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Whistle Stopper - Lone Wolf and Cub - Sword of Vengeance
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List Price: $29.98
Our Price: $6.00
Your Save: $ 23.98 ( 80% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Animeigo
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Fumio Watanabe, Tomoko Mayama, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Tomoo Uchida
Directed By: Kenji Misumi
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304276600
Format: Color
ISBN: 6304276605
Label: Animeigo
Manufacturer: Animeigo
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Animeigo
Release Date: 1996-11-26
Running Time: 83
Studio: Animeigo
Theatrical Release Date: 1973-08-23
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The First Episode Of The Lone Wolf And Cub Series!
Comment: This is the first episode of the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series. And if you have never seen any of these episodes, then you are in for a treat [Providing you don't mind a lot of violence in films]. However, the violence is necessary in order to advance the film's plot. The main protagonist(s) in the film are Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his infant son (Akihiro Tomikawa). This first episode sets up the events which will lead Ogami and his infant son on a trek of vengeance and violence as they fight off the Yagyu clan. Ogami was the offical executioner of the Shogun. In a side note: The late Tomisaburo Wakayama was the elder brother of Shintaro Katsu of Zatoichi fame.
However, Ogami Itto's wife is murdered and he is framed as a traitor by the Yagyu clan. They want Ogami, who is the Shogun's official executioner to be forced to commit seppuku [ritual suicide] by the Shogun. However, Ogami sets off in the Japanese countryside as a Ronin [masterless samurai] and commences to kill off as many of the Yagyu clan that he comes across. And he is very efficient at this. The film is full of action and does not disappoint. Wandering around Japan, with his infant son in tow [in a baby cart] Ogami is an efficient killing machine, and his sons baby cart is stocked full of weaponry. There is plenty of blood in this film, as the director, Kenji Misumi does not spare any amount of blood to get his point across.
I noticed in one of the reviewers reviews that he saw many of these films [Japanese] in Los Angeles during the 1970s at the Toho Labrea Theatre. So did I, and this is also where I saw many of the Zatoichi episodes. But also at the now defunct Fox Theatre, in Venice, California. And I agree with his veiwpoint that one cannot compare these films to a Tatsuya Nakadai, or Toshiro Mifune type of film. Each of these Lone Wolf and Cub films have a unique quality to them. [Not that I am comparing these to those great Japanese legends]. However, these films are also highly entertaining too. I know many who disparage the Zatoichi films, which I grew up with, and it is irritating to listen to people knock these types of films, which I find extremely entertaining. I also love the early classics too! You can like them both, as they are both entertaining genres. I highly recommend this film, and recommend that you delve deeper into the series, and also take a look at the Zatoichi films.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My first time seeing lone wolf and cub
Comment: Absolutely breathtaking. I thought it was a bit too violent, a bit too sexual, and a little weird. But all of these things only added to the experience. This is a movie truly for comic book fans. But then again, I like serious movies that are extremely violent and well, it looks like I am watching the right type of stuff. I got a version distributed by red sun but it has the animeego logo all over the menu screen. An anime company rerleasing real movies, I wasn't sure about this. But I thought the liner notes were an awesome extra as it took me about 15 minutes to read it all before I watched the movie.
Now the story is so captivating, it is the first time in a while that I was watching an asian film and was really excited, but patiently waited and watched with great interest as the story unfolded. The final battle of the movie was great and really has you saying, "man, I hope this story continues". And ALL of the characters are wonderful as they are bursting with character in their appearence. The acting is also superb.
The version I got from red sun is anamorphically widescreened amd the picture is remastered very well. The sound cuts out a few times in the movie, but it happens a couple of times early on and doesn't end up making a big difference. And overall the sound is very good.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You can buy his sword but never his honor.
Comment: Ogami Itto, the official executioner to the Shogun, is falsely accused of treason and ordered to commit ritual suicide. Yet, this man who holds the harsh code of Bushido above all else, refuses and goes on a quest, a journey, to get revenge. Not only for his lost honor and position but for the murder of his wife.
But he is not alone, for his tiny son must take the same path of honor and death. A ronin and his son. Lone Wolf And Cub. Both are for hire.
The movie is faithful to the manga because the manga was designed to be easily transfered to the big screen. Actors and actresses were perfect for their parts. Lots of violence, nudity and sex scenes - what more can you want? Runs about 83 minutes and the plot moves well, so you never feel bored or feel like there is dead space. A must for any Samurai library.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Kogi Kaishakunin
Comment: This series of films have been among my absolute favorite since I first saw them more than 30 years ago.
