ZATOICHI THE FUGITIVE at Japan Society NY tonight, April 7th

Japan Society NY

presents

Zatoichi the Fugitive © 1966 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Zatoichi the Fugitive / Zatoichi Kyojo Tabi

Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka

With Shintaro Katsu, Miwa Takada, and Masayo Banri

Japan, 1963, 86 minutes

35mm, color, in Japanese with English subtitles

When: Friday, April 7th, 7:00 PM

Where: Japan Society NY

333 East 47th Street, NYC

Map

The fourth episode in the immensely popular 25-film action series features iconic blind swordsman Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) going up against a legion of local yakuza henchmen who target him after he defeats them in a wrestling tournament and then kills one of their own in self-defense. To complicate things, a former romantic interest reenters Zatoichi's life and a hot-tempered ronin, to whom she is married, seeks to end it for a reward. Composer Akira Ifukube, most famous for his work on the Godzilla film series, provides a characteristically spare and artful score.

Tickets: $13/$10 seniors & students/$5 Japan Society members

Part of Monthly Classics
Year-round screenings of beloved classics, hidden gems and recent discoveries of Japanese cinema. Only $5 for Japan society members

ZATOICHI THE FUGITIVE coming to Japan Society NY on April 7th

Japan Society NY

presents

Zatoichi the Fugitive © 1966 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Zatoichi the Fugitive / Zatoichi Kyojo Tabi

Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka

With Shintaro Katsu, Miwa Takada, and Masayo Banri

Japan, 1963, 86 minutes

35mm, color, in Japanese with English subtitles

When: Friday, April 7th, 7:00 PM

Where: Japan Society NY

333 East 47th Street, NYC

Map

The fourth episode in the immensely popular 25-film action series features iconic blind swordsman Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) going up against a legion of local yakuza henchmen who target him after he defeats them in a wrestling tournament and then kills one of their own in self-defense. To complicate things, a former romantic interest reenters Zatoichi's life and a hot-tempered ronin, to whom she is married, seeks to end it for a reward. Composer Akira Ifukube, most famous for his work on the Godzilla film series, provides a characteristically spare and artful score.

Tickets: $13/$10 seniors & students/$5 Japan Society members

Part of Monthly Classics
Year-round screenings of beloved classics, hidden gems and recent discoveries of Japanese cinema. Only $5 for Japan society members

ACF 2037: Remembering Shintarô Katsu on his birthday

Shintarô Katsu as Zatoichi

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Shintarô Katsu. Born Toshio Okumura on  November 29th, 1931 in Fukagawa, Tokyo, Japan, Katsu is one of the most beloved Japanese actors. His IMDb credits list him as an actor in 121 films. He also has twenty credits as producer, seven as director, and four as writer. He died on June 21st, 1997 in Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.

He is, of course, most well known for his role as Zatoichi, the blind masseur, yakuza and swordsman, in twenty-five films and several TV shows. Another of his notable roles was as Hanzo 'The Razor' Itami in three films released 1972-1974. This character is an incorruptible and unorthodox magistrate who is prodigiously endowed. He pounds his ample meat and rams it into sacks of uncooked rice to toughen it up, so that he can maintain his rigidity while "interrogating" female suspects.

Katsu as Hanzo "The Razor"

Just a few days ago, The Criterion Collection released the awesome box set Zatoich: The Blind Swordsman. It contains 25 movies on both DVD (seventeen discs) and Blu-ray (nine discs). Supplements are on both a separate eighteenth DVD and on the ninth Blu-ray disc. There is also a slim hardcover book that has an essay by Geoffrey O'Brien, synopses of the films by Chris D., and "The Tale of Zatoichi," the original short story by Kan Shimozawa. To say it's an awesome box set is an understatement.

Barnes and Noble is offering the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman box set (as well as all other Criterion releases) at 50% off, but only through the end of November. So act immediately if you want to take advantage of this incredible bargain. Otherwise you'll have to wait for the next 50% off offer from Barnes and Noble or from Criterion to enjoy such a great deal.

ACF 498: Zatoichi On The Road at Japan Society NY on March 20th at 5:00 PM

Zatoichi On The Road: Fighting Journey / Zatoichi kenka-tabi
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring Shintaro Katsu, Reiko Fujiwara, and Shiho Fujimura
Japan, 1963, color, 87 min.

Japan Society's Double-Edged Sword series of chambara films starring Shintaro Katsu and Raizo Ichikawa continues this Saturday afternoon, March 20th, 2010 at 5:00 with this, the fifth, entry in the Zatoichi series.

Also known as Zatoichi and the Scoundrels, this film has the blind masseur fulfilling his promise to a dying man that he will get the young and lovely O-Mitsu back to her family. Unfortunately, her father is wealthy, and rival groups seek to take her from Zatoichi in the expectation of being amply regarded for returning her.

I've now watched a fair number of films in the series. For me this one is among the best. Every film pretty much has the same components: Zatoichi goes somewhere, encounters at least one lovely female, has a run-in with at least one gang, and kills a lot of bad guys. What enabled the series to be so successful, and to still be so wonderful to watch years later, are the variations in the stories and their execution. Zatoichi On The Road does a superb job of getting all the ingredients right; it's a must see.

Zatoichi On The Road, and all other screenings in the Double Edged Sword series, will be at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), New York, NY 10017.

For the Japan Society webpage on Zatoichi On The Road, which includes a link to buy tickets online, click here.

Those of you not in New York, or who just can't make it to the screening, are not out of luck. Zatoichi On The Road, like other titles in the series, is available on DVD from Home Vision Entertainment. I do seem to recall reading, however, that HVE's rights to the first six titles in the series have expired, or soon will. So if you want to add the title to your collection, you might want to do so right away.

And here's a heads-up on another film in the Double Edged Sword series:

Scar Yosaburo, starring Raizo Ichikawa, also will be shown on Saturday, at 7:00 PM. Note that this is not a double-feature. There are separate admission charges for each film. I'll have some info about Scar Yosaburo in tomorrow's post.

ACF 454: Zatoichi the Fugitive

Zatoichi the Fugitive / Zatoichi kyojo-tabe

Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka

Japan, 1963, 86 min

Japan Society's chambara (swordplay) film series The Double-Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu & Raizo Ichikawa continues this Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 7:30 pm with this film, the fourth entry in the long-running series about the blind masseur and gambler. Katsu, who also starred in the shorter Hanzo the Razor series, reprises his role as Zatoichi.

A gang has put a bounty on his head, and Zatoichi finds he must confront not only a slew of yakuza thugs after the bounty, but also a viscious ronin (masterless samurai). Meanwhile Zatoichi must also deal with the unexpected presence of a former love, who's now living with the samurai, and with the complicated love of a sweet girl and the conflicted young heir to the gang.

Zatoichi the Fugitive is another solid entry in the series. 3.5 out of 4 ACF stars (highly recommended).

Japan Society is located at 333 E. 47th Street, between 1st & 2nd avenues, New York, NY 10017.

For more information about the screening or to buy tickets, click here. Be advised that the first film shown in the series, Samurai Vendetta, was sold out. So you may do well to act quickly on this, the second film to be shown.

And for those of you not in New York, or just unable to make the screening (which you should if at all possible), Zatoichi the Fugitive is available on a fine DVD from Home Vision Entertainment (HVE).