Zatoichi Meets The One-Armed Swordsman aka: Zatoichi Destroy The Chinese Sword (1971)

[Guest killer meteor]

I just upgraded from my awful UK DVD - sourced from an ultra dark tape or laserdisc - to the R4 Eastern Eye release and noticed Chang Yi's name in the opening credits. I started scratching my head as to where he was in the film but the credits ended and the film began. I'm pretty sure that thats Chang Yi playing the father of the boy who Zatoichi and Wang Yu protect. I could be wrong - he looks awfully young and non-evil - any confirmation on that one.

[Guest GwaiLoMoFo]

You are correct, that is in fact Chang Yi playing the role of the Chinese boy's father. I watched the Animeigo DVD on friday nite and noticed the same thing. He is listed in the opening credits and cast/crew info on the disc as well. Great flim too. I would kill to see version with the Chinese ending!!

***SPOILER****

Also nice to see a Zatoichi movie where it takes him more than 30 sec. to dispatch an oppenent!:lol

[Guest vlade2002]

I just upgraded from my awful UK DVD - sourced from an ultra dark tape or laserdisc - to the R4 Eastern Eye release and noticed Chang Yi's name in the opening credits.

Nice one

Hey, what do you think of the Eastern Eye DVD's?. I have been buying atleast 7-10 titles each week on Pay-day. Going to grab the lot eventually, I really dig these DVD prints, and packaging. Its good see Australia throw out some great products like these.

[Guest killer meteor]

I went multi-region for Eastern Eye - I'm in the UK - and so far I have ZMTOAS and Godzilla. I'm tired of the UK getting left behind in the old school Asian film market and Eastern Eye is very good.

[Guest Markgway]

Does anyone know the name of the Taiwanese company that co-produced the film with Consolidated-Katsu and Daiei?

The characters read as Yung Lien (Yong Lian) or Wing Luen.

The producer's name is Huang Ming.

Same company/producer also made the films SILVER MAID and PALE MOON.

Film was distributed in Chinese speaking territories by Golden Harvest but I don't think they had any production involvement.

Thanks in advance.

[June]

hopefully this helps:

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533369/qx/details.htm

[Guest Markgway]

I don't know? What am I looking for? If it's the reviews I don't have a login.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Zatoichi Meets The One-Armed Swordsman aka: Zatoichi Destroy The Chinese Sword 71'

producer: katsu shintaro

director: yasuda kimiyoshi

assistant director: ota akikazu

assistant producer: nishioka hiroyoshi

original story: shimozawa kan

screenplay: yasuda kimiyoshi, yamada takayuki

cinematography: maiura chishi

recording: ootani iwao

lighting: mima hiroshi

art direction: nishioka yoshinobu

music: tomita isaoshi

property master kusumoto eiichi

editor: taniguchi toshio

sound effects: kurashima yo

production manager: sanada masanori

starring: katsu shintaro, jimmy wang yu, hama yuko, nanbara koji, terada michie

co-starring: chang yi, sun lin, abe toru, sasaki takamuru, hanazawa tokue, ito shiro, totsuka mutsuo, minami shinsuke, okawa osamu, mori shoji

The story opens with Shamo (Chang Yi) and wife Yumay (Sun Lin) as martial art street performers. As they finish their act Shaolong their son collects monetary offerings. One of these offerings is a chinese silver tail. shaolong calls his father over upon noticing it and this is where they meet Wang Kang (Jimmy Wang Yu). Wang Kang explains he's here to visit a friend staying at Fukuryu-ji temple near Mamada, Japan. Shamo offers to take him there, but next morning, tonight they should have a few drinks. Next morning on their way a procession of abalone for Lord Nanbu advances on them. Shaolong is tempted to disrupt this royal parade and before his mother has time to remove him from their path she is cut down. Horrified, Shamo intercepts the next attack on his wife cutting down the ruthless samurai, only to be sliced up from behind, as he tends to his dying wife and protecting his child. Wank Kang can stand no more and he jumps in to fend off the brutality of the parading samurai.

Zatoichi hears the moaning and groaning of someone in great physical distress accompanied by the cries of a child and investigates.

