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Fantastic Fest X: DWARVES KINGDOM is a Magical Place
The documentary track this year at Fantastic Fest just keeps delivering with the strangely heartwarming documentary Dwarves Kingdom. This great doc captures 2 years in the life of Gao Yan, one of the performers at The Kingdom of the Little People, a controversial amusement park in Western China populated by almost 100 little people, where they live, work, and play.
The doc starts off introducing and interviewing the subjects of the Kingdom who, overall, talk about how it’s a positive and happy place. The general consensus is they enjoy living there, because they are living amongst so many other little people who all support and care for one another in their day-to-day lives in the park. These interviews are transposed against shots of the sad, dilapidated, medieval castle-like park, which they inhabit almost like a human zoo and perform in strange talent/side shows for the visitors.
We are then introduced to Gao Yan, a singer who is always front and center in the park’s festivities, but dreams of a better life outside of its walls as a pop star or actress. When Gao Yan ends up leaving the Kingdom, she soon finds out that the grass isn’t always greener as she struggles in Japan as a costumed cartoon character at an amusement park. After realizing her dreams may sadly be out of her reach she begins to contemplate returning to the Kingdom.
Dwarves Kingdom is a mesmerizing look at these little people’s lives as they make their choices, and we get to experience the consequences with them. While the film runs at barely over 70 minutes, you still get a well rounded arc with Gao Yan and her adventures both in and outside the park and some great insight into the lives of some of the other performers as well. While the doc does look briefly at the exploitation factor at the park, its focus remains on its inhabitants to tell their own story and feelings of being on display. Some of the interviews can be just as painful as they are inspiring.
Dwarves Kingdom leaves you with a melancholy happiness and surprisingly hopeful for the well being for its subjects. Matthew Salton tells a compelling and thoughtful tale of these little people with big hearts and the strange fantastical world they inhabit. Dwarves Kingdom transcends the camp and exploitation factor and instead at its heart is a very human story. Everyone can ultimately relate to the need to belong, even while being very different.
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU: Mostly Dysfunctional
The Altman family, and several of its extensions, has reunited after the death of its patriarch. They are not religious people, but the deceased has made it his dying wish that his Jewish wife and children sit Shiva (sitting low to the ground for seven days, apparently while hordes of well-wishers flow through during mourning). This is not what the rather dysfunctional Altman family would like to be doing right now. Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) would rather be brooding over catching his wife sleeping with his boss. His only sister, Wendy (Tina Fey), would rather be stewing in her bad marriage cliché while potty-training her son. His older brother, Paul (Corey Stoll), would rather be home continuing to fail at impregnating his baby-crazy wife, and their youngest sibling, Phillip (Adam Driver), would rather be having sex with lots and lots of women.
You guessed it. By the end, fate should have it that sitting Shiva was the best thing that ever happened to them!
Before I get carried away, I should say the movie is not all bad. It boasts one hell of a cast. These unappealing characters are mostly made sympathetic by the talented players personifying them. This is a particularly impressive turn for Bateman. Though he is still largely playing himself, he manages to fully tap into the truly crazy sadness of his predicament. Tina Fey, with whom he shares most of his screen time, is a delightful foil. Watching them interact feels like a genuine brother/sister report, and now I want to see more movies starring the two opposite each other. Those two aside, the rest of the ensemble nobly takes us through the many other comedic and dramatic beats. Many of the comedic beats are nailed and easily inspire a laugh, but those pesky dramatic beats make the film problematic.
It’s the kind of movie where you not only see conflicts coming a mile away, you are praying they don’t catch up to you before you reach the end of movie. From every awkward suggestion, to every cheesy foreshadowing, it’s hard to watch a movie heading a direction you just don’t want it to, especially when it doesn’t pay off. As more character development comes seeping in, and more back-stories are revealed, you start to feel like you’ve been watching an entire season of a soap opera condensed into one feature film. Repressed memories (I can’t remember my father!), brain injuries (I never blamed you for leaving after the accident!), and constant infidelity are almost too much to bear. Most of it sounds like the kind of baloney Fey and Bateman would be goofing on in superior comedic works.
I can’t hate on it too hard. When I wasn’t rolling my eyes, I was having a decent time. It isn’t much for charm (even with Bateman’s character weirdly in his own separate coming-of-age movie), but it does succeed at tossing you a modest smile/laugh grab bag. That’s just not quite the kind of thing you rush to the theater on Friday night to see.
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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY: Effective But Forgettable
The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby releases in Austin, TX on Sept. 19th, 2014
It’s never fun when you can’t figure out why a movie just isn’t doing it for you. In the case of The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby, the script is well above average, the acting is superb, it looks good enough and the characters are complex. Somehow, that wasn’t quite enough. It’s hard to say anything bad about a movie this solid, and I’m not one to sit in a theater looking for problems. After a few days, however, it hit me.
James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain play a suddenly severed young couple. McAvoy’s character is a restaurant entrepreneur who spends most of his time discussing his loss with his head chef (Bill Hader), while Chastain’s character (the titular Eleanor Rigby) has decided to busy herself with taking a class taught by Viola Davis (as astonishing as ever). Should you choose to see the film, it would be a shame for me to reveal anything else plot-wise. Information is revealed to the audience very carefully, and for the first 30 minutes or so, we can’t really be certain what has caused the split between the lead characters. In fact, I am willing to bet you couldn’t even guess before it is spoken in definite terms (not to make it sound like a mind-blowing twist… it’s just well-hidden is all). Having said all that? What the hell was my problem?
For starters… this kind of thing, for the most part, just isn’t my bag these days. Watching a pair of rich hipsters mope around town in scenes scored by an indie band doesn’t get under my skin the way it did when I was a teen. I don’t mean to be insensitive, because mope they should. These people are not experiencing the insignificance of “white people problems” or some young man’s coming-of-age bummer love story. They have been damaged, as any person would be in their situation, and they deal with it somewhat poorly. That’s understandable, and interesting to watch, but by the end, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why should this be on film?”
That’s because, save for a few fleeting moments, the formal elements have gone to sleep. We get some shakey-cam here and there, and some nice lighting in a couple scenes, but none of it adds up to anything particularly meaningful. There is no detectable motif from sound, to image, to editing. Now, that’s not always requisite for great, or even good cinema, but this movie is so indifferent to what makes a movie a movie… that it would really be just as effective as a play. Even a few months from now, I can’t imagine anyone easily remembering much of the film’s contents.
