The movies are on nine discs in a sturdy slipcase along with a small book covering the zatoichi movies. The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman. Kitano stars as the blind wanderer with a distinctive red cane and a shock of platinum blonde hair. Zatoichi on the road dvd, 2002 for sale online ebay. Kitano throws most of his signature directorial style out the window, moving the camera and cutting like he. Does not include remakes and other similarly related films, just the original film series. A collection of some of the greatest moments from the world of zatoichi, the blind chinese man who uses a can opener to fight muslims. Massage was a common occupation for many blind people in the old days. Zatoichi meets the onearmed swordsman dvd, 2004 for. Zatoichi 2003 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Zatoichi s moment of serenity is interrupted by a band of thugs. Zatoichi s cane sword, zatoichi tekkatabi is a 1967 japanese chambara film directed by kimiyoshi yasuda and starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi. This excited me and was the reason i decided to participate in this film. Samurai cinema presents katsu shintaro as zatoichi, the blind swordsman, in seven of his finest adventures, all presented in full color anamorphic widescreen.
The only film written and directed by, and starring, shintaro katsu, zatoichi is a classic samurai epic that tells of a blind assassin desperately struggling to adhere to the strict code of the samurai. For the unindoctrinated, zatoichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. Takeshis violent take on the classic japanese gets an unexpected extra. The story revolves around the human relationships of the characters. Download zatoichi the blind swordsman full movie video.
Zatoichi finds himself in a small village a village caught in a gang war where he befriends a farmer and her nephew. Softlyspoken, he makes a living as a masseur and by gambling, but his humble, shuffling facade masks a lightningfast, deadly swordsman. The blind swordsman 9 bluray deluxe set the colossally popular zatoichi films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. After paying his respects at the grave of a man he once accidentally killed, ichi arrives at a village to find the impoverished locals in midcelebration. Seeing kitanos film, i was only aware of one other zatoichi film, not the series. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. Director takeshi kitano takes on japanese cinematic legend zatoichi. Takeshi kitano revives the hero of japanese action cinema. Zatoichis moment of serenity is interrupted by a band of thugs. Blind zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. R, 1 h 56 min takeshi kitano, tadanobu asano, michiyo ohkusu, taka guadalcanal director. Film 1967, dvd 2004, color, 86 minutes, not rated, 2. Set in the age of rouge samurai, shintaro katsu stars as ichi, a blind masseur, gambler, gangster, lady charmer, deadly swordsman, and all around kindhearted scoundrel.
Zatoichi 2004 posters, photos, puzzles, mousepads, magnets, tshirts, pillows, images, mugs, cases for iphone, ipad, samsung. The blind swordsman drops you right into the action. But behind his humble facade, zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightningfast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi 19 samaritan zatoichi zatoichi kenkadaiko 1968 2004 daiei studios home vision film rating. This film will be stylish and entertaining, which is completely different from the type of movies i direct myself. Zatoichi is one of the great characters of any medieval japanese film, and unusually he is not a samurai himself. But behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman. His recent film was zatoichi, the blind swordsman 2003, a remake, a homage, and a wry take on one of the most popular series of films from japan in the 1960s and 1970s.
Surprisingly, i found out there were twentyfive more zatoichi films, all starring. Ichi is a blind masseuse ambling from town to town until some injustice or threat cause him to reveal his incomparable swordplay and samuraistyled sense of honor. Zatoichi the blind masseur and crack swordsman finds trouble in the edge of town in this 22nd installment of the classic samurai film series. While traveling the japanese countryside the blind masseur zatoichi comes across the one armed swordsman, wang kang, who is in hiding and protecting a. Kitano is best known for such films as battle royale, the blind swordsman. Zatochi is a artistic samurai film thatll leave some unhappy due to its distracting slow pace plot and action that moves too fast for some to enjoy.
The blind masseur swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda. Primarily for my own reference as i make my way through the films but may be useful to others also taking the journey along with the blind masseur. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy shintaro katsu. The blind swordsman zatoichi is to japanese cinema what james bond is to american cinema.
