OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
This is a recent rather than new film but one that I'm rather taken with, about a wandering blind masseur who is also a master swordsman.
The story of Zatoichi apparently is a piece of parochial Japanese folklore, I can't think of an English equivalent to that, he isn't a cultural icon in the way that we have Robin Hood or King Arthur, but the story is well known in Northern Japan and seems to have caught the popular imagination in the age of film.
I'll admit to being a bit of a fan of Takashi Kitano anyway, but this film really impressed me, not just a change from his usual staple of grizzled old cop/gangster movies but quite a nice piece of creative cinema in its own right.
It's also got a rather interesting soundtrack, which if I'm not mistaken, seems to be a curious blend of traditional and modern instruments.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363226/
The story of Zatoichi apparently is a piece of parochial Japanese folklore, I can't think of an English equivalent to that, he isn't a cultural icon in the way that we have Robin Hood or King Arthur, but the story is well known in Northern Japan and seems to have caught the popular imagination in the age of film.
I'll admit to being a bit of a fan of Takashi Kitano anyway, but this film really impressed me, not just a change from his usual staple of grizzled old cop/gangster movies but quite a nice piece of creative cinema in its own right.
It's also got a rather interesting soundtrack, which if I'm not mistaken, seems to be a curious blend of traditional and modern instruments.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363226/