Release Date: November 26, 2013
Purchase: Amazon
# of discs: 27
Purchase: Amazon
The colossally popular Zatoichi films make up the longest-running action series in Japanese history and created one of the screen’s great heroes: an itinerant blind masseur who also happens to be a lightning-fast swordsman. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy Shintaro Katsu became an instant superstar, lending a larger-than-life presence to the thrilling adventures of a man who lives staunchly by a code of honor and delivers justice in every town and village he enters. The films that feature him are variously pulse-pounding, hilarious, stirring, and completely off-the-wall. This deluxe set features the string of twenty-five Zatoichi films made between 1962 and 1973, collected in one package for the first time.
Disc Features:
- New digital restorations of all twenty-five films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
- The Blind Swordsman, a 1978 documentary about Zatoichi portrayer and filmmaker Shintaro Katsu, along with a new interview with its director, John Nathan
- New interview with Asian-film critic Tony Rayns
- Trailers for all twenty-five films
- New English subtitle translations
- PLUS: A book featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien; synopses of the films by critic, novelist, and musician Chris D.; “The Tale of Zatoichi,” the original short story by Kan Shimozawa; and twenty-five new illustrations inspired by the films, by twenty-five different artists
Movie List:
- The Tale of Zatoichi
- The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
- New Tale of Zatoichi
- Zatoichi the Fugitive
- Zatoichi on the Road
- Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
- Zatoichi’s Flashing Sword
- Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
- Adventures of Zatoichi
- Zatoichi’s Revenge
- Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
- Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
- Zatoichi’s Vengeance
- Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage
- Zatoichi’s Cane Sword
- Zatoichi The Outlaw
- Zatoichi Challenged
- Zatoichi and the Fugitives
- Samaritan Zatoichi
- Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
- Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
- Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman
- Zatoichi at Large
- Zatoichi in Desperation
- Zatoichi’s Conspiracy
# of discs: 27
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