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Yojimbo
is a 1961 Japanese samurai film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. In the film, a rōnin arrives in a small town where competing crime lords vie for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard. Based on the success of ''Yojimbo'', Kurosawa's next film, ''Sanjuro'' (1962), was altered to incorporate the lead character of this film. In both films, the character wears a rather dilapidated dark kimono bearing the same family ''mon''. The film was released and produced by Toho on April 25, 1961. ''Yojimbo'' received highly positive reviews, and, over the years, became widely regarded as one of the best films by Kurosawa and one of the greatest films ever made. The film grossed an estimated $2.5 million worldwide with a budget of ¥90.87 million. It was unofficially remade by Serg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Fistful Of Dollars
''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. The film, an international co-production between Italy, West Germany, and Spain, was filmed on a low budget (reported to be $200,000), and Eastwood was paid $15,000 for his role. Released in Italy in 1964 and then in the United States in 1967, it initiated the popularity of the Spaghetti Western genre. It was followed by '' For a Few Dollars More'' and ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'', also starring Eastwood. Collectively, the films are known as the "''Dollars Trilogy''", or the "''Man with No Name Trilogy''" after the United Artists publicity campaign referred to Eastwood's character in all three films as the "M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film '' Sanshiro Sugata''. After the war, the critically acclaimed ''Drunken Angel'' (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. ''Rashomon'' (1950), which premiered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toshiro Mifune
was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''Yojimbo''. He also portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in Hiroshi Inagaki's ''Samurai Trilogy'' and one earlier Inagaki film, Lord Toranaga in the NBC television miniseries ''Shōgun'', and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in three different films. Early life Toshiro Mifune was born on April 1, 1920 in Seitō, Japanese-occupied Shandong (present-day Qingdao, China), the eldest son of Tokuzo and Sen Mifune. His father Tokuzo was a trade merchant and photographer who ran a photography business in Qingdao and Yingkou, and was originally the son of a medical doctor from Kawauchi, Akita Prefecture. His mother Sen was the daughter of a ''hatamoto'', a high-ranking samurai official. Toshiro's parents, who were working as Methodist missionaries, were some of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samurai Cinema
, 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 conceali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanjuro
is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's 1961 ''Yojimbo''. Originally an adaptation of the Shūgorō Yamamoto novel ''Hibi Heian'', the script was altered following the success of the previous year's ''Yojimbo'' to incorporate the lead character of that film. Plot Nine young samurai believe that the lord chamberlain, Mutsuta, is corrupt after he tore up their petition against fraud at court. One of them tells the superintendent Kikui of this and he agrees to intervene. As the nine meet secretly to discuss this at a shrine, a rōnin overhears and cautions them against trusting the superintendent. While at first they do not believe him, he saves them from an ambush. But as their rescuer is about to leave, he realises that Mutsuta and his family must now be in danger and decides to stay and help. By the time the samurai get to Mutsuta's house, the chamberlain has been abducted and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eijirō Tōno
was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting more than 50 years, appeared in over 400 television shows, nearly 250 films and numerous stage productions. He is best known in the West for his roles in films by Akira Kurosawa, such as ''Seven Samurai'' (1954) and ''Yojimbo'' (1961), and films by Yasujirō Ozu, such as ''Tokyo Story'' (1953) and ''An Autumn Afternoon'' (1962). He also appeared in ''Kill!'' by Kihachi Okamoto and ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', a depiction of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His final film was Juzo Itami's ''A-ge-man'' (''Tales of a Golden Geisha'') in 1990. Tōno also starred as the title character in the long-running television ''jidaigeki'' series ''Mito Kōmon'' from 1969 to 1983. In the early years of his career he acted under the name of Katsuji Honjo (本庄克二). Early life Eijirō Tōno was born on 17 September 1907 in Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Born to a sake brewery, his father was a Hino merchant (Ōmi merchant), who had move ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spaghetti Western
