Member gwailosforever Posted February 11, 2012 Member Share Posted February 11, 2012 Hi All, I've been a long tome fan of HK action cinema, but I'm only just getting into classic Japanese samurai/chanbara films. I hate to admit I've only just watched the original Lone Wolf & Cub series (via Eureka's remastered boxset) which I thought was incredible. My question is how can I find out more about this series of films? Have any books been written about them? Do any behind the scenes photos, footage exist? Any websites to check out? Any interviews with original cast and crew? Any info would be much appreciated. I'm planning on checking out Harakri and Sword of Doom next. Any other recommendations would be great too! Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member John Posted February 12, 2012 Member Share Posted February 12, 2012 The Lone Wolf and Cub films are based on a Japanese comic by the same name. It's one of the classics; available in English via Dark Horse and well worth checking out if you care for comics at all. If you want to learn more about the production itself, I believe people have written extensively about Japanese cult cinema in English; a decent library or amazon search should yield some results. LWC has a history in the west as the Roger Corman re-edit titled Shogun Assassin, which is probably a rich topic in and of itself. I'm also a fan of this series; the penultimate Wakayama film is the weakest of the bunch, but even that's still plenty watchable. They're remarkably high quality productions; really pushing the limit of what can be called exploitation, in my book. There really isn't anything I've seen that is directly comparable, which I think speaks to their accomplishments. OTOH, there are still plenty of high calibre chanbara productions that stand out on their own merits: Fukasaku's The Shogun's Samurai and Swords of Vengeance are intricate stories with ensemble casts, punctuated with some very memorable climactic battles. Gosha is an alchemist that combines style and substance into cinematic gold: The Secret of the Urn and Three Samurai Outlaws are only two shining examples of his work; everything he's made needs to be seen if only once. The same could be said of Fukasaku's work as well. Beyond those, there's gobs more to explore out there; Mark Pollard's reviews here on KFC are pretty decent, I'd snoop those and search accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member waywardsage Posted February 12, 2012 Member Share Posted February 12, 2012 First of all, Welcome! As a fan of Chanbara/Samurai films for years, it's always great to find others beginning their exploration of Samurai Cinema. Like you, was a long time martial arts film fan then decided to explore Samurai films deeper. Now here I am, over a decade later and still being blown away by them! There are a few books on the subject. Some are more accessible than others. My two favorite ones at the moment are these: Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai FIlm Companion Both of these books were written by Patrick Galloway. They are fun, informative and hip looks back at the genre and are a must buy! I find myself weekly pulling them off the shelves after watching a film and reading Patricks rundown of the plot, characters and summaries. He's really good at simplifying the plots and cultural context without giving away any surprises/endings. The films he recommends in these books are a great lineup from world famous-obscure gems. As for my personal favorites, I would highly recommend all of director Akira Kurosawa's classics: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Hidden Fortress, Kagemusha, and Ran. Those are considered some of the core films of the genre that are a must watch. Also, these are seminal classics: Hara Kiri, (arguably one of the greatest samurai films ever made) Sword of Doom, Samurai Rebellion, Kill!, Samurai, Samurai Spy, Sword of the Beast to name just a few. There's the Samurai Trilogy that is a dramatic retelling of the legendary Miyamoto Musashi staring Toshiro Mifune. There are three big mainstay film series: Lone Wolf and Cub, Sleepy Eyes of Death, and the Zatoichi Films. The Sleepy Eyes of Death films total 9 staring the same actor Raizo Ichikawa. He's considered the Japanese James Dean! And what more can I say about Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi series? A well meaning blind masseuse who cuts dozens of Yakuza to shreds with his hidden sword cane! My personal favorite director was Hideo Gosha. His films DEFINE Samurai Cinema to me. If you want to be truly blown away by the genre, you need go no further than his masterpiece: Goyokin. It's sharp, stylistic, macho and badass! Almost all of his films are mind blowingly awesome. There are SO many more films, Yoji Yamada's recent samurai trilogy (Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor) of the last decade brought back the genre to critics around the world! Don't feel overwhelmed. Embrace the genre. Pick up a film and begin watching it. Then another. Next, you'll own stacks of them and be a devout fan like many of us around the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 13, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hi All, I've been