The Hidden Blade - Yoji Yamada - R2JP OUT NOW!!!

[thelostdragon]

Argh... sooo expensive. But it has English subs. Personally, I'll wait for the HK disc.

For those who haven't heard about it... after "The Twilight Samurai", it is Yoji Yamada's next samurai flick.

Review:
http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/hid ... 090505.htm

YesAsia:
Limited 3 disc Edition
Single Disc Bare Bones Release

[ReconFive]

I actually have the LE but have not gotten a chance to watch it yet.
I'll post my thoughts when i do

[BiscLimpkit]

Post your thoughts man!!

[romerojpg]

Its superb! Bought it when it came out, a long time ago. Get the Japanese version is georgous!

heres what I thought if you care

Sat May 07, 2005 1:21 pm
The Hidden Blade 4 out of 5 (maybe less?)

Well I will start off by saying it is not as good as Twilight Samurai (hey what can be), now that's out the way I can say it is a very good film and I really enjoyed it, it lacked something, maybe an identity of its own as to me it seemed very similar to Twilight Samurai the director just picked a very similar subject matter to base his story on.

That isn't a bad thing, its just it seems very familiar if you have seen Twilight Samurai , the tone and story are interchangeable between the two really and it lacks its own flow in a way, that may sound like I am complaining, yet it still was a very nice film.

The story is slow and its a film which slowly builds up (maybe a little to slow) and you can feel the tension in the background bubbling away, it does take a while for the story to get going and after a introduction of all the leads it picks up pace and sets down how the film is about to progress.

Its a simple forbidden love story really, with intermingling characters all weaving in and out trying to stick to Samurai codes and the different levels they are placed in society stopping them getting with the people they love. That's not to say it is a Love story, its not anything in particular, its a film which is just about the lives of a few interesting folk in the old Samurai days before the demise and introduction of more deadly weapons were thrown into the mix by the evil westerners, mainly Guns.

The cast are great, the main group of leads are all rounded out well and you do feel for them. Its hard to single out the cast as I am not good with names, but the Leads are interesting and you feel for the love they have and want, but cannot get because of the ignorant ways of ritual and following orders and putting on a show for others around them.

Its no action epic and there's very little in the way of acting if you looking for an all out fighting film, saying that its tense most the time as you know its coming, it just takes a long time to come. There is a great little training sequence and our Hero gets little time to show he is an expert with the Sword, but you feel he is a master for some reason, be it the way others treat him, or the way he is portrayed in the film as someone everyone seems to think is someone not to be taken lightly.

The wood training part is more exciting than the actual use of Swords, something about people training with bamboo and wood just works in a film like this, its not going to kill and you can make mistakes and get a second chance as the film doesn't seem to be a nasty piece of work all about Killing and maiming, and the use of wood as a weapon just gives it a non threatening tone.


The film looks gorgeous, the sets are perfect and the costumes too stand out at every level of the clans social status. Some looks like scum and some look ridiculous over the top pompous arrogant fools, but most are just normal Samurai and families living out there lives. The sets look real, as if you could be there and smell the fire and wood, we spend lots of time in the Heroes humble home and you do get to feel its a homely place and somewhere which wouldn't be bad to visit as there's always a nice warm fire crackling away at the heart of the home.

The director Yoji Yamada does a wonderful job with the directing and rarely does the camera move fast, it just very slowly creeps around the cast and edges slowly at a very leisurely pace and it works so well.
The shots are long too some a few minutes from the look of them, whole scenes are one take with one camera shot and it all works perfectly tracking and following the cast in there various roles sometimes they do very little and the camera doesn't need to do much, except set up where they are and what they are doing.

At other times like during one of the sword fights it moves sooo slow following and loosing the fighting actors behind mounds of grass and hillsides in a series of long one takes which keep you on the edge of your seat, to set up shots like this is something I love about film and I always like a nice camera move.


I have only seen two films by Yoji Yamada. This film and Twilight Samurai , and his slow paced film making (in these two film) is very evident and maybe its his age (he is in his mid 70's), or maybe its his style? but its a pace that I like and shots creep about so slow it cerate's a calming mood to his films.
The music only adds to this calming mood, as the music is superb and again like the film is slow and lingers in the background doing its thing and keeping the film running along its a soundtrack that is under the radar, but so perfectly suits the film.

To sum up the film I really liked it, its just it seems too similar to Twilight Samurai for its own good.
Even a few characters pop up in this film from that film, the little girl from Twilight Samurai reappears in this one a few years older as a little sister in the film.
The Little quiet guy who is a dogsbody helper to the lead samurai pops back up looking the same dirty little bugger I loved from Twighlight Samurai. He does not get as much to do this time around, but he is a welcome addition to the film and you have to smile at his funny little ways I especially loved his visit to the Sea.The Music also seemed to be the same composer as Twighlight Samurai which is no bad thing at all for me as he is a perfect composer for the films pace.

I think the film may be better suited to a second watch as it seemed to lack something of its own for now for me, its a film I wont mind watching again so I don't mind and I really look forward to the next Samurai film by Yoji let it be in the same style as this.