Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival | |
---|---|
Directed by | Kenji Misumi |
Produced by |
Shintaro Katsu Hiroyoshi Nishioka (asst. producer) |
Written by |
Shintaro Katsu Takayuki Yamada Kan Shimozawa (story) |
Starring |
Shintaro Katsu Reiko Ōhara Masayuki Mori Tatsuya Nakadai |
Music by |
Akira Ifukube Isao Tomita |
Cinematography | Kazuo Miyagawa |
Edited by | Toshio Taniguchi |
Production company |
Daiei Motion Picture Company Katsu Productions |
Distributed by |
Dainichi-Eihai (1970, Japan) The Criterion Collection (2013, USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | Japanese |
Language | Japan |
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (座頭市あばれ火祭り) is a 1970 Japanese Chambara film directed by Kenji Misumi and starring Shintaro Katsu, who also produced and co-wrote the script. It is the twenty-first of a series of films featuring the blind swordsman Zatoichi. The main character is based on a fictional character, a blind masseur and swordmaster. He was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa and set during the late Edo period (1830s and 1840s).
Synopsis
During his wanderings, Zatoichi comes across with a group of people connected with an infamous Yakuza boss, known as "Dark Lord" Yamikubo. Yamikubo is blind like Ichi, but he is indeed evil, and rules with an iron fist a great region of lands and towns who pay tribute to him. After Zatoichi tries to help a woman who has been bought at a "mistress auction" organized by one of Yamikubo's henchmen, the Dark Lord uses the beautiful Okiyo, his protégé, as a spy who must seduce and take Ichi his shikomi-zue (cane sword) away. But shortly after meeting him, Okiyo falls in love with Ichi and refuses to carry out her mission. Yamikubo then devises another way of drawing the blind swordsman close and kill him during the famous "Fire Festival", which Zatoichi decides to attend despite the danger involved.
Cast
- Shintaro Katsu ... Zatoichi
- Reiko Ōhara ... Okiyo
- Masayuki Mori ... Dark Lord Yamikubo
- Tatsuya Nakadai ... Ronin
- Kō Nishimura ... Migi
- Ryūnosuke Kaneda ... Boss Kuroko[1]
References
External links