Both are set during the late edo period 1830s and 1840s. In a town where debtridden peasants are being ruthlessly exploited, zatoichi is forced to take sides between a cruel yakuza boss and his seemingly altruistic rival. Doubleedged sword series continues in april with films. Meanwhile a long lost love of zatoichis returns to his life. Not to be confused with episode four, zatoichi the fugitive, this one is about ichi tangling with a gang of six vicious thugs on a murderous crime spree. New tale of zatoichi 1963 the criterion collection. Zatoichi the fugitive 1963 the criterion collection. And i suspect many who would take in all these films would fall similarly in love with zatoichi. Zatoichi is a criticallyacclaimed recent entry in a decadeslong japanese media franchise, but i regrettably found it to be rather poor, with limp, meandering pacing and fun yet uninteresting. During his travels, ichi has a few runins with members of a gang of fugitives and eventually they all arrive in the same town. Zatoichi the fugitive 1963 zatoichi the fugitive 1963. Even though this film came out the same year as the previous one new tale of zatoichi, has the. Outlaw masters of japanese film, the series screens monthly through may 2010, and continues with two screenings april 24. She tells ichi that she and her husband have done many bad things.
They dont have the most demanding continuity but they build on each other and zatoichi grows as a character throughout them. The tale of zatoichi the life and opinion of masseur ichi 1962. Zatoichi shintaro katsu walks into a mess as the yakuza sects of a certain area jockey for position and a mysterious samurai arrives with an old flame of ichis in. The fugitive, zatoichi kyojo tabi is a 1963 japanese chambara film directed by tokuzo tanaka starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi, originally released by the daiei motion picture company now known as kadokawa pictures. Zatoichi the fugitive 1963 shintaro katsu in zatoichi the fugitive 1963 jutaro kitashiro and shintaro.
There are two major storylines this time around, the first major arc includes the brother of the yakuza boss that ichi killed in the last movie seeking revenge. Zatoichi embodies the kinds of contradictory elements that make takeshi kitano japans most intriguing contemporary actordirector. This is a list of all the zatoichi movies starring shintaro katsu. There is some great and very well done battle choreography in the. Also known by the alternate titles zatoichi the blind swordsman or zatoichi. Zatoichi the fugitive is a different kind of monster from the previous three films, is fast pace and packs. He helps her deliver her baby before she passes away. Unfortunately, they are fighting on opposing sides. Zatoichi the fugitive 1963 aka zatoichi 4 starring sh. Easily defeating his assailant, zatoichi learns of a bounty on his head from the dying man. There isnt all that much i can see here that places the film more in 1968 than in any of the other years that.
Fans and followers of the franchise can give this film a try but occasional fans of chanbara or samurai films can skip this entry without any regrets. It was originally released by the daiei motion picture company later acquired by kadokawa pictures zatoichi and the fugitives is the eighteenth episode in the 26part film series devoted to the. Zatoichi seems to have totally pushed aside any hangups he had about being a murderer in zatoichi and the fugitives. Masseur ichi, the fugitive zatoichi kyojo tabi 1963 upon arriving in the town of shimonita, zatoichi, the blind swordsman and gambler, is suddenly attacked by a young stranger. Ichis transformation into a superhero is now complete, and while i m sadly somewhat underwhelmed, im still intrigued to see what. The fugitive is the fourth episode in the 26 part film series devoted to the character of zatoichi. I had seen this before, but revisiting it to kick off a marathon of every film in the series, i was reminded of just how well made and especially well shot and performed this was.
Having opened in december, the second installment in the series is zatoichi, the fugitive on friday, january 22 at 7. While hes enjoying his rewards a man tries to kill him for a reward offered on his head. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. He plays, as usual, a man with an impassive face, few words, and sudden bursts of action that end in a few seconds. It starts off with a bit of comedy as zatoichi joins in a local sumo tournament and beats his competition. Guys from bonn to buenos aires who nod off after 10 minutes of yasujiro ozus tokyo monogatari. In japanese w english subtitles the blind swordsman continues on his journey and encounters a dying pregnant woman. Tokuzo tanaka covered in our volume 2 here a former love from one of the original three films comes back into ichis life with tragic consequences. Hoping to leave violence behind, the blind masseur wanders to a village, where he meets an old friend fallen on hard times. And now, upon completion of this project, ive never. The fugitive was the fourth release in the zatoichi series.