I can remember my first experience with Kozure Ohkami as a young Japanese American youth in early 1970s Los Angeles. One day my friend's dad piled a bunch of us young "JAs" into a Mercury Montego and took us to see the fourth movie in the series, Baby Cart In Peril at the long gone Toho LaBrea Theater. One thing nice about growing up in LA in the '60s and '70s is that we got to see a lot of movies unavailable to many people outside of Japanese American communities during the pre-VCR days. While I grew up watching The Man From UNCLE and Gilligan's Island like all my friends, I also had the bonus of being able to enjoy the exploits of Ogami Itto, Zatoichi and a host of Mifune and Nakadai movies.
During my high school years, my friends and I eagerly awaited each pending showing at the Toho. Parts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 were in heavy rotation during the mid to late '70s, but a part 3 was never shown. It wasn't until the mid '90s when AnimEigo released the series on VHS and laserdisc that I was sure that part 3 was in fact Lightning Swords of Death which was released as a dubbed movie for the mass American public in 1975 during the height of the martial arts craze.
When Toho closed down in the late '70s and became a Korean church Itto, Daigoro and the cart-o-fun moved to the Kokusai in West LA. And when Kokusai closed its doors in the late 1980s, the movies were being shown at Little Tokyo Cinema in downtown LA. By then the prints being shown were completely trashed and it was obvious that for years it was the same prints being circulated for 20 years. One second, amidst a smoking overcast field Itto would be facing Yagyu Gunbei, then the next he would be sitting with Daigoro in front of a cooking pot. Three great fight scenes and about 30 minutes of film had been permanently lost.
During the late 1980s I met a fellow at the Japan Expo who had secured the rights to release the Zatoichi series in the US. I asked him if the Sword of Vengeance series would ever become available. Every year I went back to the Expo and asked him the same question, and every year he told me the same thing. He said he was working on it, but since Katsu Shintaro's [Zatoichi himself] company had gone bust, ownership of the 6 Baby Cart films had been dispersed and it would be difficult to gain the rights to all of them. He said he couldn't just go to one person, but had to deal with many different people.
Well imagine my joy when AnimEigo began making these available. During the mid nineties they were released one episode at a time about every two to three months. When the DVDs were released not too long ago I noticed they appeared very different from the laserdiscs. A scene I had mentioned earlier in which Itto fights assassins in a shrine looks entirely different from VHS and laserdisc to DVD. The VHS and laserdisc depict this scene as being very dark. The interior is dimly lit as one would expect of a musty, little used indoor temple. The people are difficult to make out which adds an air of uncertainty and desperation to the fight sequence. However, on the DVD this same scene is extremely bright and well lit. Blood stains that appeared like dark crimson smears on the laserdisc are bright glowing red on the DVD. It struck me as being artificial looking. To be honest, it has been so long since I saw the original in the theaters, I can't remember which is correct. It's probably somewhere in between. But I will say I greatly prefer watching these movies on laserdisc. They appear more film-like, while the DVDs in spots seem overly contrasty and bright. I wonder if this was done intentionally during mastering. Were certain scenes color adjusted just for the DVD? I also noticed that the English translation is different from the theatrical versions to those released by AnimEigo. I had my father, who was born, raised and educated in Japan watch a series of scenes where I remembered the original theatrical subtitles. We then compared them to the subtitles in the current releases. In the instances I could remember the old subtitles, my dad felt the new releases had the more accurate translation.
Some reviewers on this site have commented that these films don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with greats like Seven Samurai or even deserve a 5 star rating. I can certainly understand that viewpoint, but I choose to rate films on how they affect me and what they mean to me, not in the overall scheme of movie history. So with that in mind can you imagine the lasting impression a close up of Oyuki's beautiful tattoed breasts made on a young lad in the midst of puberty? Or the shock and repulsion of seeing Retsudo behead his loyal quick change artist and the gushing fountain of blood that ensued. Scenes like that would convince anyone that Japanese have the highest blood pressure of any ethnic group around. I love it!