a long tome fan of HK action cinema, but I'm only just getting into classic Japanese samurai/chanbara films. I hate to admit I've only just watched the original Lone Wolf & Cub series (via Eureka's remastered boxset) which I thought was incredible. Hey brother, welcome to the board! The LW&C film series is also one of my favorite things in all of cinema. Totally amazing. My question is how can I find out more about this series of films? Have any books been written about them? Do any behind the scenes photos, footage exist? Any websites to check out? Any interviews with original cast and crew? Any info would be much appreciated. Other than what the other members replied, I'd add the book (2001) TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion. There's some info on LW&C, specifically about the English dubbed SHOGUN ASSASSIN films. Other than these few places, info on this sort of stuff is sadly, pretty scarce. I'm planning on checking out Harakri and Sword of Doom next. Any other recommendations would be great too! Both of those are great films. The Lone Wolf and Cub films are based on a Japanese comic by the same name. It's one of the classics; available in English via Dark Horse and well worth checking out if you care for comics at all. I'll second that. This manga series is exceptional! Highly recommended. You may also want to check out some of the other films that were made based on the manga series. Some are TV films, and one even concludes the story (as the 6th film was obviously NOT the end of the story). There was also a TV series as well. Unfortunately, none of these feature Tomisabura Wakayama in them. Here is a list of the LW&C movies, TV specials, and TV series that I am aware of: (In Order of Their Release) SWORD OF VENGEANCE (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 1; Baby Cart1) BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 2; Baby Cart 2) BABY CART AT HADES (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 3; Baby Cart 3) BABY CART IN PERIL (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 4; Baby Cart 4) BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS (1973, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 5; Baby Cart 5) WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL (1973, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 6; Baby Cart 6) LONE WOLF AND CUB TV series: season 1 (1973) LONE WOLF AND CUB TV series: season 2 LONE WOLF AND CUB TV series: season 3 FUGITIVE SAMURAI (This is a film made from several TV episodes, 1973, aka. Through a Child‘s Eye) BABY CART IN PURGATORY (1979, TV Movie, aka. Lone Wolf With Child: An Assassin On The Road) SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980, English dubbed film made from parts of SWORD OF VENGEANCE and BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX) LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH (This is the second English dubbed release) Note: I'm skipping any other English dubbed releases here... LONE WOLF AND CUB 1989 (1989) LONE WOLF AND CUB (aka. Lone Wolf & Cub 1993; Lone Wolf & Cub: The Final Conflict; Handful of Sand; A Child‘s Hand Reaches Up) These are all interesting and worth checking out. If I've got any of the info wrong, hopefully someone will correct it. There really isn't anything I've seen that is directly comparable, which I think speaks to their accomplishments. OTOH, there are still plenty of high calibre chanbara productions that stand out on their own merits: Fukasaku's The Shogun's Samurai and Swords of Vengeance are intricate stories with ensemble casts, punctuated with some very memorable climactic battles. Gosha is an alchemist that combines style and substance into cinematic gold: The Secret of the Urn and Three Samurai Outlaws are only two shining examples of his work; everything he's made needs to be seen if only once. The same could be said of Fukasaku's work as well. Beyond those, there's gobs more to explore out there; Mark Pollard's reviews here on KFC are pretty decent, I'd snoop those and search accordingly. This is all great advice and info from John. Each of the films he mentiond are classics. There are a few books on the subject. Some are more accessible than others. My two favorite ones at the moment are these: Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai FIlm Companion Both of these books were written by Patrick Galloway. They are fun, informative and hip looks back at the genre and are a must buy! I find myself weekly pulling them off the shelves after watching a film and reading Patricks rundown of the plot, characters and summaries. He's really good at simplifying the plots and cultural context without giving away any surprises/endings. The films he recommends in these books are a great lineup from world famous-obscure gems. I agree with all of this. Well said Waywardsage. I would add to this book list SAMURAI FILM by Alain Silver. Not much more than a mention of LW&C, but it's filled with great info on other Chanbara films. As for my personal favorites, I would highly recommend all of director Akira Kurosawa's classics: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Hidden Fortress, Kagemusha, and Ran. Those are considered some of the core films of the genre that are a