Then I discover the movie I saw was the final stage in an experiment of sorts. Turns out, this is a feature sewn together from three short films titled Her, Him, and Them. Each took the viewpoint of the respective pronoun found in each title, and they were shown separately. Now that, my friends, sounds interesting. There is the art I was looking for. Sure, it’s still something you could do on stage, but at least telling the same story from three different perspectives is a feat aided by the specifics of the film medium. To me, that sounds twice as effective and meaningful. That seems to say something about how truly separated people can be by a challenging event.
Again, I don’t want anyone seeking an effective drama to avoid this thinking it doesn’t get the job done. If you bring the tears, it will bring the sadness and the touching humanity, and it will deal with its subject matter delicately. For those of you who want a little something more out of your experience, you may be a bit disappointed, just as I was.
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New On Blu: FAUST is Hypnotic in HD
The classic German tale of Faust has been told on film and television countless times. Elements of the story appear in everything from The Devil and Daniel Webster to Revenge of the Sith. Boiled down to its core, Faust is about a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for mortal pleasures. The Faust legend has been adapted most famously for the cinema by F.W. Murnau, Jan Svankmajer, and now, Russian filmmaker, Alexander Sokurov. Each work has taken its own unique liberties on the source material, and now that Sokurov’s version is available on Blu-Ray, you have the perfect opportunity to study its meandering, poetic, and haunting twist on the beloved story.
This film is not meant for a casual viewing experience. It is truly odd, presented in a format which appears to be the perspective of looking through an old 35mm eyepiece, and does not shy away from showing you every little thing it means to. I find it hard to imagine a viewer shoveling fist-fulls of popcorn on a Saturday night watching a movie which practically opens on the shot of a corpse’s penis. The camera then tracks to catch the heart being harvested from the chest cavity. That shot, alone, practically tells you everything you need to know about the film… in so many ways. So stick around, because it gets even better.
Faust is a struggling professor, studying the human body and searching for the soul/meaning of life/love — this time — in early 19th century Germany. He claims to be starving, though he doesn’t look it, and has decided to take his own life when his village’s moneylender (or so he is called) suddenly takes an interest in him. From there, the two wander through the streets mulling over personal philosophies, and closely following a young woman who has caught Faust’s eye. It’s only a matter of time until he chooses to make a contract with the moneylender for the chance to indulge in one night alone with her.
Does any of that sound like your kind of thing? If you answered negatively, you might be surprised when you see the film. This ain’t your grandpa’s aimless “blah blah blah”, this sucker really moves like it knows where it is headed the whole time (and, of course, we all know where it is, ultimately, headed the whole time). It’s a trip. It may not be the most energetic, or the most visually imaginative adaptation of this story, but it is a fresh take, and it will leave you as happily lost as its doomed title character. Repeat viewing may be required.
Good thing, too, because Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray release is tragically bereft of special features — as in… none. Unless you are still amazed by the ability to jump to any scene in the film with the press of a button, this disc will hold nothing special for you. The only reason to own the movie on home video is the fact it is worth seeing again and again. I would have liked to learn more about the production from the filmmakers, themselves, but not even so much as a booklet with a write-up is found in the package. Still, I have to recommend checking it out.
Previously on Cinapse:
FAUST: Sokurov’s Strange, Seductive Deal with the Devil by Wilson Smith
Two Cents: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE by Liam O’Donnell & Friends
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE: Still Crazy (And Crazy Relevant) Forty Years Later by Jacob Knight -
New on Blu: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY Raves On
by Ryan Lewellen
Buddy Holly died about 25 miles outside my hometown in Iowa. My parents loved his music, so I grew up listening to him on long car rides. I loved him, too. He wrote and produced cool little songs that were simple and clever. That, and the location of his untimely demise, were basically all I knew about him until I saw The Buddy Holly Story on Blu-Ray. That’s not to say I got all the facts from the movie, however.
Directed by Steve Rash (Can’t Buy Me Love, Queens Logic), the film chronicles the rock and roll pioneer’s career from his early days playing around Lubbock, Texas with The Crickets, to his beyond tragic death less than 3 years later. The whole thing plays like gangbusters. The musical performances (featuring entire songs played live on camera by the actors in real time — one of the first movies to feature such a thing) are powerfully energetic and a blast to watch. During the actors’ time off stage, Rash maintains a steady pace in every scene, but allows his characters time to marinate in natural rhythms.
Little touches here and there resonate: an odd smile, a strange pause, a clearly ad-libbed line which contributes nothing to a scene. The cast members so effortlessly live in their characters that every moment seems to have come from them, rather than from the calculated orchestration of people behind the camera. Everyone is pulling his or her weight, but Gary Busey’s rendering of Buddy Holly is outrageously fun. By the time they make it to New York, he is talking his way through every obstacle like Humphrey Bogart. You start to wonder if the universe kicked him out just for being such an unparalleled smartass. From beginning to end, the camera gives us a first-hand perspective including a POV entrance to a 50s roller rink, and a finale performance shot like a concert documentary. It all creates a feeling of authenticity, like you managed to show up and watch this story as it truly unfolded in history. Thing is…this ain’t how it unfolded.
Holly’s rise to stardom was not nearly so meteoric as Rash’s film would have you believe. He didn’t have a number one hit before any prior success, he didn’t have the entire Apollo Theater dancing in the aisles during his first appearance, and he probably didn’t punch a Nashville producer in the face for calling him a “n***** lover.” Does it matter? Not to me. I have to admit its title is a bit cavalier considering the contents of the plot, but the filmmakers created an artful biopic about a somewhat unsung hero of early rock and roll that didn’t involve drug addiction, prostitutes, or domestic violence. The film’s events may not be all true, but they are rarely trite, and never sensationalized, handily avoiding many tropes of the genre. Though this may not be a faithful portrait of Buddy Holly’s life, it is certainly faithful to the spirit of his music, and the tremendous influence of his too-short career.
It’s not difficult to recommend a movie so full of charm, good tunes, and good filmmaking. Check it out.
THE PACKAGE
The Buddy Holly Story is available (for now) on Blu-ray from the good folks at Twilight Time. This is a limited print of only 3,000 copies and is packaged with a four page booklet featuring, as usual, a fine write-up by Twilight Time’s resident film historian, Julie Kirgo, which provides some intriguing background to the film’s production.
The picture looks damn good. It’s colorful and crisp in 1.85:1 high definition, if a little grainy (owing the age of the film), and the music erupts in rapturous 5.1 surround sound.
Sadly, the special features are a bit slim, but significant nonetheless.
