13 Assassins (1963 film)
13 Assassins Jūsan-nin no shikaku | |
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Directed by | Eiichi Kudo |
Screenplay by | |
Produced by | |
Starring | Chiezō Kataoka Kōtarō Satomi |
Cinematography | |
Edited by | |
Music by | Akira Ifukube |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Toei Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
13 Assassins (Japanese: 十三人の刺客, romaji: Jūsan-nin no shikaku) is a 1963 Japanese jidaigeki (period drama) film directed by Eiichi Kudo.[1][2][3]
Plot[]
In 1844, the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan is in a period of transition, and one of the high ranking lords, Lord Matsudaira, has become tainted by his dissolute and reprobate misconduct. Many leaders in the governing community of the current government feel that the code of honor, bushido, of the samurai is being disgraced by Matsudaira. His reprobate, egotistical, and feckless lifestyle is disgusting to those who come into close contact with him. After receiving reports, Sir Doi is convinced that Matsudaira represents a severe threat to the entire code of honor for the samurai tradition. Sir Doi decides, because of the severity of Matsudaira's misconduct, to take a blood oath to assassinate the reprobate Lord Matsudaira. He enlists a troop of assassins to swear a similar blood oath to do away with Matsudaira in order to restore his country's wellbeing and code of honor.[4]
Cast[]
- as Narrator
- Chiezō Kataoka as Shinzaemon Shimada
- Kōtarō Satomi as Shinrokurō Saimada
- as Hanbei Onigashira
- Tetsurō Tanba as Doi Toshitsura
- Satomi Oka
- Sumiko Fuji (as Junko Fuji) as Kayo
- Shingo Yamashiro as Koyata Koga
- Ryūji Kita
- Ryōsuke Kagawa
- Kantarō Suga as Naritsugu
- Kinnosuke Takamatsu
- as Horii
- Kanjūrō Arashi as Saheita Kuranaga
- Kō Nishimura as Kujūrō Hirayama
- Ryūnosuke Tsukigata as Makino
- Isao Natsuyagi (uncredited)
Remake[]
The film was remade in 2010 by Takashi Miike. The remake was met with critical acclaim. BFI, in an assessment of the top ten samurai films, compared the remake of the film to the original version stating: "Set in 1844, 13 Assassins follows the Seven Samurai template, featuring a band of samurais who come together to overthrow a despotic lord for the greater good of society. Miike’s version benefits from a far more generous budget, with a wonderful attention to period sets and costumes and some inventively choreographed fight scenes."[5]
References[]
- ^ "十三人の刺客 リメイクドラマが8月放送". シネール. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "13 Assassins". 一般社団法人日本映画製作者連盟. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "13 Assassins". kotobank. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "13 Assassins". JCDB. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ '10 great samurai films' by Jasper Sharp [1], 18 May 2016. BFI Film Review.
External links[]
- 13 Assassins at IMDb
- 1963 films
- Japanese-language films
- Japanese films
- Jidaigeki films
- 1960s action films
- Japanese action films
- Films directed by Eiichi Kudo
- Samurai films
- Toei Company films
- Films scored by Akira Ifukube
- 1960s martial arts films
- Historical action films
- 1960s Japanese film stubs