must watch. Also, these are seminal classics: Hara Kiri, (arguably one of the greatest samurai films ever made) Sword of Doom, Samurai Rebellion, Kill!, Samurai, Samurai Spy, Sword of the Beast to name just a few. There's the Samurai Trilogy that is a dramatic retelling of the legendary Miyamoto Musashi staring Toshiro Mifune. Again, I second the above. All fantastic recommendations. SAMURAI REBELLION is one of my top samurai film faves. The SATAN'S SWORD trilogy is pretty good too. THE BETRAYAL (1966)- One of the most incredible genre climax scenes I've ever seen. KEN (1964)- Wonderful flick. There are three big mainstay film series: Lone Wolf and Cub, Sleepy Eyes of Death, and the Zatoichi Films. The Sleepy Eyes of Death films total 9 staring the same actor Raizo Ichikawa. He's considered the Japanese James Dean! And what more can I say about Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi series? A well meaning blind masseuse who cuts dozens of Yakuza to shreds with his hidden sword cane! Personally, LW&C is an easy 1O for me, and sits at the top of these series. Zatoichi is my second favorite. Even after 26 films (not including the several other films based on the character, but not starring Shintaro Katsu) and 3 TV series I never got tired of this character. This series just got better and better, and Katsu is jaw-droppingly talented with a sword. He uses an atypical upside down sword technique that is super cool. The TV series episodes are great, and Katsu continued to play Zatoichi in them. Incidentally, Zatoichi actor Shintaro Katsu is the real life brother of LW&C star Tomisabura Wakayama. The Sleepy Eyes of Death films are very good, but never grabbed me the same way as the above. Though it's star Raizo Ichikawa is unforgettable. Yoji Yamada's recent samurai trilogy (Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor) of the last decade brought back the genre to critics around the world! I've seen the first two of these (third one's in the too-be-watched pile) and must say- TWILIGHT SAMURAI is one of the best acted and most moving samurai films I've ever seen. Don't feel overwhelmed. Embrace the genre. Pick up a film and begin watching it. Then another. Next, you'll own stacks of them and be a devout fan like many of us around the world. Waywardsage, well said. Yet... it almost could be misconstrued as a warning. LOL But, yeah man. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think of these as you watch them. It would be good to liven up the Japanese section of the forum. 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Member BlackLamaFaction Posted February 14, 2012 Member Share Posted February 14, 2012 Have to agree with Bob on The Betrayal. Tanaka's masterpiece with the ending that made me a Raizo Ichikawa fan for life. If you like Lone Wolf and Cub, A series that is similar from a stylistic standpoint is Animeigo's release of the Mikogami Trilogy: Trail of Blood, Fearless Avenger, and Slaughter in the Snow. A bad ass revenge story with the funkiest intro music you ever heard. You also might want to check out some other Samurai Exploitation from that period: Demon Spies (Takashi Tsuboshima 1974 Toho) Shadow Hunters (Toshio Masuda 1972 Toho) Shadow Hunters:Echo of Destiny (Toshio Masuda 1972 Toho) Lady Snowblood (Toshiya Fujita 1973 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (Kenji Misumi 1972 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masamura 1972 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold (Yoshio Inoue 1974 Toho) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted February 14, 2012 Member Share Posted February 14, 2012 ... and for something even more exploitative, Teruo Ishii's Porno jidaigeki: Bohachi bushido (1973) (released on dvd in the states under the title Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight) which is an awesome psychedelic pinky violence chanbara film. Based on manga by Kazuo Koike (the author or Lone Wolf and Cub) and starring the great Tetsuro Tanba as an ancient Dirty Harry (only more evil and with a samurai sword). a few screencaps from the Toei dvd + one still Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 19, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 19, 2012 Have to agree with Bob on The Betrayal. Tanaka's masterpiece with the ending that made me a Raizo Ichikawa fan for life. If you like Lone Wolf and Cub, A series that is similar from a stylistic standpoint is Animeigo's release of the Mikogami Trilogy: Trail of Blood, Fearless Avenger, and Slaughter in the Snow. A bad ass revenge story with the funkiest intro music you ever heard. You also might want to check out some other Samurai Exploitation from that period: Demon Spies (Takashi Tsuboshima 1974 Toho) Shadow Hunters (Toshio Masuda 1972 Toho) Shadow Hunters:Echo of Destiny (Toshio Masuda 1972 Toho) Lady Snowblood (Toshiya Fujita 1973 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (Kenji Misumi 1972 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masamura 1972 Toho) Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold (Yoshio Inoue 1974 Toho) How did I forget the LADY SNOWBLOOD and HANZO films? I only watched the first of the SHADOW HUNTERS films so far, and I wasn't that into it. I haven't