FEATURE COMMENTARY BY DIRECTOR STEVE RASH AND GARY BUSEY
Rash and Busey sat down in 1999 (for the DVD release?) to reflect on their work, and we can be thankful for it happening. The insights are funny and fascinating, and they are both humble enough to admit practically every story element was purely invented for the sake of the film.ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER
Dated and clunky… always interesting to see old trailers.ISOLATED SCORE TRACK
Presents the Oscar-winning original score written by Joe Renzetti all by its lonesome. -
The Tales Of Zatoichi: Sheathing Our Swords (AKA The Wrap-Up)
When I dream big about writing about movies on the Internet, it is projects like The Tales Of Zatoichi that I dream about. Film fans all over the internet geek out when amazing releases like the Bond 50 box set or this amazing Zatoichi box set hit the market. But how much of that excitement has to do with collecting and owning nice things, and how much of it has to do with deep cinematic exploration? I’m guilty of slavering over box sets and giant releases (and even owning a few) that I’ve never fully explored and experienced. But when I was gifted with this set, and reflected that I now run a film outlet wherein I can take dream projects and try to make them a reality, I realized that there was no better way to discover this franchise than to gather a small community, experience these films together, and then write out our thoughts, sharing them with fellow Cineastes.
With my Cinapse friends, I’ve spent the Summer of 2014 digging deep into a film series that spanned some 30 feature films (thus far) and massively influenced our perception of the complex hero in pop culture entertainment. Shintaro Katsu’s wandering masseur and blind swordsman Zatoichi may not have spawned uniformly great cinema across all of his 26 installments, but he did become one of my all time favorite cinematic heroes in the process. And I suspect many who would take in all these films would fall similarly in love with Zatoichi.
And now, upon completion of this project, I’ve never been more proud of a published body of work that I’ve been involved in. My great hope for this completed column is that our Cinapse team’s journey of discovery will be found by other fans and those who are interested in taking in The Tales Of Zatoichi themselves. One of the biggest goals and driving forces behind Cinapse as an online outlet is to advocate for underseen cinema and to facilitate cinematic discovery. Cinema as an art form just keeps expanding, and older, foreign, and cult cinema will continue to be vital pieces of the puzzle for young fans and filmmakers as they craft new heroes and villains, and as they search for the roots of some of their most beloved modern characters. Cinapse’s coverage of the Zatoichi films isn’t the most dense or methodical coverage available. It is, however, an honest team project filled with personal opinion, thrills, and solid insight. I’m proud of the team for their work, and am better for having experienced all of Zatoichi’s adventures. Hopefully anyone stumbling across our work here will feel the same.
I’m not much of a list guy. There are some installments that were narrow misses here, and catch me on another day, and the order of these could easily be swapped. But as part of the goal of cinematic discovery goes, listing some of our favorite installments after just watching all of them gives potential new fans a great place to get started with this dense series, which doesn’t necessarily need to be watched chronologically in order to find enjoyment.
Least Favorite: Samaritan Zatoichi (1968, Film 19) — Dir. Kenji Misumi
(Covered in our Volume 7) — The series lapses into a crippling same-ness fairly often. Our writing has noted this throughout, making many of our favorite entries films that shook up the formula or tried something new. But while Samaritan Zatoichi tried to do something different by changing some of the essential elements of what made Ichi who he is, it was a total failure. In this film Ichi abandons the code which guides him throughout all the other movies. He cuts down a largely innocent man on the orders of a generic yakuza boss, then hits the road with the dead man’s sister after realizing his error. On the road he cheats at gambling, and even gambles away his sword. Perhaps this could just be seen as our hero hitting his rock bottom, but I see it as bad writing, a rushed misinterpretation of the character, and distasteful all around. I’ll always choose to remember the Ichi of all the other films over the Ichi of this one.Top 5
5. New Tale Of Zatoichi (1963, Film 3) — Dir. Tokuzo Tanaka
(Covered in our Volume 1) — The earliest Zatoichi films have the most gravitas. At the beginning, the relationships and origins of Ichi have a weight to them, and they’re also more interconnected than later installments. The first color film benefits greatly from the addition of a full color palette. But again, this early installment offers a weighty narrative which enriches Ichi’s backstory and feels essential because it explores the origins of Ichi’s swordsmanship and features another memorable foil in the form of his own former swordmaster.4. Zatoichi The Fugitive (1963, Film 4) — Dir. Tokuzo Tanaka
(Covered in our Volume 2) — Here a former love from one of the original three films comes back into Ichi’s life with tragic consequences. There’s a powerful emotional motivation here combined with an epic conclusion featuring Ichi under threat from an army with rifles, then cutting through them like butter to reach a despicable samurai who mistreated his former love.3. Zatoichi Goes To The Fire Festival (1970, Film 20) — Dir. Kenji Misumi
(Covered in our Volume 7) — In a series with often interchangeable villains, Fire Festival features somewhat of a super villain. Boss Yamikubo, “The Shogun Of The Underworld”, is himself a blind man, who has built up a vast network of criminal organizations and placed himself at the top. He then devises the most intricate trap ever devised for Ichi resulting in one of the most spectacular finales in the series.2. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) — Dir. Takeshi Kitano
(Covered in our Volume 10) — In one of the greatest arguments for why remakes can be worthwhile, Kitano’s Zatoichi remake is one Japanese icon paying homage to another. Using the clout of both of their careers, the film is able to achieve something transcendent. Beautiful, action-packed, filled with intrigue and music… the only reason this isn’t my number one pick is that Shintaro Katsu alone can hold the top spot, and this film couldn’t exist without an original series to riff on. Well, that and the terrible CGI blood found here.1. Zatoichi’s Flashing Sword (1964, Film 7) — Dir. Kazuo Ikehiro
(Covered in our Volume 3) — I’m an action movie junkie at heart, so my favorite installment naturally features some of the series’ most foundationally badass moments. Here is the first time Zatoichi cuts a candle, holding its still flaming wick on the edge of his sword and brandishing it menacingly. The conclusion of this installment is also one of the most beautiful and hardcore: Fireworks explode in the sky as Zatoichi storms a villainous compound, featuring a stunning single take sword fight. Beautiful and iconic, this film stands out from the pack.
Austin’s Final Word
Zatoichi is simply a great character, and his creators should be lauded for choosing to focus on a man with a major disability yet make him an utter badass. I love it. Thankfully the uniformly excellent films are up to the challenge (out of 26 films in the original series, I loved the vast majority, considering only 2 to be missteps). Ichi’s blindness is an integral part of his person and appeal, defining his social caste and unique challenges, and making his uncanny swordsmanship and other skills that much more exciting. Ever the great listener, his perceptions aren’t affected by appearances, giving him different insights — he is an excellent judge of character. Outwardly Ichi is always polite, smiling, and agreeable, but inwardly he’s full of keen wit and clever machinations, and when the situation requires, his sword is unsheathed with lightning quickness and deadly accuracy.