Wang Kang is chased to the quarries where he is trapped in a tool shed. Great scenes follow this attempt at apprehending the chinese fugitive. Jimmy Wang Yu certaintly proves his abilities as an actor here. Katsu and co. also made Wang Kang's fantastical feats very credible looking on film with the editing and extra efforts made to obtain just that result. Running along the shoulders of an army of his adversaries. Jumping through the roof of his emblazed refuge. Cutting down all who transgress his personal space. Later Wang Kang reunites with Shaolong whilst Zatoichi is bringing the boy along with himself. Wang Kang takes charge of the child but Zatoichi isn't so sure he should be leaving the child with this chinese fugitive whose supposedly slaughtered a bunch of townsfolk. Though Wang insists and just to prove his point demostrates his hand to hand abilities, mightily impressing Zatoichi. Still later they (inadvertantly?) meet again at night in some backwoods shed. Where this time Zato tries to win the chinese fugitives confidence while displaying his own extraordinary abilities. They decide to accept Zato as their guide to the temple. There is a great deal of dialogue play between Zato and Wang. They cannot understand one-another yet try and the similarities between their languages which have the same phonetic qualities yet different definitions are exemplified. "Sha sha -chinese for thank you- sounds like the phonetic equivalent for water in japanese and great humor results in these misinterpretations. Later that evening they stop at a homestead for food and water for the child. Mr. Osaku and his daughter Oyo-ne witnessed the samurai slaughter the townsfolk to then blame the chinese fugitive and are stunned to see the fugitive with the child at their doorstep. The father informs Zato of the scheme of Lord Nanbu's samurai and that there is a fifty ryo reward leading to the capture of the chinese fugitive. Mr Osaku allows them to hide in his potato shed.

Next day Zato sets out to bring back sake and food. He meets another blind massuer at the bar. Who's fairly adept at gambling as well, so Zato just can't resist. These are very humorous scenes. Whilst gathering info in a round about fashion it is announced Nanbu's clan have discovered the where abouts of the chinese fugitive. Tobei's men murder the family and take Oyo-ne prisoner to be tortured for info as to where the fugitive has gone. While she's taking her beatings rather stoicly she's misinformed as to how they'd obtained knowledge of the fugitive hiding at her home. Boss Tobei explains who Zatoichi is to Oyo-ne and tells her quote, "Zatoichi is yakuza and will do anything for money". She betrays her involvement with harboring the fugitives at this shocking news and the gang prepares to rape and torture miss Oyo-ne. However, Zatoichi is here and the boss begrudgingly greets him. More great dialogue during these scenes. Boss Tobei tries to remonstrate Zato with yakuza codes of ethic only further antagonizing Zato's contempt for boss' such as Tobei. Indeed he teaches Boss Tobei a very painful lesson as not to belittle Zatoichi when he requests a favor. This rescue of Oyo-ne turns very sour for Zato for she believes still that Zato turned her family in for the fifty ryo. Oyo-ne touches a nerve here.

Later Zato is drinking hard, alone, at the local bar. A local prostitute, miss Osen, has nothing to do this evening, everyone stays in at night on account of the mad chinese fugitive. She has seen Zato before and considered him a bit curious so she asks him if he'd like some company. She asks also for some sake which Zato very begrudgingly oblidges. It's then samurai enter the premises very quitely, yet menacingly, and pay miss Osen to bring Zato his sake as though everythings normal. What follows is some of the best choreographing done in a Zatoichi film. One samurai walks behind Zato just as they're about to attack and as this samurai strikes Zato so quickly dismembers him, that the samurai himself is stunned to see his arm with sword in hand lying still on the table before him. As the fighting continues you hear the groaning of the half unconscious maimed samurai lying on the floor. Very dark, morose, and vicious is Zatoichi in this scene.

Meanwhile, Wang Kang reaches the temple with Oyo-ne and Shaolong. Zato visits to be sure they made it safely and inadvertantly runs into Kakuzen, Wang Kang's classmate in China, who resides and teaches martial arts here. When Kakuzen informs Wang Kang that a blind man asked for his party, Wang becomes enraged, and this intrigues Kakuzen. Kakuzen questions Oyo-ne and develops a scheme of his own.

Osen is duely impressed and wants Zatoichi now. So she decides to have him brought to her home and explains this to him in no uncertain terms.

A plot unhatches where Shaolong is kidnapped at the temple and a note is left for Wang Kang to meet these abductors to effect the safe return of the child. Zat is informed of this by Oyo-ne who's been brought to Zato by Osen. Zato then sets out to redeem himself to the child and miss Oyo-ne. As Zato is question the last of the samurai guarding the child about who informed on Oyo-ne's family miss Oyo-ne witness' her mistake in believing Boss Tobei and begs forgiveness. But now it's off to help Wang Kang defend himself against an army of men once again, only this time his good friend, Kakuzen reveals his true nature to Wang. Wang Kang condemns Kakuzen's actions with a great quote, "the law is not above the word of a friend or brother!". They commence to duel. Great styles scene for Kakuzen.

