47 Ronin (1994)

A group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord.

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Kon Ichikawa, Kaneo Ikegami (play) (as Shoichiro Ikemiya)

Stars:

Ken Takakura, Kiichi Nakai, Rie Miyazawa

9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Takakura	...	Kuranosuke Ôishi
Kiichi Nakai	...	Matashirô Irobe
Rie Miyazawa	...	Karu
Kôichi Iwaki	...	Kazuemon Fuwa
Ryûdô Uzaki	...	Yasubei Horibe
Tatsuo Matsumura	...	Yahei Horibe
Hisashi Igawa	...	Magodayû Okuda
Gaku Yamamoto	...	Chûzaemon Yoshida
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Jûnai Onodera
Hitomi Kuroki	...	Kiyo
Misa Shimizu	...	Hori
Yûko Kotegawa	...	Yôzen'in
Saburô Ishikura	...	Magozaemon Senoo
Renji Ishibashi	...	Heihachirô Kobayashi
Isao Bitô	...	Shinpachi Yamazoe

Storyline

A group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord.

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Plot Keywords:

helmet | armour | japanese castle | japanese woman | samurai | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Did You Know?

Connections

Version of 47 Ronin (2013)

User Reviews

Not a particularly good version for non-Westerners to watch.

Unlike other versions of this story that I have seen (and I've seen at least 3 or 4 others), this one begins well AFTER much of the plot has passed and so much explanatory exposition occurs in the first 20 minutes of the film. Then, when the film flashes back 20 months, it STILL goes back to AFTER the important events have occurred (when an official tried to kill one of the Shogun's trusted men). So is the 1994 version of "The 47 Ronin"--a completely non-sequential version of the story is told.

The 47 Ronin is a classic Japanese story, and I assume that practically every adult in the country is very familiar with the story. So, for a Japanese audience, this version of the story would probably work great. However, for those NOT familiar with the story, it's very confusing and told in a very roundabout manner and is quite confusing. Because there must be about a dozen other versions out there, I say try them first. Though, try also to avoid the recent Keanu Reeves version simply because it's pretty stupid.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 October 1994 (Japan)

Also Known As:

47 Assassins

Filming Locations:

Ako, Hyogo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nippon Television Network (NTV), Suntory, Toho Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1