Can I end this on a confession? Without Ed proposing that we take on this massive series, my lovely gargantuan Criterion Blu-ray set would almost certainly still be sitting on my shelf unwatched. As a certifiably insane cinephile I have hundreds of films in the watch pile at any given moment, and a sprawling series like Zatoichi always feels like “too much to tackle right now”, especially since I’ve started writing for Cinapse and finding my film schedule dictated by current releases. So thanks to Ed for conceiving this thing and making me get my butt in gear, and to my other team members Michael, Victor, and Liam for joining us on this crazy ride. Just watching all the Zatoichi films is a hell of an accomplishment, and collectively reviewing every single film between us is something to be immensely proud of.
Least Favorite: Zatoichi The Outlaw (1967, Film 16), Dir. Satsuo Yamamoto
Satsuo Yamamoto’s only Zatoichi film struggles to find its footing with a weirdly paced, long-term plot and shoddy production values. Wigs and makeup have never been more fake and obvious, and the high-grain, high-contrast look is a terrible change. Katsu Productions’ inglorious debut is an embarrassment.Top 5
5. Zatoichi’s Cane-Sword (1967, Film 15) — Dir. Kimiyoshi Yasuda
A retired blackmith recognizes Ichi’s shikomizue sword as the work of his sensei, realizes the blade will soon snap, and is inspired to exit retirement to replace it. I really enjoyed this one, a memorable story which I suspect was later homaged in Tarantino’s Kill Bill.4. Zatoichi’s Conspiracy (1973, Film 25) — Dir. Kimiyoshi Yasuda
The last film of the original mainline series (excepting the 1989 return) in which Ichi heads back to his hometown, has a nice gravitas to it that elevates it above most. At one point Ichi nearly dies, and it’s the situation surrounding this incident which provides one of the series’ most compelling supporting character arcs.3. Zatoichi (2003) — Dir. Takeshi Kitano
Kitano’s violent and poetic remake was my introduction to the world of Zatoichi, and for that reason will always hold a special place in my heart. While Ichi himself is a bit shortchanged by a script full of supporting characters, his ultra-cool presence and an astoundingly organic soundtrack cements this as a favorite.2. Zatoichi Challenged (1967, Film 17) — Dir. Kenji Misumi
This film admittedly copies the Fight, Zatoichi, Fight template a bit, telling a similar story where Ichi gets paired with a bratty kid. The benefit here is that with an older child, the story carries a weightier two-way relationship. This film’s harrowing final battle is my favorite of the series.1. Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964, Film 8) — Dir. Kenji Misumi
Ichi’s first experience of being thrust into “parenthood” is a humorous and emotionally resonant film, showing how he becomes very attached to an infant suddenly placed into his care. Later entries overused this plot device, but here it was approached with great effectiveness.
Victor’s Final Word
When I first started writing for Cinapse, one of my planned initial reviews was intended to be a writeup of Beat Takeshi’s 2003 Zatoichi remake for their Asia Beat column. For whatever reason, that never came to pass. But in retrospect, it made my participation in this project fait accompli.
Early on in the series, Michael made the astute observation that it was perhaps better to look at this series as the equivalent of a television series, something of a ‘samurai procedural’. And at a certain point, it occurred to me that if this actually had been a show, I probably would have stopped halfway through. The stagnancy of formulaic, procedural-style programming is what drove me away from most TV in the first place.
And I’m not going to lie: there were several points where just sitting down to watch the films was a burden. I did roughly half the series and I still felt burnt out. I will forever be in awe of Ed, Austin, and Michael for being able to watch every last film. For me, there were so many times where I’d rather have been doing anything else than taking notes trying to decipher the complex chains of who was betraying who and why (Guys, I came to watch dudes get sliced up samurai style. Y’all making me think too hard…)
But then, even in the worst, most middling of the films, there was always a moment or two that recaptured my imagination, and made me grateful I had signed on to this thing in the first place. And regardless of what surrounded him, Shintaro Katsu was a revelation. If there’s anything the remakes taught me, it’s that Katsu and Ichi are one and the same. Even if it’s good (and Blind Swordsman ’03 is very, VERY good), without Katsu, it just ain’t the real thing…
And in the end, that’s what I’ll take away most from this series: not whatever boredoms or frustrations I felt, but fond memories of the overwhelming awesomeness that is Shintaro Katsu; and the many, many moments, both big and small, that transcended the formula and made this something more than just a ‘samurai procedural’; at its finest, it was truly one of a kind.
Instead of compiling a list of favorite movies, and in keeping with my earlier statements, I’m going to present my choices for the best moments in the series, or at least those I felt to be most indicative of all that was great about it. I have purposely excluded the 2003 version to keeps things fair, because if I were to let that one go through, this list would basically be me recapping the entire film. At any rate, these are my picks as it currently stands; but you can be damn sure that sooner or later I’m going to go back and check out the stuff I missed…
Victor’s Favorite Moments
Zatoichi The Fugitive, The Confession
At a certain point, Ichi became desensitized to the violence around him. Which in the long run is probably the nature of such a character and such a series. Regardless, it’s informative to go back to the earlier installments and see how badly he was affected by his reflexive slaying of a young, foolish amateur. The scene where he goes to the dead man’s mother and begs forgiveness is a powerhouse.
Zatoichi And The Fugitives, The Speech On Colors
Ichi reminiscing about attempting to remember things like flowers by their colors is another one of those small moments that helped me get through the more rote plot machinations this series inevitably fell victim to. It’s a lovely little speech, touchingly delivered.
Zatoichi In Desperation, The Beginning
Entertainment generally treats death as either tragic or cathartic, but more than anything, it’s just strange. It’s strange how someone is here, and then they’re not. And it’s hard to think of a better portrayal of that strangeness than this stylishly shot and ominous opening scene where a brief and pleasant encounter on a bridge takes an arbitrarily lethal turn. It could have happened anywhere, to anyone, and the bizarre senselessness of it all colors the entire rest of the (quite good) film with an overwhelming sense of the inexplicable capriciousness of death.