Wang Kang is found killing his last antagonist as Zato approaches. Zato tries to convey the misunderstanding between the two but is unable. The girls are on their way but will they make it in time to enlighten Wang Kang? For now, Zatoichi and his chinese counterpart are going to have to have it out. (You have to at least acknowledge the strokes of marketing genius on Katsu Productions for pairing these two great cinematic heroes against one another. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo -Toshiro Mifune- and Festival Of Fire -Tatsuya Nakadai- are two others.)

AnimEigo did a good job on the picture quality but completely dropped the ball on sound quality. This too much high frequency and you basically have to turn your treble tone control button all the way down for the sound not to be too hard on your ears. A simple matter of audio remastering mistakes you rarely experience. Another folly is the "new improved" translations for the english subtitles. These new improved translations that are coming out nowadays (and this is with criterion, Home Vision, etc.) are becoming increasingly impersonal and are certaintly taking away from the charm of the characters in these films. Not to mention the lack of attention to the actual order of names, verbs, pronouns, etc. in which the actors are speaking their sentences are translated out of sequence with how the actor is actually speaking their lines.

But this movie is certaintly one of the most entertaining in the series and cannot be enjoyed enough by any Zatoichi fan.

I certaintly rate it 10/10

I can't diminish the story, acting, choreographing, cinematograpy, etc. in rating due to a slight lapse in AnimEigo's remastering of the film.

[inframan]

I was just reading (last night strangely enough) that this was produced with two different endings, one with Ichi winning for the Japanese market and one with the One Armed Swordsman winning in the Chinese version.

Reminds me of that old Godzilla book that had the same story about King Kong vs Godzilla, except that wasn't even true. Are there really two different endings to this one?

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

It seems I do remember something mentioned about two endings accomidating each country, but unless someone shows some indisputable proof to this effect, I doubt it. It is a Zatoichi film after all. Though he could have afforded the same respect Yojimbo was given I guess. I hope Animeigo dose not fall short on the Sleepy Eyes Of Death releases.

[Guest Markgway]

Like most here I've only seen the original Japanese version (dir's cut if you will) but I've heard that the Mandarin dub released in Chinese territories alters the ending so that Wang Yu lives. I don't know if he wins as such or if it's deemed a draw - but he doesn't die. (Frankly I think it was a mistake in killing this character - who wasn't a villain - in any version). The Chinese prints credit Hsu Tseng-Hung as co-director so it's possible he may have shot new footage. Frankly I've no idea. It's most likely he acted as an assistant director to Yasuda Kimiyoshi during production in handling the Chinese actors and certain scenes involving them. As with many movies of this ilk details and facts are often hard to come by.

[Killer Meteor]

Its not clear if he dies in the Japanese version - there's no actual shot of him dying. Zatoichi says in my version's subs "...a good man had to die" but maybe that's a mistake

[Guest Markgway]

I was pretty sure he was supposed to have died.

[drunkenmaster]

I don't think there is any doubt he dies at the end. I'd love to see the Chinese version though.

[Dagger Lee]

Actually, Temujin, the administrator of the Wuxiasociety Forum, has seen the Chinese version which indeed has an alternate ending.

[Guest Markgway]

He should post clips on Youtube of the alternate ending and opening credits.

[shaolin drunkard]

It does exist 99% likely.approx 17 years ago american company who sold bootlegs&copies of asian&rare euro stuff Video Search Miami listed both versions in their catalogue and there was note about it on magazine Asian Trash Cinema.Wang Yu wins in chinese version.

[Dagger Lee]

He should post clips on Youtube of the alternate ending and opening credits.

He saw it back in the 80s without owning a copy and it'd be pretty hard for anyone to have a copy that would even be watchable now considering it was never released on VCD or DVD.

[sonnychibaidol]

From what I have heard, apparently there is an alternate ending to this movie. If this is true, can it be found? If so, what is that alternate ending?

[zAPhaTe]

I've heard the same thing and from what I understand the version released in Hong Kong has the one-armed swordsman winning the final duel.

I learned about it from Paghat's review http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-zatoichi22.html.

[daisho2004]

I was told that also about the HK Version but I really don't know of anyone who has seen it to say it actually exists!

[lillippa328]

yea heard the same.

[Killer Meteor]

There is a still in the 1974 book Cinema Of Vengeance showing Wang Yu triumphant.

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

I rented this from my local video store but unfortunately the sound on the DVD was F-up..

I don't know who the DVD was released by but the F-up sound disagreed with me so I never watched this. Much to my dismay.

GD Y-Y

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

There is a still in the 1974 book Cinema Of Vengeance showing Wang Yu triumphant.

I own this book will have to check this out. Thanks.

GD Y-Y