Okamoto, Kihachi

The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection

Boasting some of the most impressive swordplay in the history of samurai epics, Sword of Doom is a visceral masterpiece of violent style and powerful substance. Illustrating the timeless adage that "an evil soul wields an evil sword," this highly stylized classic is driven by the fierce and fearsome performance of Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke, a sociopathic samurai whose soul--and sword--are vicious instruments of evil. Having mastered a highly unconventional style of fencing, Ryunosuke welcomes an exhibition match at a fencing school run by master swordsman Shimada (Toshirô Mifune, in a small but pivotal role), where he kills his opponent after promising not to. Flagrantly violating all codes of honor, Ryunosuke eventually finds himself challenged from all sides; even his own henchmen rally against him, and director Kihachi Okamoto stages confrontations that are as beautiful as they are graphically violent. As Ryunosuke descends into pure, bloodthirsty insanity, Sword of Doom ends with a freeze-frame that's unforgettably intense. --Jeff Shannon

Wandering samurai Ryunosuke lives his life in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman—plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule—he kills without remorse, without mercy.

Battle of Okinawa

Beverly Hills hasn't been the same since the Clampetts moved to town! Now you can own 20 classic episodes of this hit show which remained in the top ten for nine straight seasons. These hilarious hillbillies will keep you laughing hours with their backwoods antics. And you thought your family was crazy!System Requirements:Running Time: 149 Mins. Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 737187011504 Manufacturer No: ANM-DV1150

Japan's Longest Day

The Dramatic True Story Of The End of WW IIOn August 15th 1945 the Japanese people faced utter destruction. Millions of soldiers and civilians were dead the rest were starving and their cities had been reduced to piles of rubble-two of them vaporized by atomic bombs.The government was deadlocked; some ministers called for surrender and others argued that honor demanded a final battle on home soil. To break the impasse the cabinet took the unprecedented step of asking the Emperor to decide the fate of the nation.Unable to bear the suffering of his people any longer and finally given the power to do something about it the Emperor decreed that Japan would lay down its arms.Much work remained to be done: an Imperial Rescript had to be composed the Emperor had to record it and it had to be broadcast to the nation. And there were many soldiers and civilians who could not accept surrender and would do anything-even commit treason-to avoid it.In a single 24 hour period the fate of 100 million people would be decided.System Requirements:Running Time: 157 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: NR UPC: 737187011498 Manufacturer No: ANM-DV1149

Zatoichi 20 - Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

The collision of Japan's two most famous cinematic swordsmen--Shintarô Katsu's blind masseur, gambler, and rascally hero Ichi and Toshiro Mifune's unnamed wandering mercenary and scruffy antihero who goes by the appellation Yojimbo (which means, simply, bodyguard)--makes this one of the most riveting chapters in Zatoichi's long-running saga. Not quite friends and not really enemies, the rival swordsmen meet in a once-peaceful village caught between rival gangs, a swarm of government spies, and a fortune in stolen gold. Director Kihachi Okamoto gives Yojimbo a marvelous ambiguity that Mifune invests with a grubby sense of honor, whether growling and drinking and stirring things up or fearlessly strolling through the climactic gang war, dispatching attackers with a swipe and a grimace. But if the story belongs to Yojimbo, the film is Zatoichi's: his minor scams and clowning demeanor hide a reluctant warrior and a tragic hero. --Sean Axmaker

Toshiro Mifune: The Ultimate Collection

Toshiro Mifune - his name is synonymous with Japanese film in general and the swashbuckling samurai warrior in particular But what made Mifune a lengend was his broad acting range; action romance comedy - he could it all!System Requirements:Running Time 639 Mins + ExtrasFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS Rating: NR UPC: 737187011399 Manufacturer No: ANM-DV1139

Rebel Samurai - Sixties Swordplay Classics (Criterion Collection)

Surly scowls and flashing swords abound in Rebel Samurai - Sixties Swordplay Classics, a dazzling new box set from the Criterion Collection. The samurai genre is often compared with the Western, but three of these movies are closer to film noir; shot on a limited budget, they make up for limited production values with ingenious direction, punchy editing, and heated emotions. All four, however, are notable for their jaundiced view of the traditional samurai culture--the blind loyalty to their masters, holding honor above all, sacrificing self for the good of the clan.

