Pretty old live action samurai/ninja films

[Cow]

Ok so last night I was bored, I popped in Kill Bill, watched some of it (for the 1000x time) and decided to go to the special features. I was looking through the interviews and I came across Uma Thurman -- she was talking about films QT made her watch to get a feel for the part he wanted her to play, there was a few, but the live action Japanese film (which I understand he took a lot from) they showed is Lady Snowblood; I looked into it and it seemed to be a cult favorite, I didn't want to pay for a DVD copy (because I really dont think the quality would be better anyway, the film is from 70 something and i'd rather see it in its original format) so I ordered a subtitled VHS copy. I would like to know are there any old cult classic films similar to this, did you like Lady Snowblood? Also is there a little online store to order these from or do I have to keep searching through the net =(

thanks!

[Sendo Takeshi]

American Ninja 2 ftw!!!

[Daishikaze]

You should have sprung for the Lady Snowblood DVD, Animeigo always gives you your moneys worth.

Animeigo has alot of classic Chanbara films, Criterion also has quite a few licensed. Kurotokagi.com carries alot of rare fansubbed Japanese films, which are great quality and well worth checking out.

Films similar to Lady SnowBlood: The Lone Wolf and Cub series is very similar, since bothe SB and LW&C are based off of Manga by the same guy, Kazuo Koike. Demon Spies and Shadow Hunters are also by the same guy, I haven't seen them yet. All are available through Animeigo. I'd also recommend The Red Peony Gambler series starring Junko Fuji as Red Peony Oryu, which Kurotokagi.com carries. The story is similar to Snowblood, but I think its a better series overall. Some of Ken Takakura's Yakuza films are of a similar vein, so check out some of his films (also available through Kurotokagi.com)

I would like to add, that You should look into things that aren't "cult", I think Kill Bill gives the wrong image to films like Lady Snowblood. Oyuki is a much different character than Beatrix Kiddo, in that her whole purpose in life is to wreak her revenge on the 3 people who killed her family, she had that constantly drilled into her head. She has no happiness in her life, and if she fails at this task, her whole life would amount to nothing in her mind. However if she succeeds, she has no reason to live. She's a much more tragic charactor when you think of it from her point of view.

[kenshinbebop]

I enjoyed Lady Snowblood a lot.

The Zatoichi series is a great samurai series about a blind swordsmen. The series has a lot of movies-20+ I believe. I've seen maybe 10-15 of them. They're all really good. The TV series is also pretty great.

The 47 Ronin Story is also a good movie. It's a two part story filled with samurai-revenge action. It's awesomely great.

[Daishikaze]

Zatoichi is a great movie series, there are exactly 26 movies, all starring Shintaro Katsu as Ichi. I don't count the Kitano abortion, because he isn't really Ichi. The Great thing about the Zatoichi series is that every single film is really good, there is a level of quality that they never drop below.

And yeah, the TV series is fantastic too.

The 47 ronin story is good too, but there are alot of versions out there. The Miyaguchi version isn't available on DVD at the moment, as far as I know. The Inagaki version is, whether its as good as Miyaguchi's I don't know. Kurotokagi.com has some rare versions like 47 Masterless Samurai and Ako Roshi. Adness released Fukusaku's The Fall Of Ako Castle (AKA: Swords of Vengeance). so you got alot to choose from with at story.

[Sendo Takeshi]

The Zatoichi series is a great samurai series about a blind swordsmen. The series has a lot of movies-20+ I believe. I've seen maybe 10-15 of them. They're all really good. The TV series is also pretty great.



Is there a boxset for those movies? Because I remember watching 4 of them on the IFC channel a while back.

[Daishikaze]

Animeigo has the later films from Toho in a boxset, The HVE DVDs which cover the series when Daiei studios started making them until Toho bought out the series has no box set yet. I almost forgot the final film, which Media Blasters has the license to. If you were hoping for all 26 films in a set, thats not possible, unless all three license holders decide combine them all together, which won't happen

[Cow]

Keep em' rollin guys!

Perhaps the word cult was not the right word to use, also im looking at Kurotokagi.com I see many movies what i can gather some of the movies are the 7 samurai series correct? What movies from the samurai list would be most worth me checking out. Theres just so many no way I can tell which to get =p

[Daishikaze]

If you mean 47 samurai (or ronin), then yes there are more than a few versions of that story, as I said.

I can only recommend the films that I have from them:

Thirteen Samurai
Festival Of Swordsman
Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees
Rise against the Sword
Kisaragi Sword
Chuji The Gambler
Red Shadow
The Ninja Hunt
Takeda Shingen
Assassination Orders

I keep meaning to order more, There are tons I've read nothing but good things about. I can't really give you my opinion on them though because I've yet to see them myself. My advice is, if the movie sounds good to you, give it a shot.

[Amuro]

Well, anything by Akira Kurosawa makes up the essential Samurai movie collection.

The must-sees are Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Zatoichi. Your local library chain probably has a ton of Kurosawa DVDs/videos.

[Smith]

I love Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi films, they're his life's work. The role of a lifetime, I often think of it as. I am not sure, but supposedly one of the movies #16 or something is not available on R1 DVD (Someone correct me if I am wrong). So a personal complete collection will take some work, or just some creative file sharing. Either way, these Zatocihi films are classic. The first two are black and white, and then it gets shot in color from there.

Twilight Samurai is a nice samurai film I saw last summer.

Zatoichi is a great place to start with samurai cinema, and pretty much is the definite samurai cinema other than Kurosawa's works.

[Daishikaze]

Zatoichi 14: Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is unavailable in the US, for reasons I'm not sure of. However, Samuraidvd.com has it on Fansubbed DVD, so if you are desperate for every single film, you can always go there.

[Bernard_Monsha]

I have both Lady Snowblood films and they are rather meh. If you want really good samurai gore go for the Lone Wolf and Cub series which pwns all others in that gendre.

[Smith]

Shintaro Katsu produced the Lone Wolf and Cub movie series. Apparently from looking at Wiki, it seems that the LW&C movie series was changed to Shogun Assasin.
Shintaro Katsu @ Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shintaro_Katsu

[Daishikaze]

Shogun Assassin is LW&C 1 & 2 spliced together and dubbed into english. Not a great representation of the series IMO.

Lady Snowblood 1 was rather good. the second one was pointless though.

LW&C are great films, but there are alot of better films in that genre, its just not easy to get ahold of them.

[Neo0tak0n]

goyokin, shoguns samurai: the yagyu clan conspiracy

[Daishikaze]

Excellent choices NeoOtakOn

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Lady Snowblood was pretty good except the naked 11 year old girl.

[Jetta]

I have to say Zatoichi flicks and his brother who does Lone wolf

But There this flickI saw with the guy who played zatoichi in one where he isn't blind but he's nasty if youget what I mean with the ladies :D
God I wish I was one of them too :D

[Bernard_Monsha]

LW&C are great films, but there are alot of better films in that genre, its just not easy to get ahold of them.


Yojimbo and SSanjuro are easily available and better than any of the others. Sanjuro invented blood spray.

[Daishikaze]

I meant besides Kurosawa's films. Directors like Hideo Gosha, Kenji Misumi, Masaki Kobayashi, Masahiro Shinoda, and Eiichi Kudo were all brilliant directors who made some excellent films. Most of their work isn't available in the US though.