These films are a look into the morals and trials of Samurai bound to the codes of Bushido during 17th century Japan albeit with a bit of James Bond [especially part 6] mixed in. They're also not too unlike the classic movie Harakiri, in that they focus on the corruptibility of people in high places and the consequences those actions have. Educational and fun! All these films are beautifully photographed, and shot on locations not like the artificial sets of Hong Kong action movies or Japanese Chambara TV serials. Some scenes are unforgettable such as in part 1 when Itto and Kurando face each other in preparation for a duel at sunset in an open field. This scene is also a cinematic example how he who has the advantages of nature does not always prevail in a duel. Another striking image is from part 4. In one scene there's a camera view down on Ogami Itto pushing the cart-of-goodies. The neat thing is that 95% of the screen is filled with a large tiled roof, while Itto and Daigoro only occupy a corner of the frame. On the other hand, action scenes such as when Itto is fighting a large assembly of various Yagyu warriors in a debossed mini maze showcase battlefield swordsmanship in its starkest and most brutal fashion. Many Michael Myers' Halloween techniques are utilized here. In part 1, during a pivotal scene in which Itto and son are seemingly ready to commit seppuku, the subsequent fight is filmed in an eerily silent manner. Ogami Itto runs slently through his house cutting up the Shogun's officials. You hear no foot steps, no screams, no grunts. All you see is the frantic battle and the sound of the blade cutting through flesh. There is some supernatural jumping in these films, but very little flowery swordplay and posing ala Crouching Tiger nor is the fight choreography presented as an effortlessly balletic dance as that of Nakadai Tatsuya's Tsukue Ryunosuke from Sword of Doom. The techniques in Kozure Ohkami are powerful, direct and meant to kill. Instantly. This isn't Kendo. It is a closer to Batto Jutsu which is a modern practice with roots in the battlefield tested techniques of pre-Tokugawa era warriors. Sure there are some flourishes thrown in for effect, but overall the viewer is hit with the powerful and deadly swordplay of Wakayama Tomisaburo. And in that there is great beauty. Even Itto's sword is the famous Dohtanuki which was a beefy, heavy battlefield sword. Definitely not one for the limp-wristed swordsman.
I truly believe these movies are a must see for any western foley effects artist not familiar with the way Japanese weaponry sounds. I don't think I've ever seen an American film get the sound of a katana right. As much as I liked The Last Samurai, I cringed every time I heard a sword being drawn in that movie. Japanese swords are in wooden scabbards [saya], so the sound is metal against wood, not metal-on-metal as in movies about medieval Europe. This may seem like nit-picking to many, but to me it would be like watching Roman Holiday with the voice of Fred Flintstone coming from Audrey Hepburn. It just isn't right!
It's interesting. Until a few years ago I had no idea these films were originally a manga series. And it is nice to know that the people who are fans of Koike Kazuo's books are pleased with these movies. There was an attempt in the early 1980s to adapt the movies to a weekly television series. The show starred Yorozuya Kinnosuke, but I could never get into them. They had a completely different feel from the movies and lacked the over-the-top charm of the 6 originals. I'm also aware that modern movie versions were made and one even has a conclusion to the series. I bought these versions on Ebay several years ago, but still to this day haven't gotten around to watching them. I think that in itself reveals my devotion and narrow-mindedness where these films are concerned.
I hope you enjoy them as well.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Comment: This movie reminds me of the 50's movie Horatio Hornbolower staring Gregory Peck in one important way. It proves that only good things come of having the author of the books write the screenplay.
Since this is based on one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) comics series of all time it had a high standard to meet. It followed the books so exactly that the subtitles were almost unneeded.
I don't know how exagerated the bloodletting was but that is the only fault one can find with the picture. The acting is straight,and the story of Ogami walking the assassins road to avenge his wife and clan is classic.
I personally think it could be an excellent hour long TV series on cable if done correctly, until that day I shall make do with pleasure.
I eagerly await my next paycheck to have the next one.
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Editorial Reviews:
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"Child and expertise for rent," reads the banner flying from the wooden cart of rogue samurai Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama). With his infant son and a baby carriage stocked with a veritable arsenal in tow, Ogami rents his services for 500 pieces of gold while awaiting his revenge on the corrupt clan that murdered his wife. Director Kenji Misumi draws his distinctive graphic style from the legendary manga series written by Kazuo Koike (who adapted his own work for the screen) and adds an inspired cinematic device: when Ogami enters battle, the world falls silent, literally, until his sword strikes. The fights are savage--blades slash, limbs fly, and blood spurts like geysers--yet the film relaxes in moments of serenity and tenderness as the cooing baby boy marvels at the wonder of the world. An essential of Japanese action cinema, it launched a classic six-film series. --Sean Axmaker
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