Zatoichi Meets The One Armed Swordsman, The Final Showdown
I wasn’t a huge fan of this one, but I have a great deal of respect for the way the inevitable showdown between the two franchise stars played out. In crossover events like this, great care is taken to make sure that both sides are shown to be equally matched, and given equal weight in the narrative. This movie takes a more pragmatic approach (or at least realizes who the real star of the series is), resulting in an unexpected finale that also works (as Ed smartly pointed out) as the logical conclusion of the dark themes that have been snaking through the entire picture. You’ve got to admire everyone involved for having the courage of their convictions and opting for the more troubling and thought provoking ending…
Zatoichi At Large, Where There’s Fire
For all the talk of thematic resonance and character moments, it’s important to note that this is still primarily a series about a blind dude fucking up bad guys with swords. And the concluding duel here, where Ichi faces off with a small army while trying very hard not to kill the young swordsman who mistakenly thinks Ichi has murdered his father, is one of the best. And that’s before they cover a pagoda in oil and bring out the torches…
Any Scene Where Ichi Slices A Moth In Half
Because he does that shit way more than you’d expect, and it never gets old…
Zatoichi Challenged, Duel With Akatsuka
By the 17th installment of the series, the formula is very much set in stone. We get the intrigue, the rigged dice games, the untrustworthy Yakuza bosses, and the inevitable final showdown where Ichi takes on an army. Breaking with the formula led to one of the best final fights in the series as Ichi takes on an honorable, duty bound samurai. It would be a bit of a spoiler to reveal why exactly this is one of my favorite moments, but suffice to say it all leads to a satisfying and unexpected ending.
Zatoichi The Outlaw, The Last Battle
While my overall opinion of the movie was less than complimentary (I pretty much hated it), I have to concede that it contains one of the most iconic moments for me, one that does as good a job of summing up who Zatoichi is as any in the series. A wounded, exhausted Ichi is carried on a stretcher to the scene of another battle where his help is sorely needed. He’s bloodied, he’s brutalized, and he’s barely able to stand, but when the villagers slide him off the stretcher he charges his enemies without missing a beat or a second thought. This moment gets at the core of the character’s duty bound warrior soul better than anything I could imagine.
Mike’s Final Word
Great Villains: The Lifeblood of Great Movies
Superman II: In a brilliant moment of subterfuge Superman (Christopher Reeve) deceives his Kryptonian nemesis Zod (Terrence Stamp), crushing the bones in his hand, and effortlessly tossing him, as if he were nothing more than tissue paper, into the abyss-like crevices of the Fortress of Solitude.
Robocop: Through gritted teeth, villain Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) shouts “Sayonara Robocop!” after spearing hero Alex J. Murphy/Robocop (Peter Weller) through the chest with a metal rod. Boddicker leans into the rod, glowering victoriously into what he mistakenly believes to be the diminishing eyes of Murphy, that is, until Murphy thrusts his car key into Boddicker’s neck. Blood gushes, leaving Boddicker just enough time to realize that he has been defeated before dropping dead into a pool of sewage.
Die Hard: It is not the final bullet fired by John McClane (Bruce Willis), nor his clever send off, “Happy trails Hans,” that sends villain Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) flailing to a gruesome death from atop Nakatomi Tower. Instead, it is the loosening of an expensive watch, which, once loosened, frees Gruber to plummet to the pavement below, that defeats him.
Lethal Weapon 2: Instead of stabbing or shooting his wife’s killer, Detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) drops a cargo container on his head — echoing the larger-than-life antics of his favorite cartoons, Looney Tunes.
Great villains are the lifeblood of great movies. More so, great villain demises make for great heroes. Before Superman, before Robocop, before John McClane, before Martin Riggs, there was Zatoichi. Throughout the Blind Swordsman series Zatoichi showcases the callousness and vanity of his foes, particularly within their last moments. When Ichi draws his cane sword, the sting not only spills blood, but it often also reveals the character of those slain — a tradition that begins with The Tale of Zatoichi.
With The Tale of Zatoichi director Kenji Misumi and actor Shintaro Katsu orchestrate scenarios where Ichi does not necessarily challenge villains. Instead, he challenges their egos; he challenges the status of masculine power within the Edo period of Japan. He does this when cheating cheaters; he does it when confronting rapists. Most profoundly, he does it in Tale’s final scene.
In the aftermath of a bloody confrontation between dueling yakuza bosses Ichi leisurely makes his way out of the village. A familiar, heavily armored, yakuza soldier charges at Ichi. Throughout the 95-minute feature, this soldier uniformly evaded death by way of cowardice. Ichi does not honor the soldier by accepting his cowardice charge from behind. Instead, Ichi shifts his feet.
The clumsy, yet treacherous, yakuza stumbles and falls backward into a shallow stream. His body armor weighs him down. Completely submerged, the villain drowns. Ichi waits until the last air bubble surfaces, then pops. He turns, and then continues his journey.
With this moment Ichi accomplishes what few contemporary heroes accomplish. It is an accomplishment maintained throughout the series. The villain, who represents power and subjugation, is emasculated and silenced in a way that defies his power — drowning in a stream that a small child could wade in. It is this refusal to empower the status quo that persisted throughout the decade long series, from Tale to Zatoichi’s Conspiracy. Contemporary western cinema could use a bit more of this method of exposing the abuse of power.
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 1 (Films 1–3)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 2 (Films 4–6)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 3 (Films 7–9)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 4 (Films 10–12)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 5 (Films 13–15)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 6 (Films 16–18)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 7 (Films 19–21)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 8 (Films 22–24)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 9 (Films 25–26, The Blind Menace)
The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 10 (The Remakes)And We’re Out.
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Dan Laps Up The DOGVILLE SHORTS From The Warner Archives
Whenever I am chatting up my favorite film oddities, my favorite go-to for a fun discussion is the infamous Dogville shorts, which are available thanks to the great folks at the Warner Archives. These pre-code shorts definitely fall under the “needs to be seen to be believed” category as far as I am concerned, since words rarely do these shorts justice, but I’ll try my best.
These pre-code oddities came at the cusp of sound in film in 1929, and thanks to their subject matter were nicknamed “Barkies.” These shorts, that ran before features, featured real dogs gambling, committing adultery, and even murdering one another in cold blood. The Dogville shorts were directed by Zion Myers and conceived and co-directed by Jules White, who later went on to work on the 3 Stooges shorts. While they were quite controversial even in their heyday, these shorts still ended up running three years in theaters from 1929–1931.
For a while these shorts were unavailable except for semi-regular airings on TCM; now the shorts are presented here in their uncut glory on a great on demand two disc set containing the full run of 9 shorts.
Watching the shorts now, much like old Tom and Jerry and Warner Brothers cartoons, is a true window into a much different time. First and foremost, for admission any bit of political correctness needs to be left at the door, as well as any thought of welfare for these poor creatures who often times look miserable dressed in their suits and wigs, suspended by wires to walk on their hind legs. L.A. humane commissioner Bill Hershfield even checked in on Dogville, due to the rumors of animal cruelty. What he found was that the pups on set were quite the pampered pooches with their air-conditioned dressing rooms (a rarity in the early 30s) and a 50-foot doggie run for some between-the-scenes exercise.
While all of the shorts feature exaggerated racial stereotypes, cartoonish violence, and some pretty offensive humor, I have to admit I find them pretty damn entertaining. There is a rare glee and absurdity at watching all this play out on screen, since these are proof of the old adage that animals can make anything funny.