The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians. Leone's films and other core Spaghetti Westerns are often described as having eschewed, criticized, or even "demythologized" many of the conventions of traditional U.S. Westerns. This was partly intentional and partly the context of a different cultural background. Terminology According to veteran Spaghetti Western actor Aldo Sambrell, the phrase "Spaghetti Western" was coined by Spanish journalist Alfonso Sánchez in reference to the Italian food spaghetti. Spaghetti Westerns are also known as Italian Westerns or, primarily in Japan, Macaroni Westerns. In Italy, the genre is typically referred to as western all'italiana (Italian-style Western). Italo-Western is also used, espec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuo Miyagawa
was a Japanese cinematographer. Career Born in Kyoto, Miyagawa was taken with sumi-e Chinese ink painting from the age of eleven and began to sell his work as an illustrator while a teenager. He became interested in the cinema during the 1920s, particularly admiring the German Expressionist silents. He joined the Nikkatsu film company in 1926 after graduating from Kyoto Commercial School. He began as a laboratory technician before becoming an assistant cameraman. Miyagawa is best known for his tracking shots, particularly those in ''Rashomon'' (1950), the first of his three collaborations with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. The other films with Kurosawa were ''Yojimbo'' (1961) and ''Kagemusha'' (1980). He also worked on multiple films directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, including ''Ugetsu'' (1953), but only on a single Yasujirō Ozu production, ''Floating Weeds'' (1959). He oversaw 164 cameramen for Kon Ichikawa's ''Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), a documentary which necessitated the development ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rōnin
A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege.Stephane Lun (2021). ''A Guide on Shinsengumi: the background and management.'' In modern Japanese usage, usually the term is used to describe a salaryman who is unemployed or a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university. Etymology The word ''rōnin'' literally means 'wanderer'. It is an idiomatic expression for 'vagrant' or 'wandering man', someone who finds the way without belonging to one place. The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. In medieval times, the Ronin were depicted as the shadows of samurai, master-less and less honorable. It then came to be used for a samurai who had no master (hence the term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yosuke Natsuki
was a Japanese actor. He had participated twice in the Dakar Rally as a racing driver. He did a lot of work for the Toho Company and made his debut in the film ''The H-Man''. He appeared in Akira Kurosawa's ''Yojimbo'' in 1961. In the same year, he received the Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. In the 1970s, he left Toho and joined Toshiro Mifune's production company."Suki Kattehōdai Natsuki Yōsuke star no jidai", p.35 He was famous for his role in the police TV drama ''G-Men '75'' as well as Toho Studios monster movies. Selected filmography Films *''The H-Man'' (1958) - Man, witness on rainy day *''Otona niwa wakaranai: Seishun hakusho'' (1958) *''Mikkokusha wa dare ka'' (1958) - Keiichi Sudô *''Ankokugai no kaoyaku'' (1959) - Kashimura's assistant *''Daigaku no oneechan'' (1959) - Lucky Nakaki *''Kitsune to tanuki'' (1959) *''Daigaku no nijuhachin'' (1959) *''Seishun o kakero'' (1959) - Hurry Ken *''Wakai koibitotachi'' (1959) - Tôru Akimoto *''Dokuritsu gurentai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daisuke Katō
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''Rashomon'', ''Yojimbo'', and ''Ikiru''. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi. Career Born as Tokunosuke Katō to a theatrical family, his older brother was the actor Kunitarō Sawamura and his older sister the actress Sadako Sawamura. He joined the Zenshinza Theatre Company in 1933 and appeared in a number of stage and film productions under the stage name Enji Ichikawa, including Sadao Yamanaka's '' Humanity and Paper Balloons'' and Kenji Mizoguchi's '' The 47 Ronin''. After spending the war in New Guinea, he returned to Japan and signed with the Daiei Film studio, appearing now under the name Daisuke Katō. In addition to appearing in traditional jidaigeki roles, notably as one of Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', Katō became a popular everyman in contemporary shōshimin-eiga movies. His transfer to Toho in 1951 wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masaru Sato
(sometimes transliterated Satoh) was a Japanese composer of film scores. Following the 1955 death of Fumio Hayasaka, whom Sato studied under, Sato was the composer of Akira Kurosawa's films for the next 10 years. He was nominated for Best Music at the 15th Japan Academy Prize in 1992. In 1999, the Japanese government decorated Sato with the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to the arts. Career He was born in Rumoi, Hokkaido, and raised in Sapporo. While studying at the National Music Academy, Sato came under the influence of Fumio Hayasaka, Akira Kurosawa's regular composer for his earlier films. He became a pupil of Hayasaka's, studying film scoring with him at Toho Studios, and working on the orchestration of '' Seven Samurai'' (1954). When the older composer died suddenly in 1955, leaving the scores to Kenji Mizoguchi's '' New Tales of the Taira Clan'', and Kurosawa's '' I Live in Fear'' incomplete, Toho assigned Sato to finish t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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