Kitano is known here in the states primarily for his dark yakuza pictures violent cop, sonatine, fireworks, brother, but he is also a comedian as beat takeshi, which is the name he performs under, author and television personality in his. It premiered on 2 september 2003 at the venice international film festival, where it won the prestigious silver lion for best director. He plays, as usual, a man with an impassive face, few words, and sudden bursts of action that end in a few seconds. Zatoichi shintaro katsu and a travelling companion are asked by a dying man to protect a servant girl, omitsu shiho fujimora. The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist kan shimozawa. This series of zatoichi the blind masseur swordsman of old japanese samurai ronin era is a hero tale. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman. Beat takeshi kitano directs and plays the title role in this tribute to the wildly popular blind swordsman of japanese cinema who was the hero of more than 20 movies and a television series from. When zatoichi confronts the master chinese martial artist wang kang and his young traveling companion, the blind swordsman finds that the duo are trying to escape from a group of terroristic samurai who. Zatoichi is a 2003 japanese samurai dramaaction film, directed, written, coedited by and starring takeshi kitano in his 11th directorial venture. Kitano serves as director, writer, coeditor, and star of the film, playing the protagonist under his acting name, beat takeshi. Zatoichi 2004 action, comedy, crime, drama, music usa. Zatoichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. Apr 30, 2008 zatoichi music video to the song rise by flobots.
Zatoichi is a masterfullymade, highly entertaining film. Zatoichi you are looking for exciting, humorous and atmospheric movies about with samurai, martial arts, one man army, violence, gang, good versus evil and gang war themes of action, comedy and crime genre shot in japan. But zatoichi in his run of two dozen films stays good to the end. This originally minor character was developed for the. Sep 30, 2011 beat takeshi kitano directs and plays the title role in this tribute to the wildly popular blind swordsman of japanese cinema who was the hero of more than 20 movies and a television series from. A list of the zatoichi films in chronological order. It was originally released by the daiei motion picture company later acquired by kadokawa pictures zatoichi s revenge is the tenth episode in the 26part film series devoted to the character of zatoichi. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightningfast draw and breathtaking precision. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy shintaro katsu became an instant. Zatoichi, the blind masseur revisits a village he has fond memories of, only to find that much has changed. Primarily for my own reference as i make my way through the films but may be useful to others also taking the.
As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy shintaro katsu became an instant superstar, lending a largerthanlife presence to the thrilling adventures of a man who. A book featuring an essay by critic geoffrey o brien. Ichi is a blind masseuse ambling from town to town until some injustice or threat cause him to reveal his. The blind swordsman, a 1978 documentary about zatoichi portrayer and filmmaker shintaro katsu, along with a 20 interview with its director, john nathan interview from 20 with asian film critic tony rayns trailers plus. Zatoichi takeshi kitano, about zatoichi the blind swordsman. Introduced in the early 1960s, zatoichi is now an archetypal character in japanese film, inspiring dozens of films and numerous television shows. With takeshi kitano, tadanobu asano, yui natsukawa, michiyo yasuda. Italy 2 september 2003 venice film festival canada 6 september 2003 toronto international film festival japan 6 september 2003. He has a code, but enforces it according to his own rules. The colossally popular zatoichi films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. There are 26 zatoichi movies and 112 television episodes to choose from, starring. Zatoichi begins life as a straightup samurai movie, evolves into a slapstick comedy and ends as a rousing, tapdancing musical. The blind swordsman, a box set from the criterion collection, assembles the 25 films starring shintaro katsu as a samurai. Zatoichi and the fugitives dvd, 2004 trending price.
Zatoichi in us theaters july 23, 2004 starring takeshi kitano, michiyo ogusu, taka gatarukanaru, yuko daike. Blind swordsman s vengeance is the thirteenth film in the series. Kitano reviving zatoichi is akin to clint eastwood deciding to take over as the lone ranger, and the disparity between the directors singular vision and the demands of the genre often throw his the blind swordsman. Oct 09, 2012 the blind masseur and former samurai zatoichi takeshi kitano is drifting and arrives in a small village dominated by three tyrannical lords, inosuke ginzo ittoku kishibe, tashichi ogi saburo. Zatoichi, zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of japans longestrunning series of films and a television series that are both set during the late edo period 1830s and 1840s. Zatoichi is faster than zorro, achilles, or freddy krueger. It was originally released by the daiei motion picture company later acquired by kadokawa pictures zatoichi s cane sword is the fifteenth episode in the 26part film series devoted to the character of zatoichi. Ichi has joined up with a gang of mafia muscle who are collecting a debt from one of their own members. Hes blind, so his trade is being a masseur, who travels and earns money as he goes. Although the swordwielding exploits of the amoral, sardonic antihero, played by the great toshiro mifune, from yojimbo 1961 may be more familiar to western audiences, the blind bulldoglooking assassinmasseur zatoichi, who can strike down an opponent with his trusty shikomizue cane sword, using hearing alone to find his target, is by far the most popular japanese movie hero ever. Film di tinto brass stupendo con claudia koll giovanissima 1t. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master sw. The film is a revival of the classic zatoichi series of samurai film and television dramas. Shintaro katsu portrays the legendary zatoichi, a blind masseur who lives by the yakuza code and answers his foes with a deadly cane.
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