4 Star

Bushido and all it Entails

From the master of the ‘nakanai realism’, or ‘a realism without tears’, Tadashi Imai (Till We Meet Again, Rice) brings us the long tale of one family under their Lord, a story of loyalty of Samurai, to their all powerful leader. It never seems to be a good choice in life. This jidaigeki award-winning film will have you mesmerized at the faith of the Samurai.

I’m dead to you.

Sirens wail down the dark streets of Shibuya, an ambulance screeches to a halt as Kyoko Hitomi (Yoshiko Mita, Appassionata, The Tragedy of ‘W’) is rushed into intensive care, after taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Her fiancé Susumu Iikura (Kinnosuke Nakamura, REVENGE [ADAUCHI], The Fall of Ako Castle (AKA Swords of Vengeance) [Akô-jô danzetsu])

The lives of Samurai are not their own!

has been pressuring her to do some spying on his firm competitors, whom she works for. This trauma has his mind racing back to his ancestors and the ledgers they left behind. It goes all the way back to

They belong to their Lord.

May 5th 1610, after the battle of Sekiyahara, ancestor Hidekiyo Jirozaemon pledges allegiance to Lord Hori. This begins the three-hundred years of loyal service to their Lord, With mostly mistakes down the road that displeasures their Lord, and they have to take the consequences, without complaining. Even if this is a sadistic move on the Lords part, not all Lords are benefactors.

Know that it is an honour,

Watch as Samurai after Samurai are put through their trials even after long years of faithful service, or you are the young descendant of the Iikura family and the Lord takes a fancy to you rather than his wife, or even being the best swordsman of the era has its drawbacks.

to die for your Lord.

Will this cycle of devotion ever be broken? Watch as generation after generation, bows to their Lord and masters.

To die in service to your Lord, that is the meaning of Loyalty.

Kinnosuke Nakamura superbly plays all the ancestors in this black and white masterpiece thriller.

CRUEL TALE OF BUSHIDO (Masters of Cinema) Limited Edition is available on Blu-ray

 

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

Limited edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Japanese cinema expert Hayley Scanlon
1080p HD presentation from a 4K restoration by Toei
Original Japanese mono audio
Optional DTS-HD MA 5,1 audio
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
Telling a Cruel Tale – new interview with film critic Tony Rayns
Years of Honour – new video essay on Cruel Tale of Bushido and Japanese history by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of Japan |
Trailer
* All extras subject to change