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Sword of the Beast (1965)
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Overview
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Release Date:
18 September 1965 (Japan)
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Plot:
Gennosuke, a clan retainer, kills one of the clan ministers as part of a plot to achieve reform. He is pursued by his former comrades...
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Blu-ray, DVD Release: Three Outlaw Samurai
(From Disc Dish. 29 November 2011, 11:23 AM, PST)
What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel
(From CriterionCast. 26 June 2011, 4:23 PM, PDT)
What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel
(From CriterionCast. 11 June 2011, 10:20 PM, PDT)
(From Disc Dish. 29 November 2011, 11:23 AM, PST)
What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel
(From CriterionCast. 26 June 2011, 4:23 PM, PDT)
What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel
(From CriterionCast. 11 June 2011, 10:20 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Stong direction, photography and action enliven a standard theme
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Cast
(in credits order)
Directed by | |||
| Hideo Gosha | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Hideo Gosha | ||
| Eizaburo Shiba | ||
Produced by | |||
| Gin'ichi Kishimoto | .... | producer | |
| Suguru Matsunaga | .... | assistant producer | |
| Seichi Mori | .... | assistant producer | |
| Masayuki Satô | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Toshiaki Tsushima | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Toshitada Tsuchiya | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Mamoru Abe | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Katsura Kawaguchi | .... | makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Akira Tsumura | .... | executive in charge of production | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Takumi Kitami | .... | first assistant director | |
| Fukashi Kojima | .... | assistant director | |
| Asatoshi Satô | .... | assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Kyôji Sasaki | .... | assistant art director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Toshiyuki Ishikawa | .... | sound | |
| Masaharu Suzuki | .... | assistant sound | |
| Tetsuo Yasuda | .... | sound effects editor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Toshio Shinohara | .... | special effects | |
Stunts | |||
| Kentarô Yuasa | .... | fight choreographer | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Takayuki Aida | .... | assistant camera | |
| Yasushi Gonaikawa | .... | gaffer | |
| Kazuo Kishiro | .... | assistant photographer | |
Other crew | |||
| Nana Kobashi | .... | archivist | |
Distributors
- Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD) (subtitled)
- Shôchiku Eiga
- Matsutake Ishô costumes
Additional Details
Also Known As:
"Kedamono no ken" - Japan (original title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
85 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Did You Know?
Quotes:
Yuuki Gennosuke:I'm a cornered and wounded beast. I can't afford to live by my conscience. My opponent is a strong warrior, it is true. But it's up to me whether I defeat him and take his gold, or am defeated by him... and left to die a dog's death in the hills.See more »
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There are many films set in the feudal period of Japan that can be read as commentary on contemporary Japanese life. Here a couple of well-meaning and excellent sword-fighters are used by their superiors to further selfish agendas. The "beast" of the title is not a crazy samurai but rather the noble hero who is forced by treachery to forgo his social connections and travel from place to place like a roaming beast.
As western values permeate Japan, the conflict between the individual, as personified by the wandering noble ronin who gives up attempting to reconnect with normalcy (or in American cinema, the western hero who rises above social norm and becomes an ideal to attain), and the good samurai who upholds social stability to the detriment of his own needs (no real American equivalent) found itself expressed in period Japanese films. Many Japanese films of the 1960's and 70's feature characters who reject old fashioned values in the name of justice, yet suffer and never really are able to enjoy their good deeds. This film is set in the time after Commander Perry's ships essentially invaded Japanese territory and threw Japanese society for a spin.
Well-made, good acting and a solid directorial effort makes this a good samurai film even if the repeated flash-backs might be confusing. Unfortunately there are some excellent films that cover this topic already so this particular film seems unremarkable by comparison.
Good film and recommended.