Chushingura (1963) Japan
Chushingura Image Cover
Additional Images
Director:Hiroshi Inagaki
Studio:Image Entertainment
Producer:Toho
Writer:Kenichiro Hara, Seika Mayama
Rating:4.5
Rated:NR
Date Added:2006-03-27
ASIN:B000056NWP
UPC:0014381989526
Price:$29.99
Genre:Action & Adventure
Release:1999-07-05
IMDb:0033654
Duration:207
Picture Format:Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:2.35:1
Sound:Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Languages:Japanese, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:English
Features:Dubbed
Letterboxed
Hiroshi Inagaki  ...  (Director)
Kenichiro Hara, Seika Mayama  ...  (Writer)
 
Yoshizaburo Arashi  ...  Lord Takuminokami Asano
Utaemon Ichikawa  ...  Tsunatoyo Tokugawa
Daisuke Katô  ...  Fuwa Kazuemon
Chojuro Kawarasaki  ...  Kuranosuke Oishi
Kunitaro Kawarazaki  ...  Jurozaemon Isogai
Seizaburô Kawazu  ...  Lord Etchumori Hosokawa
Mantoyo Mimasu  ...  Kozunosuke Kira
Mitsuko Miura  ...  Yosenin, Asano's wife
Kanemon Nakamura  ...  Sukeimon Tomimori
Mieko Takamine  ...  Omino, Isogai's fiancee
Kan'emon Nakamura  ...  Sukeimon Tomimori
Koshiro Matsumoto  ...  
Yuzo Kayama  ...  
Tatsuya Mihashi  ...  
Akira Takarada  ...  
Yosuke Natsuki  ...  
Tokusaburo Arashi  ...  Okuno Shogen
Haranosuke Bando  ...  
Chôemon Bandô  ...  
Enji Ichikawa  ...  
Kikunosuke Ichikawa  ...  
Sensho Ichikawa  ...  
Shotaro Ichikawa  ...  
Joji Kaieda  ...  
Ryôtarô Kawanami  ...  
Chôjûrô Kawarasaki  ...  Kuranosuke Oishi
Summary: Chushingura means "loyalty," and that potent Japanese theme runs like hot blood throughout this stately samurai epic. It's often called the Gone with the Wind of Japanese cinema, and while that may be a fitting cultural parallel, it gives an inaccurate impression of the film, based on one of Japan's most enduring and oft-interpreted historical events. A simmering, deliberately paced drama set during the Tokugawa shogunate in 1701, it centers on 47 loyal samurai who seek vengeance against the arrogant elder statesman who caused their master's ritual suicide. The now masterless ronin let seasons pass (and the movie occasionally seems just as long) before executing a climactic raid that is both expertly fierce and lethally efficient. Featuring a who's-who of fine Japanese actors, including Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, Chushingura bears little resemblance to Kurosawa's action-packed samurai classics. This is a thematically dense, politically complex drama, presented here at its fullest length (207 minutes) and best appreciated after multiple viewings. Masterfully composed with painterly precision, Chushingura weaves its intricate tapestry from time-honored tenets of Japanese culture, offering a challenging but grandly rewarding experience. --Jeff Shannon