Most of these run about 15 minutes, and some highlights of the set are:
Hot Dog, definitely one my favorites on the set, features lots of awkward scenes of dogs dancing and the gem of the line “the last time I had wieners I ate my grandfather.” This short is the story of Clara, who’s cheating on her husband while he’s out of town. Of course the whole town is talking and when the husband shows up, his wife kills him in cold blood and ends up on trial for murder. The end of this short has probably one of the most surreal moments on the set and shows that there was probably more going on than most folks give these shorts credit for.
Trader Hound, which is literally dog eat dog, as a group of dogs on a rescue mission into the jungle run into a group of cannibal canines. Here we see a dog ride a lion, or at least a man in a lion suit, which also fights a gorilla. This short was rumored to have been banned due to its mishandling of racial stereotypes.
So Quiet on the Canine Front places the dogs of war in World War I. This one has a group of dogs joining the army to hopefully score some “Swell French mamas” and sadly end up on enemy lines. Instead of barbed wire to ensnare the enemy they use a string of hot dogs and of course the enemy is a bunch of German Dachshunds. Expect flea grenades and this gem of a line: “We will lure the enemy out with these irresistible wieners into no man’s land and our machine gunners will do the rest.”
College Hounds has Terrier in debt to a loan shark after losing big on a horse race. In order to save his hide he gets his daughter to keep the star football player Red Mange out of the game by seducing him in order to put in a fix on the game. I just love the moral ambiguity of this short, and you get to see what is quite possibly the strangest sight on the entire disc as the dogs play football. If only the Puppy Bowl looked like this.
This gives just an idea of what is on this great set; if any of this interested you at all, you should definitely pick this set up.
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FIRE IN THE SKY: An Alien Abduction Classic From The Warner Archive
If you were a child of the 90s, few experiences were probably as traumatic as that one time you rented Fire in the Sky on VHS. The film seemed to come at a time when the public’s paranoia around the alien abduction phenomenon had reached a fever pitch as the film recounts one of the most famous and well documented cases for the big screen.
Fire in the Sky was just recently re-released on DVD by the fine folks at the Warner Archives.
The film is the story of 6 loggers who, on November 5, 1975 in Snowflake, Arizona, while coming home from working in the forest, encounter an unidentified flying object. One of the men, Travis Walton (D. B. Sweeney) foolishly gets out of the truck to investigate and is hit with a bolt of light throwing him across a clearing. The men suspect Travis is dead, retreat and circle back only to find no sign of him. When the men return to town and recount their story to the sheriff, it’s simply assumed one of the men killed Travis, until he shows up 5 days later naked and severely traumatized.
Fire in the Sky was actually the second and better-received studio film to capitalize on the alien abduction paranoia trend in this manner, the first being Communion. Both films were based on books by survivors of an alien abduction experience; but Fire in the Sky tackled the story more as straightforward fact than fiction and I think that is why it’s honestly the more effective of the two. Communion was more ambiguous about what actually transpired, which wasn’t helped by Christopher Walken’s bizarre performance and the fact the author of the book even distanced himself from the film due to the liberties taken with the source material.
The one thing that tends to stick with most folks about Fire in the Sky is an uneasy tension that slowly builds throughout, until you get to the infamous last 10 minutes in the third act. This is when we find out just what happened to Travis Walton during those five days. Being a big fan of the alien abduction sub-genre, I have to say even 21 years later the sequence is still brutally effective and holds up with some really great practical effects aided by cinematography by Raimi regular Bill Pope.
The performances leading up to that point and the solid script by sci-fi scribe Tracy Tormé are what really gives the film some serious credibility and emotional weight when it finally makes that turn. The first two acts play out more like your traditional murder in a small town procedural than you’re probably expecting. It’s only because there is that foundation, both story and character-wise, that you are truly there with Travis when the film descends into his experience.
So my biggest question sitting down to check out Fire in the Sky, was did the film still hold up? Taken out of the context of the time period, the film is still a great sci-fi/horror entry into this strange almost forgotten sub-genre of Alien Abduction. If you think I’m exaggerating at just how prevalent this actually was in the collective consciousness, even Disney got in on this strange trend with the children’s alien abduction classic Flight of the Navigator. Fire in the Sky is a strange relic of its time that’s definitely still worth checking out for a great throwback scare, and thanks to the Warner Archives you can do just that.
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WETLANDS is the Transgressive Comedy of the Year!
David Wnendt’s follow up to Combat Girls, the German language Wetlands opens today in NY and LA; and like his previous film it’s not for the squeamish or easily offended. That said, Wetlands delivers one of the most empowering films for women this year as far as I am concerned.
Wetlands is the story of Helen, an awkward young woman obsessed with bodily fluids, poor hygiene and exploring her sexuality. Hilariously enough her hobby of exposing herself to the vilest and dirtiest toilets imaginable isn’t what finally lands her in the hospital; it’s a simple shaving accident. Once in the hospital, Helen begins to play on the sympathy of others to extend her hospital stay just long enough to seduce a male nurse and to attempt to get her estranged parents to reconcile after years of divorce.
Wetlands is a whipsmart feminist knock out punch to gross out boner comedies that offers no apologies to its predecessors. Helen wields her sexuality with a confidence and ease that is refreshing on screen as it may be shocking to some. The film also manages to not paint Helen as the whore or the monster, but objectively as a human being with a very different outlook on her sexual identity and how she chooses to explore it.
While superficially to some the film may only be about the gross outs, there is a lot more going on here in Wetlands, which almost begs the film to be seen twice. One sitting that may be more reactionary and another to better appreciate the intricately weaved narrative that lurks just beneath the surface of the film. David Wnendt masterfully turns in a compelling look at a very fractured human being that’s nothing short of a joy to watch as Helen unravels on screen.
The star of the film Carla Juri shows a fearlessness that culminates in a performance that literally left me speechless in the final moments of the film. That coupled with the excellent script never paints Helen as a victim are what elevate the material (which, in different hands, could have turned out disastrously).
Wetlands is gross, complicated and dysfunctional and honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way. The film, much like its protagonist, isn’t an easy film to love, but those who look beyond the shock will find it has a heart that beats to a much different drummer. The film, which is equal parts transgressive and empowering, easily earned a spot on my top ten for the year. If anything I’ve discussed piqued your fancy, definitely check Wetlands out.
