Description
A dying woman begs Zatoichi to reunite her son with his father, who is working in a small town. But when the son and father meet, Zatoichi finds out that the father has been forced to work for gangsters. Using his lightning sword, Zatoichi takes on the crime boss in a relentless blend of action, violence, and comedy that makes Zatoichi Challenged one of the best in the long-running series.
4.5
6
$95.12
Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 17 – Zatoichi Challenged

• ISBN13: 9780780026445
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Description
One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of Shakespeare into film, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood re-imagines Macbeth in feudal Japan. Starring Kurosawa’s longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the film tells of a valiant warrior’s savage rise to power and his ignominious fall. With Throne of Blood, Kurosawa fuses one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh theater to make a Macbeth that is all his own—a classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom. Amazon.com essential video
A champion of illumination and experimental shading, Kurosawa brings his unerring eye for indelible images to Shakespeare in this 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. By changing the locale from Birnam Wood to 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa makes an oddball argument for the trans-historicity of Shakespeare’s narrative; and indeed, stripped to the bare mechanics of the plot, the tale of cutthroat ambition rewarded (and thwarted) feels infinitely adaptable. What’s lost in the translation, of course, is the force and beauty of the language–much of the script of Throne of Blood is maddeningly repetitive or superfluous–but striking visual images (including the surreal Cobweb Forest and some extremely artful gore) replace the sublime poetry. Toshiro Mifune is theatrically intense as Washizu, the samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility; he portrays the ill-fated warrior with a passion bordering on violence, and a barely concealed conviviality. Somewhat less successful is Isuzu Yamada as Washizu’s scheming wife; her poise and creepy impassivity, chilling at first, soon grows tedious. Kurosawa himself is the star of the show, though, and his masterful use of black-and-white contrast– not to mention his steady, dramatic hand with a battle scene–keeps the proceedings thrilling. A must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, as well as all you devotees of samurai weapons and armor. –Miles Bethany
4.0
115
$24.53
Throne of Blood – Criterion Collection

Product Description
Studio: Koch International Release Date: 01/25/2005Amazon.com
The collision of Japan’s two most famous cinematic swordsmen–Shintarô Katsu’s blind masseur, gambler, and rascally hero Ichi and Toshiro Mifune’s unnamed wandering mercenary and scruffy antihero who goes by the appellation Yojimbo (which means, simply, bodyguard)–makes this one of the most riveting chapters in Zatoichi’s long-running saga. Not quite friends and not really enemies, the rival swordsmen meet in a once-peaceful village caught between rival gangs, a swarm of government spies, and a fortune in stolen gold. Director Kihachi Okamoto gives Yojimbo a marvelous ambiguity that Mifune invests with a grubby sense of honor, whether growling and drinking and stirring things up or fearlessly strolling through the climactic gang war, dispatching attackers with a swipe and a grimace. But if the story belongs to Yojimbo, the film is Zatoichi’s: his minor scams and clowning demeanor hide a reluctant warrior and a tragic hero. –Sean Axmaker
4.0
19
$9.38
Zatoichi 20 – Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

Product Description
Studio: Media Blasters Inc. Release Date: 02/24/2004 Run time: 116 minutesAmazon.com
As the 26th installment in a popular film series that lasted 27 years, Zatoichi is essentially a “greatest hits” compendium of all the films that preceded it. That makes it essential viewing for Zatoichi fans and anyone interested in the voluminous “source code” for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Known in Japan as Zatoichi 26 or Zatoichi ’89, this lavish production was the last to star Shintaro Katsu, who originated the title role of “the Blind Swordsman” in 1962′s The Tale of Zatoichi and served triple-duty as writer and director of this stylishly violent latter-day adventure. Now much older and still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi (or, in Japanese, Zato Ichi) seeks a quiet life among the gentle people of Edo Period villages, but when he’s caught in a power struggle between rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent precedes him, and he’s forced to fend for himself in a series of sword-wielding showdowns. Between geysers of spurting crimson, this gorgeous Zatoichi film delivers good humor and mild sentiment, although series devotees were justifiably disappointed when the familiar plot failed to advance Zatoichi’s legend in a middle-aged context. Still, the action sequences are frequent and fun, and despite controversy surrounding an accidental death during the climactic battle (for which Katsu’s son, playing a villain, was ultimately found not guilty), this was a fitting farewell to Katsu’s involvement in the franchise, which was revived once again with the successful release of Takeshi “Beat” Kitano’s Zatoichi in 2003. –Jeff Shannon
4.5
14
$11.47
Zatoichi – Darkness Is His Ally

Description
With 25 film sequels and upwards of 100 TV episodes, Shintaro Katsu is the legendary Zatoichi! He’s a low-ranking blind masseur who lives by the Yakuza code and answers his foes with a deadly cane sword. By far one of Japan’s most time-honored screen personas, Zatoichi is to this day the ultimate everyman anti-hero.

Combining violent action with slapstick comedy, Zatoichi’s Cane Sword is a superb example of samurai filmmaking. The village of Tonda is ruled by violent and unscrupulous yakuza, and Zatoichi takes it upon himself to clean up the town. The film blends brilliant color photography with breathtaking action sequences while offering a look into Zatoichi’s past, as the blind swordsman learns the origin of his famous cane sword, and discovers it may soon fail in battle

*The entire Zatoichi series includes 26 film episodes. Home Vision Entertainment will release Zatoichi episodes 17, 18 and 19 this August. In an effort to maintain the integrity of this collection DVDs from HVe are numbered in order of movie release. Episodes 14, 16 and 20-26 are not available from Home Vision Entertainment.
5.0
5
$19.95
Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 15 – Zatoichi’s Cane Sword