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Life Of An Expert Swordsman
is a 1959 samurai film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune. Its story is an adaptation of the 1897 Edmond Rostand play ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', and its basic plot faithfully follows that of the play. The film was released in the English-speaking world with the title ''Samurai Saga''. In the film, Mifune plays a samurai named Heihachiro Komaki, who is analogous to the Cyrano character. Yoko Tsukasa plays Komaki's love interest, Princess Chiyo, who is analogous to Cyrano's love interest, Roxane. At the end of the film, when the mortally wounded Komaki visits Princess Chiyo at her convent to bring her the latest news of the outside world, he mentions the defeat of Kojirō Sasaki in a duel by the famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto. Prior to filming ''Life of an Expert Swordsman'', Mifune had played Miyamoto in Samurai Trilogy, also directed by Inagaki, which chronicled Miyamoto's life, culminating in his legendary duel with Sasaki. Cast * Toshiro Mifune : Komaki He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiroshi Inagaki
was a Japanese filmmaker best remembered for the Academy Award-winning '' Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto'', which was released in 1954. Career Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1922. Wishing to become a director, he joined Chiezō Kataoka's Chiezō Productions and made his directorial debut with ''Tenka taiheiki'' (1928). Returning to Nikkatsu, he continued making jidaigeki and participated in the Naritaki Group of young filmmakers such as Sadao Yamanaka and Fuji Yahiro who collaboratively wrote screenplays under the made up name "Kinpachi Kajiwara". Like others in the group, Inagaki was known for his cheerful and intelligent samurai films. Inagaki later moved to Daiei and then Toho, where he made big budget color spectacles as well as delicate works depicting the feelings of children. He also produced many films and wrote the scripts for dozens of others. Recognition His film ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samurai Trilogy
The ''Samurai Trilogy'' is a film trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune as Musashi Miyamoto and Kōji Tsuruta as Kojirō Sasaki. The films are based on '' Musashi'', a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa about the famous duelist and author of ''The Book of Five Rings''. The three films are: * '' Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto'' (1954) * '' Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple'' (1955) * '' Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island'' (1956) Together, they are a trilogy following the character growth of Musashi from brash—yet strong—young soldier to thoughtful and introspective samurai. The choreography for the films was by Yoshio Sugino of the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū. Reception and influence ''Samurai I'' won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Pict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Produced By Tomoyuki Tanaka
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Directed By Hiroshi Inagaki
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jidaigeki Films
is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—''Portrait of Hell'', for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular setting. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of their time. ''Jidaigeki'' films are sometimes referred to as chambara movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more accurately a subgenre of ''jidaigeki''. ''Jidaigeki'' rely on an established set of dramatic conventions including the use of makeup, language, catchphrases, and plotlines. Types Many ''jidaigeki'' take place in Edo, the military capital. Others show the adventures of people wandering from place to place. The long-running television series ''Zenigata Heiji'' and ''Abarenbō Shōgun'' typify the Edo ''jidaigeki''. ''Mito K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samurai Films
, also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of ''jidaigeki'', which equates to period drama. ''Jidaigeki'' may refer to a story set in a historical period, though not necessarily dealing with a samurai character or depicting swordplay. Chanbara also refers to a martial arts sport similar to Fencing. While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action-based, samurai films produced after World War II have become more action-based, with darker and more violent characters. Post-war samurai epics tended to portray psychologically or physically scarred warriors.Silver (1977), p. 37. Akira Kurosawa stylized and exaggerated death and violence in samurai epics. His samurai, and many others portrayed in film, were solitary figures, more often concerned with concealing their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Based On Cyrano De Bergerac (play)
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1959 Films
