Movielogr
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Directed by Kenji Misumi
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town’s smaller gang is brewing.
Length 96 minutes
Actors
Shintarō Katsu | Masayo Banri | Ryûzô Shimada | Hajime Mitamura | Shigeru Amachi | Michirô Minami | Eijirô Yanagi | Toshio Chiba | Manabu Morita | Yoshito Yamaji | Yoichi Funaki | Eigoro Onoe | Ikuko Môri | Chitose Maki | Kin'ya Ichikawa | Jun Fujikawa | Yukio Horikita | Yûji Hamada | Bonta Maru | Gen Kimura | Ryuji Fukui | Hajime Koshikawa | Hiroyoshi Nishioka | Kanae Kobayashi
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/05/2024 | TV | Blu-ray | Owned | 7.5 stars |
| (Average) 7.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Starting at the beginning. I wondered if they made any Zatoichi films before Shintaro Katsu took the role but TIL this was the first film adaptation (and one of the longest film series and perhaps was the longest during its time until the Tora-san series kicked off in the late sixties). Katsu looks so young (he was around 31yo at the time of production). First time I saw this was on a VHS rental back when the rental shops had those small international sections and a smattering of Japanese films.
The score sounds like an Akira Ifukube homage… looked it up and he actually did the score! Lol I didn’t think he worked outside of Toho especially during this period. Now I want the score for this series.
No comments yet. Log in and be the first!