New Forum Title

[Tachikaze]

It's great you added "Cinema" to the forum title. I'm sure we'll have a lot to say on the topic, and we needed an "official" place to do it.

But I think you should call this forum, Japanese History, Cinema, and Paper Figurines. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[The Black Ship]

Perhaps just change it to "All things Japanese". http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

But really though, I'm starved for any good historical Japanese movies where I live. Rental is out of the question, while buying them isn't my style (I have 2 tapes, one of which is of the risque variety http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif). I envy you guys that say your local stations play some of them.

So pls post all about your favorites, give details, and maybe I'll open up my wallet http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Tachikaze]

Two cable movie stations, Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics (AMC), often play Kurosawa films. Recently, one of the two played a whole month of Kurosawa.

Another film that hasn't been mentioned on this forum since it went UBB is Zatoichi Meets (or Vs.) Yojimbo. I like that one.

There are few samurai films that depict large-scale battle. Most are about individual heros and duals. The Hidden Fortress, Kagemusha, Ran, and Heaven and Earth are among the few that have samurai warfare.

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A murky puddle becomes clear when it is still.

[solypsist]

hm. well, I'm very well aware that this forum will not condone piracy, but I have a few movies on videotape (USA format VHS) that i could let you borrow (in the Napster sense of the word) if you're really that bad off, BShip. however, I've mostly just got the popular ones, which you've probably already seen.
so...as far how much longer before this becomes the Japanese History, Cinema, and Sake-phile forum? I like the apricot sake myself, cold. It's sweet yet not too impudent.

[FwSeal]

Here are a few of my old favorites, in no particular order (some of which are well-known here):

Heaven and Earth. This came out in the early 90's and was, at the time, the most expensive movie yet made in Japan. It was done very much in the style of a Taiga drama (albiet on a grand scale) and it's no Kurosawa. But the epic quality, cinematography, and the 'Total War-ishness' of the battles make it a must see. The historical accuracy is at times found pretty wanting - but who cares?

Kagemusha - My favorite. Although this movie was chopped down a bit for western audiences (Uesugi Kenshin's scenes were hacked - for whatever reason), its a great film. Kurosawa once said that he had a special feeling for the Takeda clan - and it comes out in this movie, which is a sort of tragic epic. Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu are well-depicted here (I especially liked Oda) and while it can drag a bit, 'Kagemusha' is a must-see as well.

Samurai Banner's - this one is a bit more obscure then the others. It starred Toshiro Mifune, who played Takeda general Yamamoto Kansuke. The general thrust of the movie is that Kansuke enters the service of Takeda Shingen and becomes a trusted retainer - only to fall in love with the same woman as his lord. Without giving anything away, it culminates in the 4th battle of Kawanakajima (like Heaven and Earth). It's battles are by no means on par with H+E, but Mifune is, as always, great.

Ran - Judging by the pervious forum, this is a movie one either loves or hates. While I personally really like it, I can see how it might not fly with some people. It is a bit long, and a lot of the nuances are lost in the subtitles. Basically, Kurosawa set out to depict the self-destruction of a samuai clan as if viewed from above. He intended Ran (which is heavily influenced by King Lear) to be his final movie (he was something like 80 at the time) and his cynicism about human nature comes out very clearly. All that aside, I loved the first battle sequence. To the best of my knowledge, its one of the few depictions of samurai warfare that shows it for what it probably often was: bloody, merciless, and more-or-less pointless. The image of the archers raising up to send a barrage of fire arrows at the castle in the morning mist is a classic. Also, this is possibly the only samurai film with a really compelling female character (Lady Kaede).

Well, that's enough rambling for me...

[FwSeal]

Say, I had quite a few cups of sake just last night - Hakutsuru, which is a great, cheap brand. Having a sake set really makes it a nice experience - not that I'm condoning the consumption of alcoholic beverages to minors (should any be about - don't want to have to strike my own post http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[katwomansz]

Please excuse me solypsist!
I would never question the Honor of a Fellow Samurai!

I find it difficult to follow who is replying to who in this forum.. I've seen other forum software that does an better job on that or maybe I'm just hopeless...

..deleted due to MY misunderstanding.....

There are online places to rent many obscure movies. Many Kurosawa movies are in my local library. And any on DVD are worth buying! Happy watching!....

I'll never forget the day I refused my then boyfrend's request to take me to Kagamusha IN the Theater!!! AA youthful ignorance!

[This message has been edited by katwomansz (edited 11-11-2000).]

[solypsist]

what i was actually suggesting is that i simply mail my videotape for watching, and then he can mail it back. it you bothered to read the post this was a reply for BS, who said rental wasnt a possibility, and theres no cable tv in his house.

[The Black Ship]

LOL...

Sorry to get you in trouble Soly http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif I sometimes think it's funny I have a cable modem but don't bother to have cable TV, but with the Medical profession you never know when you'll get called in so I don't bother.

I found a little hole in the wall for renting Ran, and he said if I was serious he'd look into getting others. He's kinda a pain tho so I'm still searching for a good vid store. Thanx for the offer http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[katwomansz]

Quote Originally posted by The Black Ship:

....
I found a little hole in the wall for renting Ran, and he said if I was serious he'd look into getting others. He's kinda a pain tho so I'm still searching for a good vid store. Thanx for the offer http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif[/b][/QUOTE]


I don't know if you are away from a city and unable to get to a National rental chain.
In Which case you should try http://www.netflix.com/Default.asp
Its 19.95 a month which is usually cheaper than cable and you can rent as many DVDs as you can handle...all done by mail. I prefer the quality and extras of DVDs over cable or tapes anyway. They currently have 9000 titles including some of those obscure Japanese titles. There may be another ONLINE VCR rental place that may have a better selection of Japanese movies.


[This message has been edited by katwomansz (edited 11-12-2000).]