{"id":28758,"date":"2024-05-30T02:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T09:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=28758"},"modified":"2024-05-30T02:08:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T09:08:02","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-shinobi-1962-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=28758","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: SHINOBI (1962-1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d 2-disc set from Radiance Films is\ncurrently available for purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you grew up in the 1980s, you likely saw more than a few\nninja movies. Typically, these characters were presented as stealthy, hooded\nkillers dressed in all-black get-ups (although they would often be wearing\nheadbands as well). Of course, the cinematic history of these Japanese figures\nis much more detailed and interesting than these occasionally cheesy efforts.\nRadiance Films is now presenting an impressive 2-disc set called Shinobi:\nBand of Assassins\/Revenge\/Resurrection<\/em> that puts a welcome, historical spin\non the ninja<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The release contains three iconic Japanese ninja titles\nbased on the famous Shinobi no Mono<\/em> novels (the original was first\npublished as a serial in a newspaper). As you might have already guessed from\nthe name of the Blu-ray release, you\u2019ll get the titles Band of Assassins<\/em>\n(1962) aka Ninja, a Band of Assassins <\/em>aka Shinobi No Mono<\/em>, as\nwell as Revenge<\/em> (1963) aka Shinobi No Mono 2: Revenge<\/em> and Resurrection<\/em>\n(1963) aka Shinobi No Mono 3: Resurrection<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The films present a more accurate and intriguing portrait of\nthe ninja and their place in Japanese society. Set in the late 16th<\/sup>\ncentury, the plot of Band of Assassins<\/em> revolves around Ishikawa Goemon\n(Raiz\u00f4 Ichikawa), an ambitious young ninja who hasn\u2019t yet grasped the teachings\nof his master. While ninjas are spy-like assassins who may only serve their\nunit and shall never marry or let others know of their identity, Goemon is\nsomething of a lady charmer who also wants to become a famous and\nwell-respected leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Things quickly go haywire when nasty warlord Oda Nobunaga\n(Tomisabur\u00f4 Wakayama) tries to take control of Japan. The figure raids\nterritories and builds allies among those too afraid to square off against him.\nNobunaga also despises ninjas and seeks to wipe them all out. As if that wasn\u2019t\nenough to deal with, Goemon gets involved with the wife (Ky\u014dko Kishada) of his\nmaster Sanday\u00fb Momochi (Y\u00fbnosuke It\u00f4), resulting in a strange death that causes\nhim to be cast out from his home\/school. The only way he may be granted\nforgiveness is to assassinate Nobunaga, but he initially resists, instead\nfalling for and marrying a woman named Maki (Shiho Fujimura). Alas, Momochi\ncontinues to pressure Goemon until he tries to carry out the deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This picture does have an epic feel with striking widescreen\nphotography, particularly during nighttime scenes between Goemon and his master\non a sunken path. The action is impressive and, while there is a lot to take in\nabout the various characters and their motivations, the plotting isn\u2019t overly\ndifficult to follow. In one way or another, all of the leaders can be seen\njockeying for positions of power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also a clever and funny twist involving Momochi and\nhis outrageous manipulation of two different ninja groups. It\u2019s needlessly\ncomplicated as is his underhanded plan for Goemon, but is amusing to watch.\nBased on a real figure, warlord Oda Nobunaga is an intimidating threat to the\ncharacters and consistently manages to avoid repercussions for his terrible\nacts, which adds another unique element to the story. But in the end, the\nconflict between Goemon and Momochi is what ends up taking center stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As for the lead, Goemon is a relatable character who is\npulled into the political intrigue, violence strife against his will. He\u2019s an\neveryman or sorts, fighting against oppressive warlords and high-ranking\npolitical figures. The film is also notable for introducing the black costume\nthat ninjas in subsequent movies would adopt. And, of course, the action is\nvery well-handled. As you might expect, because the film is over 60 years old,\nsome of the combat scenes don\u2019t come across quite as zippy, but there are\nplenty of thrills watching them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the first picture was a massive hit in Japan, director\nSatsuo Yamamoto was hired to shoot the follow up, Revenge<\/em>. It feels like\nthe second half of the same movie (in a manner similar to the recent Dune<\/em>\nseries) and is just as strong as the original film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This sequel finds Goemon suffering an unbelievable tragedy\nat the hands of Nobunaga\u2019s forces. He becomes determined to finally slay the\neven-more-powerful leader. This results in a more aggressive protagonist\nseeking vengeance. It\u2019s a darker film and in some ways a bolder chapter in the\nseries. When the protagonist finally confronts Nobunaga in person, the results\nare dynamic to watch. Curiously, there is more political intrigue as well, as\none of the villain\u2019s generals, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Eijir\u00f4 T\u00f4no), makes a play\nto ultimately become Japan\u2019s new ruler. Goemon\u2019s relentless pursuit ultimately\nresults in a final tragedy that makes it impossible for the story to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But it did continue, mostly because part two was just as\nsuccessful as the original film. Resurrection<\/em> sees a thought-to-be-dead\nbut miraculously revitalized Goemon seeking retribution on Toyotomi Hideyoshi.