Samurai Reincarnation

Resurrection Shuffle

Samurai Reincarnation
Japan 1981
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Toei/Eureka Masters Of Cinema
Blu Ray Zone B

Samurai Reincarnation is a movie directed by Kinji Fukasaku (of Battle Royale and The Green Slime fame), although it was original supposed to have been directed by the great Hideo Gosha... but he was arrested on firearms charges and so that fell through for him, allowing Fukasaku to replace him.

It tells the story, set in Edo period Japan, of a reincarnated Christian leader called Shiro (played by Kenji Sawada). After a whole bunch of his Christians have been slaughtered by the shogunate, including himself who joins some of the many heads being displayed, he manages to reincarnate himself when his head flies through the air (wait, is this an Indonesian film... that’s the kind of stuff I expect from their film culture?) and takes over the body of an actor playing him on a stage. He then goes around resurrecting (which often includes killing them before resurrecting them) various people, including real life, non-fictional characters like Musashi Miyamoto, who was played by Toshiro Mifune in the original Samurai Trilogy (which I will be revisiting at some point in the near future for this blog) but who is here played by Ken Ogata (four years before he played Mishima in Paul Schrader’s Mishima - A Life In Four Chapters). This film takes its basis on one of the novels covering the real Musashi Miyamoto’s life, in fact (although I’m guessing half zombified hell spawn returning to fulfil a thirst for vengeance from a former severed head is not actually plucked from moments from Miyamoto’s actual, true existence).

Denouncing God, Shiro uses his weird, Christian magic to pull souls back from hell to reanimate for his cause, which is to rid the kingdom of the shogun and burn Edo to the ground. Opposing him is Jubei Yagyu, played by the legendary Sonny Chiba, presumably as a member of the Yagyu Clan (I’m assuming this is the same bunch who were the bad guys in the Lone Wolf And Cub manga and movies). His father, who is also killed and resurrected to Shiro’s cause, is played by none other than the great Tomisaburô Wakayama, who of course played Ogami Itto in the famous six film series of adaptations of that manga, Lone Wolf And Cub.

The film is split into five chapters under the title Hell, the first four of which are around ten to fifteen minutes long (where Shiro returns and then starts recruiting) and the last of which takes up the huge remainder of the film. And it all looks fantastic, it has to be said. The studio bound ‘external locations’ of the opening gives a vision of Hell in the many Christian bodies piled up and their separate heads displayed while the sky is rendered in the studio in purples and pinks, like some kind of chaotic hellscape painted by Hieronymus Bosch.

And, it has to be said that, despite all that gravitas with the blood and honour in which the Japanese seem nobly steeped, the film moves along at a fair pace and is nicely shot, with lots of colours used to brighten up the compositions such as, for instance, when an actor is shot through a series of multicoloured glass panes of a window. Just as a scene gets just a little too talky and threatens to drag, things are switched out and some kind of conflict comes to the fore, which means the film never really has time to get dull or even allow you to question the silliness of some of it. And with skilled actors like these, the film has a certain weight to it which, bearing in mind the subject matter and the 1980s cheesiness which the film almost crosses over into, is actually pretty impressive.

And I think that’s me done with this one for a while. I was quite impressed at the number of heavy hitters that are part of the cast of this one and I found the whole experience somewhat entertaining, it has to be said. The only thing which bothered me was in one scene where Sonny Chiba gets his sword out and then re-sheathes it before any blood has been spilled by his blade... surely this was against the Samurai code? Regardless of this though, I had a pretty good time with it. Samurai Reincarnation is not a film I would jump into if you’re not used to watching samurai movies but it’s well acted and has bright colours... so if you are a fan of the genre, then you might want ot take a look at this one.

The Tale OF Zatoichi Continues (Zoku Zatôichi Monogatari)

Ichi keen!

The Tale Of Zatoichi Continues 
(Zoku Zatôichi Monogatari)
1962 Japan
Directed by Kazuo Mori
Daiei/Criterion Collection 
DVD Region 1/BluRay Region A 

I mentioned in my review of the first film in this series that, at the end, Zatoichi leaves his cane sword behind in the town in which he reluctantly killed his samurai friend as a kind of atonement... but the studio presumably hadn’t counted on the success of that first movie because, within that same year, this sequel was already released into the world. Therefore, that last little bit is not referred to again in this story and, right from the outset Zatoichi has a, presumably, new cane sword to defend himself with (a fact I seem to remember may get contradicted later in the series... but I’ll let you know when I get there).

This story is, in some ways, a continuation of the first but, really, only in terms of details such as locations and recurring characters. The first half of the film is set in a different town and this movie really is the first to set up the idea that Zatoichi is a wandering masseur. In The Tale Of Zatoichi (reviewed here...) he did indulge his new samurai friend in this but, in this movie, he is clearly taking money for his services... and that part of his established character is now a constant throughout the series, as much as his blindness, his gambling hustles and his expert swordsmanship.