watched the Mikogami Trilogy yet. ... and for something even more exploitative, Teruo Ishii's Porno jidaigeki: Bohachi bushido (1973) (released on dvd in the states under the title Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight) which is an awesome psychedelic pinky violence chanbara film. Based on manga by Kazuo Koike (the author or Lone Wolf and Cub) and starring the great Tetsuro Tanba as an ancient Dirty Harry (only more evil . Boy did your description ever peak my interest! I snagged it after reading this, and will be watching it very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member gwailosforever Posted February 21, 2012 Author Member Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thank you so much for your replies. So far I've checked out Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade. Both incredible. Not what I was expecting but in a good way. Twilight Samurai made me cry! Also viewed Sword of Doom which was stunning. The ending gave me goose bumps. What I find most interesting is how far Japanese cinema was ahead of HK cinema during this period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 21, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thank you so much for your replies. So far I've checked out Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade. Both incredible. Not what I was expecting but in a good way. Twilight Samurai made me cry! Hey, it's great to share knowledge/info with a fellow fan. That's what is so cool about this forum. TWILIGHT SAMURAI made my wife and I cry too. Powerful film. We watched it in the morning of the day of the Oscars. It was nominated for "Best Foreign Film" that year. Though we hadn't seen the other films it was up against, when it lost the award we still booed. LOL Also viewed Sword of Doom which was stunning. The ending gave me goose bumps. Yes, truly a classic. I can't wait to hear what you think of SAMURAI REBELLION. It has the fantastic character and emotional drama of TWILIGHT SAMURAI, but with more actual action in it. What I find most interesting is how far Japanese cinema was ahead of HK cinema during this period. I think it's true that in terms of perhaps artistic relevance and technical acheivments Japan was ahead of Hong Kong in filmmaking. But as far as action choreography, Japan (IMO) has still never even come close to the best of HK's action. As intense and exciting as the action is in any of the LW&C films, it doesn't compare to anything Lau Lar Leung, Sammo, or Jackie was doing in the late '70s and '80s. If only Japan had incorporated some of HK's best choreographers in their films, and HK had incorporated some of Japan's best directors in theirs... Who knows what kind of classics would have emerged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kaleyboy Posted February 21, 2012 Member Share Posted February 21, 2012 If only Japan had incorporated some of HK's best choreographers in their films, and HK had incorporated some of Japan's best directors in theirs... Who knows what kind of classics would have emerged? Shaw Brothers did just this; many of their cinematographers and technical staff were Japanese, they even had Japanese directors such as Inoue Umetsugu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 22, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2012 Shaw Brothers did just this; many of their cinematographers and technical staff were Japanese, they even had Japanese directors such as Inoue Umetsugu. Yeah, I know. But I was thinking more like... How about a film directed by Hideo Gosha, starring Gordon Liu, and action choreographed by Pops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kaleyboy Posted February 22, 2012 Member Share Posted February 22, 2012 Yeah, I know. But I was thinking more like... How about a film directed by Hideo Gosha, starring Gordon Liu, and action choreographed by Pops? Man, that would have been every kind of awsome. Sadly, that kind of mash-up is only real in our fan boy heads. Still, we can dream:tongue:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member John Posted February 22, 2012 Member Share Posted February 22, 2012 What if Teruo Ishii helmed a third installment in the Bohachi Bushido series with Ti Lung as the protagonist and Hwang Jang Lee in a cameo as Bak Mei? Then you could make a sequel that crosses over into Black Lion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BlackLamaFaction Posted February 22, 2012 Member Share Posted February 22, 2012 One things for sure with Ishii in control you would get something violent enough to make even Masked Avengers look G rated. I'd hope for something in between the violent but beautiful Horrors of Malformed Men, and the way over the top insane violent Yakuza's Law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 23, 2012 Administrator Share Posted February 23, 2012 Man, that would have been every kind of awsome. Sadly, that kind of mash-up is only real in our fan boy heads. Still, we can dream:tongue:. And dream is what I'll do. What if Teruo Ishii helmed a third installment in the Bohachi Bushido series with Ti Lung as the protagonist and Hwang Jang Lee in a cameo as Bak Mei? Then you could make a sequel that crosses over into Black Lion... Nice! One things for sure with Ishii in control you would get something violent enough to make even Masked Avengers look G rated. I'd hope for something in between the violent but beautiful Horrors of Malformed Men, and the way over the top insane violent Yakuza's Law. Right on! That would be some crazy shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted February 26, 2012 Member Share Posted February 26, 2012 http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/6548/shogun_assassin_box.