\nAs this is occurring, there is more maneuvering behind the scenes as surviving\ncharacters hope to wrestle power away from Hideyoshi. The movie contains a few\nentertainingly exaggerated action scenes with leaping ninjas using various\nweapons. And the story running through the first two films is officially\nwrapped up. Yet in the end, the third title isn\u2019t quite as powerful as the\nfirst two pictures. Since Goemon is in hiding for much of the running time,\nthere is a lot of blunt exposition and plans being drawn up by various\nindividuals that don\u2019t really come to fruition.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overall, this is a very enjoyable series of films that are fascinating and exciting to watch, while also introducing several elements that will eventually become tropes of the genre. The picture quality is quite nice on all of the discs. I viewed them on a large screen on Blu-ray upconverted by a 4K Ultra HD player and the quality was pleasing. It certainly looks like film but there is a very modest amount of grain on the black and white images that isn\u2019t noticeable. This is the first time the movies have ever been made available outside of Japan and the picture is excellent, with some of the wide shots making a particularly strong impression. The stills shown here don’t do the disc justice in terms of its picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another plus is the bonus features that add plenty of\ninsightful information about ninjas and how these features came to be. The\nartistic director of the Tokyo International Film Festival talks about the\ncareer of Satsuo Yamamoto, who directed the first two films in the series –\nIt\u2019s amazing to listen to. Yamamoto was a popular filmmaker in Japan known for\nmaking socially conscious films about the working class. After World War II, he\ngot involved in a labor strike and fought for higher wages for studio crew\nmembers. The US military eventually came in to break up the protests, but\nYamamoto did manage to reach a settlement with studio executives.\nUnfortunately, he found himself being discarded by major studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yamamoto ended up going independent and found success making\npictures outside the studio system. When the 60s rolled around and the big\nJapanese companies found themselves in financial trouble, they seemed more\nwilling to talk to the director again. He pitched the Shinobi<\/em> concept to\na right-wing executive at Daiei Films, who agreed to finance the project.\nYamamoto avoided telling him that the novel had been published and popularized\nin the country\u2019s communist newspaper. The filmmaker accurately portrayed the\nninja as the lowest warrior in social standing. He also cleverly suggests how\nhorrifically these fighters were being treated by rulers and the upper classes\nin their homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The speaker also notes that Yamamoto felt that the story was\nfinished after the second film. He rejected offers to make a third installment,\nbut went on working for Daiei Films and was responsible for more popular hits.\nIt seems the Shinob<\/em>i project really helped rekindle his career in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there is an examination of the film\u2019s star\nRaiz\u00f4 Ichikawa, who was referred to as \u201cthe Japanese James Dean\u201d. After the\nthird title, the actor returned for another five sequels and had great success\nin other movie series. He tragically passed away of colon cancer at the age of\n37. This featurette gives a nice overview of the man and his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a piece on the history of ninjas in the\nmovies, noting that the assassins have been a part of cinema for over 100\nyears. More than 400 ninja films have been made, and the narrator goes over\nsome of the best titles, while also detailing the tropes that began to appear\nin the genre. He notes that the peak for ninja-centered productions was the\n1980s, but mentions some current properties that are popular with audiences at\nhome and around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trailers are also included on the discs and the set itself\nappears in a rigid box with full height cases and a booklet containing essays\non the film series and the original novel these movies were adapted from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like ninjas, martial arts or even classic action\ncinema, the Shinobi <\/em>Blu-rayset is well worth picking up. These\nare handsomely-mounted productions that represent a major milestone for ninjas\nin cinema. The discs themselves offer a great picture and invaluable details\nabout the history of these movies and the people who made them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d 2-disc set from Radiance Films is currently available for purchase. If you grew up in the 1980s, you likely saw more than a few ninja movies. Typically, these characters were presented as stealthy, hooded killers dressed in all-black get-ups (although they would often be wearing headbands as well). Of course, the cinematic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[91,93,141,697,2266,2933,2939,3067,3365,7540,10385,14919,14920,15922,16584,16615,16908,16931,18271,18272,23983],"class_list":["post-28758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-91","tag-93","tag-2-disc","tag-action","tag-band-of-assassins","tag-blasts-from-the-past-2","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-2","tag-blu-ray","tag-box-set","tag-films","tag-japan","tag-ninja","tag-ninja-a-band-of-assassins","tag-period","tag-radiance-films","tag-raizo-ichikawa","tag-resurrection","tag-revenge","tag-shinobi","tag-shinobi-no-mono","tag-warlord"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28758\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}