your favorite jidai geki stars and what is that you specifically like about these actors/actresses?

PG: Good lord, where to begin? Big name stars I particularly like include Tatsuya Nakadai, Raizo Ichikawa, Shintaro Katsu, Kinnosuke Nakamura and Toshiro Mifune. However, I'm also quite fond of a whole range of character actors and second-tier stars like Tomisaburo Wakayama, Tetsuro Tamba, Eijiro Tono, Makoto Sato, Yoshio Harada, Shigeru Amachi, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kunie Tanaka, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Rentaro Mikuni, Etsushi Takahashi, Mikio Narita, Yoshio Inaba -- and that's just the guys. As for the ladies, there's Isuzu Yamada, Yoko Kagawa, Yoshiko Kuga, Machiko Kyo, Nobuko Otowa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Meiko Kaji and of course the girls of Daiei: Masayo Banri, Shiho Fujimura and Miwa Takada.

OK: I noticed Brick McBurly didn’t make your list. Why? I’m struggling to understand this. I thought he was brilliant in his jidai geki debut The Dog Style Shogun. Even though we couldn’t see his face throughout the movie, his portrayal of Hattori Hanzo left me speechless.

PG: Brick who? Is that the white guy who plays a samurai in Kiss makeup? Otherwise I don't know who you're talking about. Why would you bring up some silly-named nobody in an interview like this? You were doing pretty good until this last question...

OK: Umm... that’s me who wears the KABUKI, not KISS makeup! Well, fine. Brick didn’t make your list, but I think he deserves some credit for his portrayal of Hanzo. Speaking of ninjas, there are a lot of folks out there who are fans of ninja films. There are some highly entertaining films out there, but it is really easy to fall into the trap of believing that ninja existed as they are portrayed in so many of the schlockier films. Did you fall into this ninja trap? I know I did!

PG: Actually, I took this issue to heart in my research and discussions of ninja films in my upcoming book. Although there were real, historical ninja, they were essentially just spies, and operated in much the same way spies do in all eras i.e. gathering intelligence, creating political instability, carrying out assassinations, etc. The black pajamas and super powers are the stuff of kabuki theater.

OK: Can you tell us which ninja movies you’d recommend? Are there any we should avoid?

PG: The ninja films I review in the new book run the gamut from classics like Shinobi no Mono and Samurai Spy to fun stuff like Watari, Ninja Boy. I think the worst thing I ever saw was something called Master Ninja with Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten.

OK: Yeah, that Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten thing was actually also a TV show. As a kid, I was surprised to see that ‘Salami’ (Van Patten’s character in the TV show ‘White Shadow’) became a ninja after graduating from Carver High School! I hate to get philosophical on you, but I’ve got to ask this. Do you consider chambara and jidai geki to be distinctly different film categories, or do you consider chambara to be a sub-genre of jidai geki?

PG: I'd say the latter. The term jidai geki, "period drama," covers historical periods up to 1868 (gendai geki picks it up from there to the present). So any film set before 1868 is technically jidai geki. It could be a chambara, an art film or a melodrama -- it's all jidai geki, at least as I understand it.

OK: The reason why I asked the above question is because some people turn their noses up at chambara, thinking that they are too low-brow. But I think it could be said that some chambara films rank as some of the best jidai geki films ever made. Would you agree with this statement? If so, what films come to mind?



PG: My feelings on this can be summed up by two words on page 12 of SD&LW, "chambara rocks!" As you know, chambara is an onomatopoetic term, referring to the sound of clashing swords. So any jidai geki film that has a fair amount of swordplay qualifies, I suppose, although some critics reserve the term for what they consider cheap, forgettable program pictures. Frankly, I've never seen such a picture. Even the most routine chambara film, at least among the ones I've seen, has a certain character, a certain intensity borne of bushido and the giri/ninjo conflict. And, as you mention, there are scores of chambara films that are true masterworks of cinema. Take any of the chambara films of Hideo Gosha, Kihachi Okamoto or Kenji Misumi, filmmakers who are to their genre what John Ford, Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher are to the American western. Even such luminaries as Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi have worked in the genre, creating landmark films like Harakiri, Sanjuro, Samurai Rebellion and Seven Samurai. So I think it's safe to say that, far from some derogatory term, chambara encompasses a wide range of fabulous films that continue to enrich and entertain year after year.

END OF PART ONE