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with '' Ben-Hur'' winning a record 11 Academy Awards. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1959 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 23 – Republic Pictures releases its last production, ''Plunderers of Painted Flats''. *January 29 – Walt Disney's ''Sleeping Beauty'' premieres, their most expensive film to date and the first animated film to be shot in Super Technirama 70. It initially ends up losing money for the studio due to its high production costs. However, it would eventually gain a cult following and is now considered one of Disney's great classics. *April 30 – François Truffaut's ''The 400 Blows'' opens the 1959 Cannes Film Festival bringing international attention to the French New Wave. * June 4 – The Three Stooges release their 190th and last short film, ''Sappy Bull Fighters''. * June 7 – A contract between Paramount and Jerry Lewis Productions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshio Inaba
was a Japanese actor best known for his role as Gorobei in Akira Kurosawa's '' Seven Samurai''. In addition to his career in film, Inaba was also a prolific theater actor and a member of the prestigious Haiyuza Theatre Company. He died of a heart attack at the age of 77. Filmography Film * ''Umi no hanabi'' (1951) * ''Wakare-gumo'' (1951) * '' Seven Samurai'' (1954) - Gorobei Katayama * ''Horafuki tanji'' (1954) - Escaped Prisoner Iwagorō * ' (1955) - Mijagi * '' Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple'' (続宮本武蔵 一乗寺の決闘 Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō) (1955) * ''Uruwashiki haha'' (1955) - Shigematsu * ''Shujinsen'' (1956) * ''Arashi'' (1956) - Detective of the special political police * ''Mitsu-kubi-tou'' (1956) - Shōshichi Kitō * ''Throne of Blood'' (1957) - Third Military Commander * ''Ninjitsu'' (1957) * ''Jun'ai Monogatari'' (1957) - Doctor at Nisseki Hospital * ''Ballad of the Cart'' (1959) - Fujitaro * '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959) * ''Fuj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akihiko Hirata
(December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), born , was a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies (including Hiroshi Inagaki's ''Samurai'' trilogy), he is most well known for his work in the ''kaiju'' genre, including such films as ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'', ''The Mysterians'', ''Terror of Mechagodzilla'', ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla'', and his most famous role of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the brilliant but disturbed young scientist in the original ''Godzilla'', released in 1954. Hirata was married to the popular actress Yoshiko Kuga from 1961 until his death. He died at age 56 in 1984 after a long battle with lung cancer. Early life Hirata was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927, into a wealthy family. He was educated at the prestigious Tokyo University's School of Interior Design. Before joining Shintoho as an assistant director (under his older brother, Yoshiki Onoda), Hirata moved into still photography, and eventually joined Toho in 1953, under the studio's "New Face" pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sachio Sakai
, born , was a Japanese actor. In 1947, he made his film debut with Akira Kurosawa's ''One Wonderful Sunday''. He often worked with Akira Kurosawa and Kihachi Okamoto. Filmography Films * ''One Wonderful Sunday'' (1947) as Ticket seller * ''Drunken Angel'' (1948) as Guitarist * ''Stray Dog (film), Stray Dog'' (1949) as Spectator of theater * ''Aoi sanmyaku'' (1949) * ''Bōryoku no Machi'' (1950) * ''Aoi Shinju'' (1951) as Yanagiya * ''Vendetta for a Samurai'' (1952) * ''Nangoku no hada'' (1952) * ''The Man Who Came to Port'' (1952) * ''Ikiru'' (1952) as Gang * ''Eagle of the Pacific'' (1953) * ''Seven Samurai'' (1954) as a coolie * ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'' (1954) as Hagiwara * ''Half Human'' (1955) as Nakata * ''Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple'' (1955) as Matahachi Honiden * ''Throne of Blood'' (1957) as Washizu's vassal * ''Song for a Bride'' (1958) as Kurokawa * ''The Hidden Fortress'' (1958) as Ashigaru * ''Life of an Expert Swordsman'' (1959) * ''The Secret o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamatari Fujiwara
was a Japanese actor. Fujiwara worked regularly and extensively with Akira Kurosawa, and was known for both being adept at comic acting, as well as being able to take on serious roles. Early life and career Early life Fujiwara was born on January 15, 1905, in Tokyo, Japan. Fujiwara's parents ran a printing business. The business did not go well, so at the age of 10, Fujiwara started working at a local confectionery store. By the age of 14 he had started selling timber for building and manufacturing in Shizuoka prefecture. A year later he returned to Tokyo to study as a pharmacist. Asakusa Opera Movement The Movement was started in 1916, and was part of the mass culture of the time. By the 1920s it had become very popular. His early life focused initially focussed on music, before he was known as a comic actor Perhaps inspired by this, Fujiwara enrolled at the Takinoga actor/martial arts school. Following graduation, he approached actor Kenzo Kuroki at Asakisa's kinrukan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
