Legend of the Eight Samurai
It is a grudge of generations, a rolling vengeance which has swept back and forth like the tides for over a century which has now resulted in Lord Motofuji of the Hikita Clan laying siege on the towering castle carved out of the mountainside where he was born but from which he was exiled following the defeat of his mother, the immortal witch Tamazusa, the Shigeyoshi Clan now captured and executed save for Princess Shizu.
The sole survivor of the massacre, the blood of her family used in dark rituals, she is saved from peril by the loyal defenders of her family, Dōsetsu Inuyama and Daikaku Inumura who tell her of the legend of the old times, of the eight warriors descended from dogs, carrying with them the virtues of Loyalty, Righteousness, Filial Piety, Respect, Faith, Brotherhood, Wisdom and Benevolence, who will help her defeat the demonic Motofuji and break the curse.
Adapted from Toshio Kamata’s 1982 novel Shin Satomi Hakkenden (新・里見八犬伝), in turn inspired by the Kyokutei Bakin’s epic Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (南総里見八犬伝) originally serialised from 1814 to 1842, Legend of the Eight Samurai (Satomi Hakken-den, 里見八犬伝) was the most successful film of the Japanese box office of 1984 following its release in the final days of the preceding year.
Starring the then-teenage actor and singer Hiroko Yakushimaru as Princess Shizu, The Bullet Train‘s Sonny Chiba is Dōsetsu Inuyama and Ringu‘s Hiroyuki Sanada is Shinbei, a bandit who assaults then later kidnaps the Princess when he discovers her identity and value, she in turn inexplicably defending the scurrilous rogue, while Shōgun‘s Yūki Meguro and Isle of Dogs’ Mari Natsuki are the sinister Motofuji and Tamazusa, roles played for maximum attention and drama in a film which already tends towards excess.
Director Kinji Fukasaku having touched on elements of fantasy and science fiction in Message from Space (Akōjō Danzetsu), another gathering of warriors foretold by prophecy, and more traditional Japanese subjects in The Fall of Ako Castle (Uchū Kara no Messēji), all are blended in Legend of the Eight Samurai, but with variable production values, the sets and costumes amazing, the giant rubber insects distinctly less, while the action is constant other than a power ballad to serenade the incongruous love of the Princess and Shinbei there is a feeling that much meaning and sense was lost in translation.
Presented on Blu-ray from a new 4K restoration as part of Eureka’s Masters of Cinema series with both the original and English dubbed soundtracks, the new edition of Legend of the Eight Samurai is supported by an audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom, an interview with Kinji Fukasaku’s son, filmmaker Kenta Fukasaku, a video essay by film historian and critic Stuart Galbraith IV and the original theatrical trailer.
Legend of the Eight Samurai will be available on Blu-ray from Eureka from Monday 17th February