The atmosphere is slightly different from the start in that the soundtrack is not composed by Akira Ifikube, like the first and a fair number of the others in the series are, but by Ichirô Saitô, who also contributed to later films, plus some of the Sleepy Eyes Of Death series (many of which are also reviewed on this site). It’s a different vibe but I think I almost prefer it over the Ifikube and I’m glad both composers got to do work on this franchise.

The film has less to do than the first one in terms of the set up of the character and gets on with the story. Also, in this regard, in terms of having more action sequences placed at key points through the narrative and building towards a final, “all against one showdown”, for the end part of the film... or in this case, not quite the end. I’ll get to that a little later, though.

Curiously, the style used by the previous director, of keeping the camera close to the actors and following them around, is eschewed in favour of more master shots from a distance. There is still camera movement but this is obviously slower as the shots can, for the most part, take in wider parts of the environment the characters are cohabiting. This also, and I’d never thought about this properly before I rewatched this in comparison with the first movie, gives the film a more voyeuristic feel... you are watching the action from a distance and judging it, rather than being in the thick of it and reacting with the characters on screen. That’s kind of an interesting trick to use to change the pacing of a movie and the way it is perceived, I suspect. So in this film, the dynamics of the shot are created purely by the movements of the actors and the way they fill the space in the general composition of the shots... as opposed to the somewhat visceral but different approach of the first.

Another thing is that the compositions are not all based on verticals as the first one was. The film begins with Zatoichi being a ”blind” witness to something a gang doesn’t want generally known. As the gang try to kill him, they learn that he is going to the location of the first film, to pay his respects to the samurai he killed one year earlier. They team up with the boss who has survived Zatoichi’s intervention in the last movie and, by the time Zatoichi gets to the previous films location, in the second half of what is actually quite a short movie... that’s when we start to see some of the vertical style compositions revisited. These are often used to show the separation of attitudes or classes of characters split within the same physical frame... which is a good way to do it.

There are some really cool shot designs and elements of beauty like this found throughout the film. Such as a beach fight where the incoming tide gently laps at Zatoichi’s feet as he takes on a series of opponents... most of whom run when they figure out our hero’s prowess with a sword. And the vertical jutting objects motif is played out in the final big battle where all of the characters are dwarfed by the foreground details and seem almost like ants against this forced perspective. Very nice.

There’s also some great little moments where the writers build on Zatoichi’s character traits as the series starts progressing. For example, a man who sneaks up on Zatoichi to kill him has his thunder stolen when Zatoichi asks him the time... just as he is about to strike a death blow. Realising his blind opponent knows exactly where he is and could kill him in a snap, the man backs down and engages in conversation instead. This not only shows Zatoichi’s abilities well but also his compassion... he could have just cut the man down where he was standing but, instead, fashioned an excuse for the man so his would-be killer would not lose face and not have to engage him.

There’s also a brilliant piece of what people these days would call stunt casting. The plot also involves an outlaw on the run from the authorities who also wants to kill Zatoichi for some, at first, unspecified reason. He is embroiled in Zatoichi’s past somehow and the two were once rivals for the love of Zatoichi’s life. I thought the guy looked very familiar when he came on and the role turns out to be played by Tomisaburô Wakayama (credited in the film under the pseudonym of Jo Kenzaburo). You may remember him more for the role he perfected 10 years later, as the infamous Ogami Itto, the lead protagonist in the Lone Wolf And Cub (aka Baby Cart) films. In a twist moment in this movie (don’t read further than this if you don’t want to know) he plays Zatoichi’s long embittered brother... which is not so much of a stretch as it happens because, in real life, he really was Shintarô Katsu’s brother and, when you see him this young and with his hair significantly different, the resemblance between the two of them is much easier to see.

Wakayama’s character, Nagisa no Yoshiro, actually wounds Zatoichi quite badly during the end sequences of the film... one of the few times this happens this badly to the main character of this series (although there is a quite spectacular Django tribute in one of the later films, if memory serves me correctly... I’ll get to it when I rewatch). The battle between Zatoichi and various opponents near the end sees the start of the “overwhelming odds” battles that mark both this and the Baby Cart series of films. Zatoichi’s body count in this final battle is around 15 on-screen kills, which is quite modest for him... but this is where this kind of battle spectacle really starts in this series of films, I think.

The end of the film is abrupt and leaves a few loose ends. After he finds his romantic interest from the first film is going to be getting married to someone we are on edge, wondering what will happen to the two of them. Will they get together? The question is never answered because the next battle scene gives us a very abrupt ending which finishes just before the battle properly starts. A very angry Zatoichi, for reasons I won’t reveal here, is surrounded by a bunch of men including the boss who he didn’t kill in the first movie. However, he has made up his mind now that this man must die. He lunges ostentatiously at the opponent, he might have sliced him or he may not but, knowing Zatoichi like we now do, it’s pretty much inevitable that every other man in this confrontation is going to lose their life. It is, however, a confrontation we never see...

