I've been watching samurai silent movies from the Digital Meme "Talking Silents" series, called "talking" because they have benshi
narrators (and subtitles). I'm finding the story as told by the benshi slightly different, at times, from what the screen story is telling, but the
important thing is that the screen stories are really quite complete and not just illustrations for the benshi, as was truer of films in the 1910s and earlier
'20s. Films starring Bando and Kataoka in particular are surprisingly refined, great movies. Over the next few weeks I'll be reviewing many, many
silent samurai films, but already have quite a few available now. Some of them are so damned good I'm about ready to suggest the real golden age of
Japanese cinema didn't begin with Kurosawa but from around 1928 through 1934, among silents and early talkies.
"Talking Silents" Samurai films of the '20s and '30s
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 paghat |
"Talking Silents" Samurai films of the '20s and '30s |
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Posts: 198 03/14/09 15:41:52 |
-paghat the ratgirl
--------- paghat's film reviews: www.weirdwildrealm.com books written or edited by me: www.violetbooks.com/CATALOGS/catalogfrontpage.html temperate gardening: www.paghat.com |
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Wave Tossed |
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Posts: 1552 03/14/09 18:57:50 Loyal Retainer (Registered User) |
Are these films available on DVD?
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paghat |
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Posts: 199 03/14/09 23:33:38 |
> Are these films available on DVD?
They are on dvd with English subtitles for the benshi's narration. You can get them from www.digital-meme.com -- or search amazon.com for "Talking Silents" and you can find seven of the ten volumes. Very pricey, alas, though if you can do searches in Japanese you can find them for about one-fourth off from a couple dealers in Japan.
-paghat the ratgirl
--------- paghat's film reviews: www.weirdwildrealm.com books written or edited by me: www.violetbooks.com/CATALOGS/catalogfrontpage.html temperate gardening: www.paghat.com |
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KageShogun |
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Posts: 375 03/16/09 12:25:37 Roju (Administrator) |
Check out CK's www.kurotokagi.com website. Seek, and you will find.
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michaeltr |
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Posts: 3631 03/16/09 15:49:57 Daimyo (Moderator) |
The silents and early talkies are real gems of Samurai Cinema so id advise all to grab them up .
a real treat awaits |
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Wave Tossed |
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Posts: 1554 03/16/09 19:31:53 Loyal Retainer (Registered User) |
I just ordered one of CK's volumes of "Talking Silents." This is the set with "Orochi", which is the early version of that great Raizo
film "The Betrayal."
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paghat |
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Posts: 201 03/26/09 08:59:16 |
OROCHI is a great film all righty. I review it along with Raizo's remake here:
http://www.weirdwildrealm...-daisatsujin-orochi.html Another rather amazing silent is GYAKURYU as nihilistic as such later classics as Sword of Doom: http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-gyakuryu.html
-paghat the ratgirl
--------- paghat's film reviews: www.weirdwildrealm.com books written or edited by me: www.violetbooks.com/CATALOGS/catalogfrontpage.html temperate gardening: www.paghat.com |
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Wave Tossed |
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Posts: 1558 04/05/09 13:39:04 Loyal Retainer (Registered User) |
I just watched OROCHI and LOVED it! More comments on the "CK March Updates" thread.
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michaeltr |
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Posts: 3635 04/05/09 14:49:18 Daimyo (Moderator) |
yes its superb and Gyakuryu too .
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Wave Tossed |
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Posts: 1559 04/05/09 17:46:13 Loyal Retainer (Registered User) |
Both were great. I'll have to order more of these.
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steve hubbell |
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Posts: 282 04/05/09 19:37:24 |
I was all set to order the Orochi DVD and it is no longer listed for sale....
http://usagiyojimbo.com - http://usagiyojimbo.fr - http://usagiyojimbo.pl |
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paghat |
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Posts: 204 04/09/09 08:46:23 |
> Steve wrote:
> was all set to order the Orochi DVD and it is no longer listed for sale... I have to assume Makino company or an American agent threatened with the "$250,000 Fine and up to one year in jail" which is what all grey marketeers theoretically risk. Probably if you asked CK on the side you could get them anyway at that bargain price. They are available from amazon.com though, or straight from digital mime in Japan, and though they cost up the wazoo they're worth it. And Makino gets a huge kickback/royalty if you pay the horribly high price, and they're a non-profit organization which exists to make these films available world-wide, so you'd be supporting excellent people.
-paghat the ratgirl
--------- paghat's film reviews: www.weirdwildrealm.com books written or edited by me: www.violetbooks.com/CATALOGS/catalogfrontpage.html temperate gardening: www.paghat.com
Last Edited By: paghat 04/09/09 11:18:02.
Edited 1 time.
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