Samurai Film Retrospective
An Oak Street Cinema Samurai Cinema Retrospective will present six
of sword wielding action epics genre's greatest films in a series
spanning Sept 2-22 at the theater located at 309 Oak Street,
Minneapolis (just a half block off Washington Avenue SE on the U of
M East Bank campus).
The films include: "Samurai Rebellion" and "Harakiri" from director
Masaki Kobayashi; "The Hidden Fortress" and "Seven Samurai" from
director Akira Kurosawa; and "Sword of Doom" and "Kill!" from
director Kihachi Okamoto.
The series begins with a new 35mm print of Samurai Rebellion on
Friday, September 2 through Sept. 5 at 7:20, 9:40 nightly; Saturday
at 2:30 and 5:00. Samurai Rebellion was made in 1967 and was
directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It stars Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Tsukasa,
and Tatsuya Nakadai. Mifune, a legend in Japan cinema, stars as
Isaburo, an aging swordsman living a quiet life. When his lord
begins making unreasonable demands, however, Isaburo has enough and
the peaceful family man takes a stand against injustice.
The second film in the series is Hidden Fortress, which will screen
on Wednesday, Sept 7 and Sept. 8 at 7:00, 9:40 nightly. Director
Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film stars Toshiro Mifune and Minoru Chiaki as
a general and a princess that must dodge enemy clans while smuggling
the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling,
conniving peasants at their sides. The film inspired Star Wars.
The series continues with a new 35mm print of Harakiri from Friday,
Sept 9 through Monday, Sept 12, at 7:00, 9:40 nightly; and Saturday
at 1:30, 4:15. Harakiri was produced in 1962 by director Masaki
Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai and Rentaro Mikuni. Following
the collapse of his clan, unemployed samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo
(Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to commit ritual
suicide on his property. Iyi's clansmen, believing the desperate
ronin is merely angling for charity, try to force him to eviscerate
himselfbut they have underestimated his honor and his past. Winner
of the 1963 Cannes Special Jury Prize, the films portrays feudal
authority and hypocrisy.
A new 35mm print of Sword of Doom follows on Thursday, Sept 15
through Sept 17, at 7:20, 9:40 nightly; and Saturday at 2:30, 5:00.
The film was produced in 1966 by director Kihachi Okamoto and stars
Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune in the story of a wandering
samurai who finds violence at every turn. Full of carnage and not
for the faint of heart, the film traces the slow disintegration of
aristocratic, savage loner Ryunosuke (Nakadai), whose murderous
determination bypasses any sense of mercy or remorse. This samurai
classic is a jaw-dropping exploration of good and evil.
The series continues on Sunday, Sept 18 and Monday, Sept 19 with a
new 35mm print of "Kill!" at 7:20, 9:40 nightly. The film was
produced in 1968 by director Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya
Nakadai and Etsushi Takahashi. This dark-humored action film follows
the story of a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a
windblown town and become involved in a local clan dispute. One
longs to become a noble samurai while the other prefers living
anonymously with gangsters. But when they discover the wrongdoings
of the nefarious leader, they side with a band of rebels who are
under siege at a remote mountain cabin. Though true to samurai
convention, Okamoto's film technique borrows from chanbara classics
and has a bit of Spaghetti Western feel.
Long considered the epic masterpiece of samurai film, director Akira
Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" will be screened on Sept 21 and Sept 22
at 7:30 nightly. The 1954 film stars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi
Shimura in a film that seamlessly weaves philosophy and
entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action. Seven
Samurai became the foundation for action films from the Spaghetti
Western to the urban shoot-em-ups of the 1980s.
Oak Street Cinema is a nonprofit single-screen movie house in
Minneapolis. It is located at 309 Oak Street SE at the corner of Oak
St. & Washington Ave SE. Call 612-331-3134 or visit online at
www.mnfilmarts.org for more information.
http://www.aapress.com/archive/2005/websep2/a-samurai.htm