Masaki Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion, starring Toshiro Mifune (Rashomon, Shogun), is the most traditional of the four: Visually elegant and austere, it meticulously traces how a forced marriage leads to a family's collapse in a bloodbath. Repressed emotions erupt in honor-shattering violence as a father and son turn against the lord of their clan in the name of love. In the other three, the moviemaking itself reflects the upset in values. Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast follows an aimless ronin (a masterless warrior) who, pursuing gold, finds a new meaning in life as he battles killers from his own clan. "To hell with name and pride!" he shrieks in the first five minutes of the movie, mere seconds after a sexual dalliance in the underbrush. The story roars along, the visual style loose and dynamic, the characters far more gritty and rough than the stiff-backed soldiers of Samurai Rebellion.

Masahiro Shinoda's Samurai Spy fairly explodes with spectacular action sequences and dynamic editing; the politics are almost impossible to follow, but the story rips along as a handsome spy navigates a treacherous war, musing about life and death when he's not engaged in acrobatic swordplay. The final film, Kihachi Okamoto's Kill!, is as outrageous as its title. From the opening scene of a starving ronin stumbling out of a howling dust storm, Kill! pushes the complexity of clan politics to absurd proportions and discards stylized duels in favor of realistically brutal and clumsy butchery, backed up with a startling surf guitar soundtrack. Black humor abounds as wildly eccentric characters--including Tatsuya Nakadai as a laconic, Robert-Mitchum-flavored ronin--scrabble for food, sex, and some shred of dignity in a ravaged landscape. All four films will be a revelation to anyone who thinks the samurai genre begins and ends with Kurosawa. Each is mesmerizing on its own; as a package, they're a potent education. Essential viewing. --Bret Fetzer

These four classic films, from four masters of Japanese cinema, turn a genre upside down, redefining for a modern generation the meaning of loyalty and honor, as embodied by the iconic figure of the samurai.

Sword of Doom 1966

One of the most thrilling and disturbing samurai epics, "The Sword Of Doom" delivers unparalleled action and outstanding performances from two of Japan's greatest actors: Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune. Nakadai dominates the screen as Ryunosuke Tatsue, a man for whom killing is a pleasure. Brought up by a father to whom the sword was THE way of life, the sword is now the only family he recognizes. Pitted against him is Taranosuke Shimada, an opponent of equal prowess who regards the use made of the sword as the outward manifestation of a man's spiritual state. Set in the 1860s, with the Japanese feudal system under threat from a limited democracy, "The Sword Of Doom" interweaves romance, politics, and psychological observation. Always at the center is the spectacle of a soul going rotten in an era without values. The message is the medium and the medium is the sword.

Samurai Assassin

Based on a true historical event, "Samurai Assassin" stars Mifune Toshiro (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) in one of his greatest roles. Niiro Tsuruchiyo is a masterless samurai - a ronin - desperate for a last chance to gain a position with one of the great houses. To curry favor, he joins an assassination plot against a Shogunate Elder

Red Lion

Mifune Toshiro (Shogun, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Iwashita Shima (Harakiri, An Autumn Afternoon) star in this hilarious epic of a man, a plan, and a large red wig!

Directed by Okamoto Kihachi (Samurai Assassin, Sword of Doom)

When winds of change sweep Japan, overthrowing three centuries of Shogunate Rule, Gonzo, a peasant, enlists in the Imperial Restoration Force, which promises to abolish the oppressive practices of the past. When the advance guard approaches his old hometown, he convinces his commander to let him ride ahead and prepare the locals for the advent of the New World Order.

When he triumphantly rides into town wearing the Red Lion Mane of Office he borrowed from his commander, he expects a warm welcome, but gets far more than he bargained for. His friends think he's going to save them, the incompetent local officials think he's after their heads, a secret band of Shogunate fanatics want him dead, and he can't even read his own proclamations!

DVD Features:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese with English Subtitles

Bonus Material Includes:
Original Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
Character Biographies
Interactive Program Notes

Kill! - Criterion Collection

In this pitch-black action comedy by Kihachi Okamoto, a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin. Based on the same source novel as Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro, Kill! playfully tweaks samurai film convention, mixing in elements from Italian westerns and established chanbara classics alike.