Theres a powerful emotional motivation here combined with an epic conclusion featuring ichi under threat from an army with rifles, then. Zatoichi the fugitive is the first film in the series to be filmed in glorious techinicolor, allowing for the costumes and sets for the 17th century japan to leap off the screen. Zatoichi triumphs at a village wrestling match, much to the chagrin of his yakuza. In his first adventure, zatoichi finds himself caught in the middle of a turf war between two yakuza clans. Hes a low ranking blind masseur who lives by the yakuza code and answers his foes with a deadly cane sword. In the end, zatoichi, the fugitive is the weakest film of the franchise so far but its saved by a fastpaced closing twenty minutes and the charming use of traditional rural japanese locations. The darkness is his ally 16 years after zatoichis conspiracy, effectively the final film in the series, and a decade after the tv series that followed, shintaro katsu returned to the character as both director and star in a twilight sequel as the final word on the. The blind swordsman, a 1978 documentary about zatoichi portrayer and filmmaker shintaro katsu, along with a new interview with its director, john nathan new interview with asianfilm critic tony rayns trailers for all twentyfive films a book featuring an essay by critic geoffrey obrien. Add to that a successful television series and a current remake by beat takashi, and, obviously, with that many hours of entertainment devoted to one character, what was created was nothing less than a beloved cultural icon.
So zatoichi is kinda like james bond, except blind vol. He made 24 installments between 1962 and 1973, and made the last one 16 years later in 1989. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. A yakuza gang targets the blind masseur zatoichi after he defeats their group in a wrestling match. Zatoichi and the fugitives, zatoichi hatashijo is a 1968 japanese chambara film directed by kimiyoshi yasuda and starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi. Being the kindhearted man zatoichi is, he sets our to find the babys next of kin. He has a code, but enforces it according to his own rules. Ive seen about half of them and im a big fan of zatoichi the fugitive, zatoichi and the chest of gold, fight zatoichi fight, and zatoichi and the chess expert. From here, the film evolves into one of the wilder rides in the zatochi series.
Despite zatoichi being something of an unstoppable, seagalesque force of nature this time round, i enjoyed zatoichi and the fugitives a lot. Not every zatoichi film qualifies as great cinema, but even when the series falters a bit, every single one of these films is still well worth your time. Meanwhile a long lost love of zatoichi s returns to his life. The blind swordsman zatoichi the fugitive english subtitled. The colossally popular zatoichi films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. Zatoichi returns to his village four years after he completed his training. Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
Once piecemealed a title at a time on vhs, then later on dvd in sometimes groups of three. Watch zatoichi the fugitive full movie in hd visit movie 18511 after arriving in the town of shimonita, ichi finds that a price h. The inn keepers adopted daughter nobu is in love with the young inheritor of. The zatoichi film franchise is comprised of 26 theatrical releases. Shintaro katsu is back, and in great form in the fourth of the blind swordmans adventures.
The story behind these fugitives is a mystery thats gradually revealed, so i wont go into much detail except to note that the coldblooded bastards dont hesitate to wipe out innocent families and murder children. New tale of zatoichi masseur ichi enters again 1963. An exciting and surprisingly emotional first chapter in the 20 plus entry long filmic saga of zatoichi, the blind swordsman. Another solid zatoichi film, zatoichi the fugitive once again follow. Blind swordsman 4 the fugitive with 26 film sequels and upwards of 100 tv episodes, shintaro katsu is the legendary zatoichi. Light on swordplay, long on philosophy but effective at establishing the cavernous division between the moral right and the moral wrong with a conservation of action and language. Another solid zatoichi film, zatoichi the fugitive once again follow zatoichi as he is pursued and must do the right thing in order to protect and help the helpless and defend himself from those.
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on youtube. The fugitive aired for four seasons, and a total of 120 51minute episodes were produced. Between 1962 and 1974 there were 25 zatoichi films made. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 directed by kimiyoshi. 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. Zatoichi, the fugitive screening in nyc, 122 scifi japan. The tale of zatoichi continues return of masseur ichi 1962. The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist kan shimozawa. The first zatoichi film, the tale of zatoichi, showcases a potent character study about the friendship between two warriors with elevated moral codes on opposite sides of a clan dispute. Zatoichi, zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of japans longestrunning series of films, as well as a television series. With a corrupt clan leader squeezing citizens dry and the brother of a past nemesis out for payback, zatoichi finds that he cannot abandon his true calling. See more ideas about japanese film, samurai and martial arts movies. The first three seasons were filmed in black and white. Overview of zatoichi the fugitive, 1963, directed by tokuzo tanaka, with shintaro katsu, miwa takada, masayo banri, at turner classic movies.
Zatoichi, the fugitive screening in nyc, 122 the blind swordsman zatoichi is back on the big screen this month in zatoichi, the fugitive, one of nine chambara classics playing japan societys the doubleedged sword film series. The zatoichi series has long been an entry point for nonjapanese into japanese films. People still havent learned to respect the mans skills and in this film they take it up a notch by putting a bounty on the poor yet skilled masseurs head. With shintaro katsu, miwa takada, masayo banri, junichiro narita.
The tale of zatoichi 1962, zatoichi monogatari story. Best movies like zatoichi and the fugitives bestsimilar. As of october 2012, the fugitive is broadcast weekly on metv. A final, sort of anniversaryredux zatoichi film was made in 1989.
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