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted February 26, 2012 Member Share Posted February 26, 2012 5-Film? I assume these are the English edited/dubbed versions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted February 27, 2012 Member Share Posted February 27, 2012 Damn I want the Japanese verisons on BR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted February 27, 2012 Member Share Posted February 27, 2012 BTW yes these are the English Dubbed versions I went onto Amazon.com and seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member waywardsage Posted February 28, 2012 Member Share Posted February 28, 2012 How does Shogun Assassin differ from the Lone Wolf and Cub Japanese originals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BlackLamaFaction Posted February 28, 2012 Member Share Posted February 28, 2012 The only difference I'm aware of is Shogun Assassin is Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx edited together. It shows the beginning of Sword of Vengeance to give you some back story and the rest is River Styx with a few scenes cut here and there. They then just renamed films 3 through 6 and dubbed them in english. I recommend the original as Shogun Assassin leaves out some great scenes including the Iconic opening of Sword of Vengeance. (I guess the Seppuku of a 4 year old lord was too much for american audiences). Also I wasn't crazy about the voice they gave Ogami Itto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member JimPV Posted March 8, 2012 Member Share Posted March 8, 2012 I also saw the 5 films on blu-ray at Amazon and was hoping it was the Japanese originals. But then there are 6 original films, right? Bummer. C'mon, Animeigo - put out the original classics on blu! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted March 8, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 8, 2012 I also saw the 5 films on blu-ray at Amazon and was hoping it was the Japanese originals. But then there are 6 original films, right? Bummer. C'mon, Animeigo - put out the original classics on blu! That's right, there are 6 original films. SWORD OF VENGEANCE (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 1; Baby Cart1) BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 2; Baby Cart 2) BABY CART AT HADES (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 3; Baby Cart 3) BABY CART IN PERIL (1972, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 4; Baby Cart 4) BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS (1973, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 5; Baby Cart 5) WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL (1973, aka. Lone Wolf and Cub 6; Baby Cart 6) I would definitely upgrade from DVDs to BluRays on this, one of my all time favorite film series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted March 11, 2012 Member Share Posted March 11, 2012 I would definitely upgrade from DVDs to BluRays on this, one of my all time favorite film series. @KFB: I agree with you on that! I was disappointed with the last movie WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL I wanted to see the showdown between Ogami & Restudo, like in the TV series! And BTW what is the deal with the TV series, did they finish the entire 1st. season or what!? What a waste one of ther best Japanese series ever made IMO, and they didn't even finish it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted March 11, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 11, 2012 @KFB: I agree with you on that! I was disappointed with the last movie WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL I wanted to see the showdown between Ogami & Restudo, like in the TV series! And BTW what is the deal with the TV series, did they finish the entire 1st. season or what!? What a waste one of ther best Japanese series ever made IMO, and they didn't even finish it! I'm with you on that- the 6th film was the weakest. From what I've read, they originally planned on making the film series much longer, and this wasn't supposed to be the last one. The LW&C film series was meant to do for Tomisaburo Wakayama what the Zatoichi film series did for his brother Shintaro Katsu- keep him a star in a popular, long-running series. But the LW&C films didn't fare that well at the box office (hard to believe! ), so they never made any more films after the 6th one. Regarding the TV series: Though here in the states they only released the first season on DVD, there were actually three seasons of the TV show produced. There were also quite a few made-for-TV movies as well, and one of them does indeed show the "conclusion" to the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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