Samurai Movies

[Shas]

helloOOOooo!


since im kind of getting on an old-school trip right know with chinese movies like tiger and dragon and hero (these are not old-school i know) etc id like to know if there are any japanese productions (avaliable in america or germany) that you recommend, for example old school samurai movies. real movies or SERIOUS anime (that means no silly jokes, big eyes, and all that stuff)


if you have any chinese movies or so im allright with that too

appreaciate your help :> thank you

 

[Void]

Anything of Kurosawa
can start with classical for the west : " Seven samurai " and " Yojimbo"
i bet, "Sword" by Misima will be some thing to watch (looking for it myself)

One, that really got me, was "Samurai rebellion" (Joi-uchi: Hairyo tsuma shimatsu)
by Koboyashi Masaki. Perferct camera shots, interesting story. Mordern cinematograph smokes, nervous, facing a wonderful art of ink strokes over the silk.

"Musashi" by Hirosi Inagaki (is it correct spelling, or should be Hiroshi?) is alaso considered a masterpiece. It is said that he could wait for days for a perfect shot, when the sun, cloudes, wind take the proper positions...

 

[Davey]

yes kurosawa is a most have seen.

for the rest:

Sansho the Bailiff
Harakiri
Samurai Rebellion
Sword of Doom
The 47 Ronin : Parts 1 & 2
Chushingura
samurai 1-2-3
Lone Wolf and Cub - Sword of Vengeance
the zatoichi movie's


btw.. i think Kenshin do have some serieus parts in his anime

 

[ralian]

Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) 窶堋ｽ窶堋ｻ窶堋ｪ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｹ窶堋｢窶堙冷?堋｢ by Yoji Yamada
It is one of the best film I've ever seen.
It's beautiful and serene. Not a single scene was wasted.
You should see it.
If you would like to read a review of the film, you can find it here:
The Twilight Samurai (2002) - IMDb

 

[antantrevolution]

Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) 窶堋ｽ窶堋ｻ窶堋ｪ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｹ窶堋｢窶堙冷?堋｢ by Yoji Yamada
It is one of the best film I've ever seen.
It's beautiful and serene. Not a single scene was wasted.
You should see it.
If you would like to read a review of the film, you can find it here:
The Twilight Samurai (2002) - IMDb

I'll second that on Twilight, excellent film in it's own right as well.

Ant

 

[eastsidefunksta]

Zatoichi
Seven Samurai
Gohatto

 

[Shas]

great i appreciate your help so much! now i will have to get these movies somehow :>



thank you!


(i know its not japanese at all but i just saw house of flying daggers and i strongly recommend it! its freaking AWESOME!)

 

[Void]

yeah, House of Flying Daggers is utterly beautiful... though, i think, Hero by Ying Xiong is number one in my list of the splendid

 

[Dekamaster]

Zatoichi by Kitano. A slashing success. I marveled at Zatoichi's speed and simplicity of style. Not to mention his compassion foe the oppressed.

 

[pinkkillerkisou]

yeah, House of Flying Daggers is utterly beautiful... though, i think, Hero by Ying Xiong is number one in my list of the splendid

House of Flying Daggers is good, yes, but it is lacking. The storyline goes way off. What did you learn about the so called House of Flying Daggers? Nothing... because it was a love story. It should have been called something else. It is beautiful... but I expected more. For heavens sake they didn't even show the Flying Daggers fight their supposed last battle.

Hero... now there's a good movie. But neither of these are samurai movies.

Sorry I can't recommend any.

 

[Dekamaster]

House of Flying Daggers is good, yes, but it is lacking. The storyline goes way off. What did you learn about the so called House of Flying Daggers? Nothing... because it was a love story. It should have been called something else. It is beautiful... but I expected more. For heavens sake they didn't even show the Flying Daggers fight their supposed last battle.

Hero... now there's a good movie. But neither of these are samurai movies.

Sorry I can't recommend any.

I even had to suspend by disbelief. Guess who'd come back at the snowy fight scene ? I marvel.

 

[Void]

story goes the way off??? So does the real life... What it supposed to tell: all the secrets of this rebellious clan? Story line goes sequentially from its beginnig to rather sad ending... Politics, clans, govenment - just the decorations

 

[Reiku]

"Hidden Fortress" by Akira Kurosawa starring Toshiro Mifune--there's really nothing better...

...although the two "Sanjuro" movies come close.

 

[Black]

Here are som more great movies I have on DVD:

- Chushingura (a story of the 47 ronin)
- Harakiri ( revenge is the word )
- Zatoichi "Darkness Is His Ally" (the last and maybe the best Zatoichi movie ever made)
- Sanjuro ( Mifune plays the same caracter as in Yojimbo )

- Samurai I - Musashi Miyamoto
- Samurai II - Duel at Ichijoji temple
- Samurai III - Duel at Ganryu Island
(the story of Musashi Miyamoto)

- Yojimbo
- Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 7 - Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
- The Hidden Fortress
- Throne of Blood (nice but not a must see)
- Last samurai ( Tom Cruse )
- Twilight Samurai (Hiroyuki Sanada) 2002
- When the last sword is drawn (Mibu gishi den) 2003
- Shogun 1980 (mini series like "the Last Samurai, onely better)

Anime:

- Ghost in the shell (1995)
- Akira (1988)
- Ninja scroll (1995)
- Spirited Away (2001)
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
- Innocence -Ghost in the shell 2 (2004)

 

[Apollo]

I agree that Zatoichi with "Beat" Takeshi Kitano is a "must-see."
It is great because it is a good movie with a great plot, and what I also love is the music and the humour-scenes.

Of Kurosawa films I'd recommend:

Ran
Kagemusha

The mentioned films are easy to get hold of on dvd on the internet, and I am sure many shops in Germany have them in stock, as many shops in Denmark have them.

 

[ftw]

I'd have to agree with any Zatoichi movie esp . zatoichi vs. yojimbo (shintaro katsu and toshiro mifune in the same movie playing their trademark characters), zatoichi tv shows (good luck finding them), Lone wolf and cub movies.

However, the new Zatoichi movie? c'mon man that's like remaking a Dirty Harry movie w/out Eastwood. Sorry, I'm a Zatoichi fanatic and that IS Shintaro Katsu's character. No one can play Zatoichi better.
Just my take on things. call me stubborn.