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The Tales Of Zatoichi Vol. 10 (The Remakes)
THE TALES OF ZATOICHI — With 25 adventures of Shintaro Katsu’s famed blind, wandering swordsman Zatoichi recently becoming available through both a remarkable Criterion Collection box set, and digitally via Hulu Plus, our team decided it was time to walk down the dusty roads of adventure and watch and discuss the entire legendary chanbara series. Roughly every other week until we are through, We’ll spend roughly 300 words covering each film specifically, and then we’ll each get a chance to offer another round of final thoughts as well. Each post is going to cover three films, and once we finish covering the core 25 films of the original adventures, we’ll even dive in to some of the remakes and reboots! Wander with us as we marvel at The Tales Of Zatoichi.
We’ve said goodbye to Shintaro Katsu and will cover our final round of Zatoichi films this week. All various remakes and reboots this time out, we’ll walk you through them all (well, the Japanese ones anyway) and give you our thoughts on whether these updates bring honor to our beloved Ichi franchise… or just remind us of better days. Read on to find out about three totally unrelated productions that have homaged Ichi over the past decade.
We’ll close out the entire column with one final entry just to wrap up our thoughts on the series as a whole and its overall impact on cinema, as well as ranking some of our favorites. So keep your eyes peeled for that that final walk down the unknown road.
THE BLIND SWORDSMAN: ZATOICHI (2003) Dir. Takeshi Kitano
Ed: Kitano’s Zatoichi takes place in a world filled with death and gore, but which may also burst into song or laughter at any moment. This is a hopeful story in which the work of the common people becomes the heartbeat and rhythm of the film. Repeatedly the toils of the characters become the soundtrack, with hoes and shovels becoming instruments. Hammers and saws represent new life and music bursts forth from them. This being the first Zatoichi film I ever saw, theatrically, over a decade ago, I had remembered an offbeat sense of humor and a penchant for musical outbursts. I had also remembered lots and lots of computer generated blood.
I can’t ignore the blood, which looks absolutely awful. Almost all CGI blood does, and this being one of the earliest examples of it doesn’t help matters. But look: The blood is the only bad element in this almost miraculously exciting and joyous cinematic outing. I mean no disrespect to series cornerstone Shintaro Katsu when I suggest that Kitano’s Zatoichi is one of the absolute best of the entire series.
The film features a captivating transgender character who is largely treated with dignity. And the time honored tradition of Ichi building a quasi-family in his present town is wonderfully effective here. He’ll also bring justice to the oppressed by rooting out the true hidden master of the Kuchinawa gang amidst a thrilling climax with no less than three shocking and effective twists AND a musical number so joy-filled that I got a little emotional.
All the needed elements of a Zatoichi film are present here, with badass, jaw-dropping action, characters that matter, a noble and conflicted adversary, the troubling justice borne of bloodshed, and Ichi walking off into the night, leaving a town behind that has hope for a new day. (@Ed_Travis)
ICHI (2008) Dir. Fumihiko Sori
Victor: Nothing quite brings into relief the virtues of the original Zatoichi series as seeing how thoroughly it is misapplied (or misinterpreted) in Ichi. While I admit a certain weariness set in over the course of my journeys with the Blind Swordsman, no installment ever managed to seem so pointless as this one here.
In what should have been a brilliant twist on the usual preoccupations and tropes of the original saga, Ichi is a woman (and, it’s implied, potentially the daughter of the one, true Zatoichi). But aside from making her victimization a part of her backstory, her gender makes no difference whatsoever to the proceedings, making me wonder what the point of the switch even was.
Not that the lack of differentiation is the main flaw here. No, even if it wasn’t explored with any kind of depth, the sheer novelty of a blind, female swordsman could have been good for an interesting change of pace. But even this fails, as when you get right down to it this isn’t really any kind of Zatoichi we’re familiar with. Even at his grimmest, Shintaru Katsu played an Ichi that was burdened, certainly. But also one that hid his sadness and rage behind a veil of cheerful buffoonery and whose sense of justice and honor was manifest in his every action.
This variation is a nonentity, devoid of wit or charm (It doesn’t help that Haruka Ayase gives a downright lousy performance). What little dialogue she has is full of purple, self pitying musings, which Ayase refuses to invest with anything resembling character. Really, it’s not even clear why she even has to be blind. As played here, it’s less a facet of character and more an abstractly applied conceit, little more than a pretense for those morbid, lousy ramblings.
The story, oddly, is simpler and more direct than any other installment I’ve seen, which is why it’s puzzling as to why this takes two hours to unfold. This, of course, is the burden of modern filmmaking: more is less. This entire movie would have fit snugly in the first half of an actual Zatoichi flick. And it would have been more fun, too: this is a relentlessly humorless and dour affair.
So it’s kind of a bummer to go out on such a disappointing entry, but being a positive type of guy, I take from this a newfound appreciation for the talents of Shintaro Katsu and his collaborators. In this, we have proof positive that they don’t make them like this anymore…
ZATOICHI THE LAST (2010) Dir. Junji Sakamoto
Austin: I went into this latest Zatoichi film with enthusiasm, but it was quickly drained by a lifeless middle act, which is kind of a shame because the end really picks up. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The film opens with Ichi being chased through a forest by some baddies. His movements as he blindly stumbles are wonderfully reminiscent of Katsu. But as a battle ensues, we see that this is definitely not Katsu’s Ichi. He is younger, more vulnerable, and more desperate. He’s not the invincible swordsman we know; his opponents get plenty of licks in. His wife is always in his thoughts, and she is slain by a cowardly swordsman as she runs to embrace Ichi after the battle.
After this rather intriguing opening, things slow down considerably and I found myself becoming more and more indifferent to the film and its many nameless, indistinguishable characters. Ichi lies low in a seaside community of farmers and fishermen, basically doing nothing for an hour of the film’s running time. The middle act is cinematic torture. In Katsu’s films, even the bad ones, we pretty much always had decent pacing and a clear understanding of what was going on.
The film finally takes off about 100 minutes in, which is ridiculous because by this time the credits should have rolled. The next half hour, though, are really quite good. Ichi is chased through the snow in a striking scene reminiscent of the opening, and the chase ends in a skirmish between the film’s two warring groups (don’t ask me who they are, I lost track). This is followed by an epic conclusion for Ichi unlike any other film.
This Ichi is not a continuation of Katsu’s character, but a distillation of certain aspects of Zatoichi reflected through a new creation, with a different — and complete — character arc. This is the only Zatoichi film with a clear ending that doesn’t see Ichi wandering off alone on an unknown path. On the whole I’d have to say Zatoichi The Last is about 45 minutes north of greatness. (@VforVashaw)
Victor: Before I move on to the other films, one last thing to add about Ichi: The final battle with the main baddie (who looks very much like Quentin Tarantino in yellowface, and has all the acting abilities that implies) somehow manages to be doubly anti-climactic, which is an impressive feat, if presumably not an intentional one…
Now, then: I’ll say this about Zatoichi The Last: Despite its perverse disinterest in swordplay (the action doesn’t even kick in until the point at which most Ichi movies would be ending and tend to be over before they really even get started), it still feels like a genuine attempt to create a product that harkens back to the originals.
