Blog Archives

Samurai 3: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

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Posted on January 7, 2007 by Justin

Hiroshi Inagaki’s celebrated third Samurai film, Duel at Ganryu Island, brings to a close his series chronicling the life of historical figure Musashi Miyamoto. The first film, Musashi Miyamoto, followed the young villager Takezo as he sought fame and fortune in battle. The second, Duel at Ichijoji Temple, tells the story of his enlightenment and induction into the world of the samurai. In the third film, Musashi is known throughout Japan and sought after as both a … (read more)

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Drunken Angel (1948)

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Posted on December 17, 2006 by James

This is one of my favourite Akira Kurosawa’s movies set in contemporaneous times – not a saumrai in sight, although Toshiro Mifune appears almost as animalistic and out of control here in his first collaboration with Kurosawa as he does in some of his most famous samurai roles (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo). He is not the drunkard of the movie’s translated title, however. The alcoholic is Takashi Shimura’s doctor, Sanada, whose contempt … (read more)

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Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)

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Posted on December 9, 2006 by Angus

Like all good reviewers I’m reviewing the first film (Samurai 1) after the second one (Samurai 2), don’t worry I did watch them in the right order.

This is the great first episode of the famous trilogy based on the life of Musashi Miyamoto, its star, everyone’s favourite screen samurai, Toshiro Mifune (well, mine at least).

Musashi really existed, but much like Wong Fei Hung in China his life has been mythologized and his story has … (read more)

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The Samurai (1962)

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Posted on December 9, 2006 by Deni

This 4th story arc of the 1960’s Senkoska Film Company television series, The Fuma Ninjas, is as you would probably expect it to be. Dubbed into English but disappointingly without the option of the original language and subtitles, it is still a moderately entertaining instalment of one of the most popular chambara (Japanese period action) shows ever to air in Japan. In this arc of the series, Shintaro (Koichi Ose), the charismatic and undefeatable samurai, almost takes a back … (read more)

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Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)

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Posted on December 9, 2006 by Angus

A few years ago I decided to work my way through the classics of cinema. Many of them I really enjoyed, but there were some that were a bit of a struggle to sit through, at the end I would say that was a bit of a struggle, but it was a worthy film. The Samurai Trilogy was on my list but I hadn’t been able to get to it (partly because of the lack of availability, which has been … (read more)

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Speed Grapher (2005)

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Posted on November 27, 2006 by Andy

The prolific Gonzo unleashes yet another new anime series on the world. The remit this time is a little different to the typical stylish, flash-bang grenades Gonzo usually delivers. Speedgrapher, with its themes of corruption, innocence and decadence is clearly aiming for something little more adult. Ironically, and is all too frequently the case when writers aim for ‘adult’, they tend hit the slightly lower target of ‘screamingly adolescent’.

Speedgrapher strikes this portion of the target a little too … (read more)

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Revolutionary Girl Utena (the Movie) (1999)

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Posted on November 12, 2006 by Deni

A while ago – at the first Japanimation festival to come to Brisbane in fact – I saw a little film called Revolutionary Girl Utena. And what I mostly remember thinking as I left the cinema afterward was ‘What?’.

And so I decided to give this title another go, and funnily enough I discover I don’t really seem to understand it any more now than I did then.

Revolutionary Girl Utena is the kind of feature one might be … (read more)

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Nana (2005)

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Posted on October 22, 2006 by Deni

Certain stereotypes keep popping up again and again in Japanese manga and anime – one in particular, the stereotype of the Terminally Cheerful character. This character, in its native environment, is so optimistic it has almost reached a form of enlightenment, where things are ‘meant to be’ and where nothing bad reaches it despite what’s going on around it. Of course, it’s no mystery, the allure of this creature. Think ‘The Fool’ from the tarot’s Major Arcana – a young … (read more)

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