The film abruptly cuts there, leaving the battle to play out in our imagination... not to mention leaving a few loose ends too. It’s both a powerful ending and a let down at the same time. We really want to see Zatoichi in action again but, honestly, the fury we imagine for ourselves is surely greater than anything the director could have captured on celluloid here. As I watched it, I was reminded of a movie I’d recently seen at the cinema... a little thing called The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (reviewed here). If you remember the ending of that movie, you’ll realise that this is exactly the same tactic that the director of that one has employed as we have here in this one. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we see Spidey throw the first punch (well, metaphorically) at the Rhino, the credits roll and we play out in our minds the rest of the battle. We know Spider-Man’s going to win... it’s moot. It’s purely used to give a dramatic punchline to the film and I suspect the ending of The Tale Of Zatoichi Continues involved a similar creative decision. Whatever.  For the Zatoichi movie at least... it kinda works.

This would be Zatoichi’s last black and white film... his popularity pushing him into colour stock from his third feature. As always with the Zatoichi movies, or most of them, this one is a definite recommend but I would add the caveat that you should probably check out the first movie before sitting down with this one... since this particular entry in the series is very closely linked to it and makes references to the first which you would want to know about when you are watching. Another great Zatoichi film and, once again, Criterion’s new blu ray transfer is the absolute best way to watch this other than seeing an actual print in a good cinema. Another good entry in the chanbara genre, I think.

Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword Of Seduction

Thrust In Me

Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword Of Seduction

aka Nemuri Kyoshiro 4: Joyoken Japan 1964

Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro

Anime Eigo Region 1

Warning: If you’re planning to watch these films,

there’s a big The Empire Strikes Back style spoiler in here!

This fourth outing of the first twelve of Daiei’s Nemuri Kyoshiro movies, starring Raizô Ichikawa in the title role, is the concluding DVD in the first of Anime Eigo’s boxed sets. It’s also a lot more interesting than the previous entry in the series (reviewed here).

That being said, however, it’s also got a more formulaic plot, once again, and the story arc is decidedly something which all afficionados of 50-80s chanbara will recognise from numerous others in the genre... but that’s not a bad thing and the general mise-en-scene on this one is a lot more satisfying than the previous installment, though perhaps still not as clean or inventive as the first two movies in the series.

We also get to find out a little... very little... of Nemuri Kyoshiro’s past in this one and it’s only now that I realise that Nemuri Kyoshiro doesn’t know much about his own birth either... and it is the possibility of finding out more about himself that enables him to go on a journey to become the bodyguard of a Christian icon (Christians were persecuted at this period in Japanese history) since it’s hinted that she is a blood relative of the main protagonist. Kyoshiro’s character seems a lot more ruthless in this one too. Even when he goes to the aid of a persecuted Christian near the beginning, it’s done so in a manner which suggests that he actually hates Christians (or anyone who has any kind of belief to be honest, let’s not forget that Nemuri Kyoshiro is a self proclaimed nihilist) and at one point goes to observe how a Christian will act when faced with death versus temptations which will persuade him to renounce his faith.

When said aged Christian is, fairly easily it should be pointed out, coerced and then released from jail, the Sleepy Eyes Of Death rides after him on a horse and beheads him in disgust. It’s not until near the end of the film when he is finding out a small piece of his own family history, that he realises the man who’s head he cleaved from his body was almost certainly his own father.

There are a couple of other surprises in this one too... one being a woman with hideously deformed features who looks like she’s pretty much being set up to be a recurring villainess in the series... maybe not though. Nothing I’ve so far tried to guess about the direction this series is heading in seems to have been correct and I had heard that the tone of the series is fairly fragmented in nature. Still, with over twelve entries in the continuity, I’m sure that some key ingredients should start making themselves known to me at some point as I watch these.

One element in this one, which manages to be both a piece of continuity from a previous episode... while at the same time beggaring that same continuity, is the return of Tomisaburô Wakayama’s character from the first installment... this allows for a friendly face in a villainous terrain and the two “enemies” still obviously enjoy each other’s company... but there the similarity ends. The character not only looks different, lacking the fierce crew cut he sported in the first movie, but no longer talks up the same fighting style and this time, rather than go into battle bare handed, instead uses something like a quarterstaff to make his point against his enemies. It seems a very bizarre and half-hearted nod to any cohesive elements to the series’ but I was, at least, glad to see this actor again as I am only really used to him playing the title role in the Lone Wolf and Cub movies.

The violence quotient in this one is a little more than the previous installments... none of those Kurosawa-spawned fountains of gushing arterial spray on show yet but there were some impressive wounds inflicted which, although mild by todays standards, would probably have seemed quite visceral at the time of the movie’s release and it will be interesting to chart the levels of gore as the series progresses and seeing if it, at any time, reaches the gorefest of those Babycart movies.

Again, the ending seems a little open ended as far as two of the antagonists are concerned but, as I said earlier, I’m no longer taking anything for granted in that area and I shall wait and see if things start happening in terms of pulling the various threads together as the series progresses. I’m guessing there won’t be a great effort to do that but we shall see what we shall see. The camerawork in this one is a far cry from the first two movies but certainly a less pedestrian effort than the last one and most people who appreciate the “lone wolfs and stray dogs” of Japanese samurai cinema are advised to give this one a watch.