While it’s more faithful to the ideals and concepts of the original series, and seems to want to function as its logical endpoint, the endeavor is hampered by their conception of the main character. What Austin reads as inexperience and vulnerability, I took as an actor outmatched by the weight of an iconic character and performance (and let down by somewhat indifferent plotting: I have no idea what the fuck anyone is doing or why they’re doing it).
And with a callow Shingo Katori unable to hold the center, a dissonance ensues: for this movie to work, it has to be on the strength of Ichi’s legend. But the pathetic, bumbling figure we see here is not the figure of respect and fear that could inspire such myths, rendering the ending utterly hollow. This same movie, with Katsu in the lead (and a judicious editor; I mean, when you don’t even get to the gambling scene until an hour in, you done messed up, son) would have been a fitting (if rote) cap to the entire series.
So leave it to Beat Takeshi to get it just right (give or take some CG bloodletting…)
Takeshi combines his singular vision with the tropes of the Zatoichi series and comes up with something special, an endlessly inventive and fun romp that pushes the themes of the original series forward and provides a far more fitting and beautiful conclusion than Zatoichi The Last could manage.
As Ed mentions, the best part of all this was how musical it all is. Where the other movies attempt to modernize the series by forced attempts at philosophical or psychological depths, Takeshi something the other reimaginings chose to ignore: you don’t get 26 films out of a series that isn’t inherently optimistic and entertaining. And so, he returns the joy by skillfully honing in on and luxuriating in sound: bereft of vision, Ichi instead can focus in on the rhythms of his surroundings; and through him, the world becomes a more harmonious, far more magical place.
In following his own peculiar muse, he provides an homage that is more faithful to the spirit of Zatoichi than either attempt at resurrection we’ve looked at today, and the absolute perfect note to wrap up his (as well as our) adventures.
Austin: I find myself in near total agreement with most of what my cohorts have said about the other two films in this trio. Here are my additional thoughts.
Ichi
It’s hard to add anything to what Victor said about this film, as he pretty much nailed it. I may have liked it a bit more than he did, but his criticisms are essentially correct.One of the silliest aspects for me was the subplot of Ichi’s companion Toma, a master swordsman who can’t unsheathe his sword due to a childhood trauma. I mean, can’t someone else unsheathe it for him? No? How about fighting with a spear or something then? It’s just a bad element that makes little sense and looks dumb on the screen.
In response to one of Victor’s comments though, I think the film does make use of Ichi’s femininity. While it isn’t particular relevant to her identity, she is treated differently by other characters, particularly by men who try to take advantage of her.
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Like the final Katsu film from 1989, this remake was titled in Japanese as simply “Zatoichi”. Like Ed, this was my first experience with the character. I distinctly recall being intrigued by the DVD at Best Buy, where I worked. When I finally watched it, I was pretty much blown away by the lovely carnage (although the CG aspects were always pretty dodgy, regardless of Kitano’s defense that this was an intentional way of softening the film for audiences). The musical flourishes that Ed mentioned are one of my favorite aspects of the film, and go a long way to give it a unique identity. The massive taiko drum/tap dance sequence that serves as the film’s endcap has always been a major talking point of the film, and I for one absolutely love it. Takeshi shot for the fences with this thing. By this time, the film has earned its grandiose finish and it’s absolutely exhilarating to watch.Watching it again, it’s still a terrific film but a strange Zatoichi entry. Aside from being blind, Kitano’s Ichi is a very different character: quieter, less jovial and a bit too second-banana to the circus of characters whose subplots hog the screentime. I also find it a bit disappointing that the film didn’t ignite a new franchise with Kitano. It’s one of the strongest Zatoichi films, yet his character was somewhat underdeveloped and really could’ve used some more exploration over the course of, say, 25 more movies.
Ed: I can’t fault any of our Zatoichi team for feeling franchise exhaustion by this point. I think we’re all feeling it. But with that said, I enjoyed both Ichi and Zatoichi The Last more than my wonderful counterparts.
While neither of the latter remakes even come close to Takeshi Kitano’s inspired entry (which, yes, should absolutely have become at the very least a trilogy) I still found things to like in each, as well as significant issues.
While I agree that Ichi lead actress Haruka Ayase isn’t wholly electrifying as a screen presence, I was totally suckered by her stunning beauty. Making her character a wandering shamisen player versus a masseuse was a clever spin, and overall I just thought the movie had a cool factor to it. But I found a couple issues that I’m not sure we’ve yet discussed. For one thing, Ichi spends most of the film as our uncontested lead, only to have [male] sidekick Fujihara get the final showdown and most full story arc. That is really frustrating. Ichi is also missing a very key element to what makes a Zatoichi film’s heart beat: there was no real justice element for the oppressed. Ichi is so concerned with the angst of its leads that it never really gets around to our wandering swordmaster ever, like, really helping anybody. Yeah, the town is clearly better off after the Banki gang is felled… but that’s basically a side effect of personal issues getting resolved through a sword fight.
When it comes to Zatoichi The Last, I felt the film was quite beautiful. Settings ranging from bamboo forests to the ocean to a snowy winter made me believe that this iteration of Ichi WOULD perhaps give up his sword and attempt to toil in the land of this beautiful town. Austin is correct that this film attempts to tell a complete Zatoichi story, with a new and tragic origin, a more unstable and less legendary hero, and a clear conclusion unlike any of the other films in the series. And Victor is correct that the dang thing is paced extremely “generously”, with many of the characters ending up nameless and confusing. The fact that the film is hard to follow was its greatest weakness, muting what would otherwise have been a remarkably gripping finale because you don’t know the characters well enough to deeply feel their fates. Is the film boring? I’m not willing to go that far. But it is confusing and slow, stepping past a “meditative” pace straight into “plodding”. They really went for broke with the character arc and creating a whole new Zatoichi, and surrounded him with a beautiful Japan, but the lead actor couldn’t escape from under Katsu’s shadow, and this entry is ultimately a quiet, gorgeous, and overlong curiosity.
It is truly hard to believe that we’ve watched every single Zatoichi feature film and discussed them all with you Cinapsians. If you want even more Ichi in your life, seek out the television series which also starred Shintaro Katsu, or the American remake starring Rutger Hauer: Blind Fury. Us? … we’re going to call it. Next time we’ll offer our final thoughts on the franchise as a whole and then walk off into the sunset.
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