Screening-THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI &GOYOKIN

Screening-THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI &GOYOKIN
At Egyptian Theatre

Friday, September 9, 2005: Egyptian Theatre The Friday, September
9th program begins at 7:30 PM with a Double Feature.

First up is a new 35 mm. print of THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI (SANBIKI NO
SAMURAI), (1964, Janus Films, 95 min.). Director Hideo Gosha's first
feature film is not only one of the most-assured directorial debuts
ever, it is also something of a holy-grail for samurai movie
aficionados, as it's been notoriously hard-to-see outside of Japan
since its initial release - until now. Janus Films just made a
glorious new 35 mm. print of this treasure, in time for our series!
Wandering samurai Tetsuro Tanba is swayed into helping those who
can't fend for themselves, in this case starving farmers who have
kidnapped a local lord's daughter in protest over unfair taxes. In
the process, much blood is shed, and two other swords-for-hire
(Mikijiro Hira, Isamu Nagato) become reluctant draftees into Tanba's
band of rebels. Gosha's use of the B&W Cinemascope frame is
astonishing, with a down-to-earth, hardboiled ambience rarely seen
in early 1960s samurai pictures. Add to that Toshiaki Tsushima's
atmospheric score and you have a certifiable classic.

Next on the same bill is GOYOKIN (aka OFFICIAL GOLD aka STEEL EDGE
OF REVENGE), (1969, Toho, 121 min.). Director Hideo Gosha's samurai
masterpiece is an unrelenting vision of snow and fire, ravens
screeching and swords flashing in the darkness. Tatsuya Nakadai
stars as a conscience-stricken samurai tortured by his involvement
in a past massacre and determined to prevent another. Gosha was
forced to reshoot half the film when original co-star Toshiro Mifune
walked out (apparently because of the fierce cold!) - and the cold
in GOYOKIN is, in truth, all-consuming, freezing hands to swords. A
bold, beautifully-shot film. With Tetsuro Tanba, Ruriko Asaoka.


Date: Friday, September 09, 2005

Time: 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA


Posted by: Asia Institute