- Actors: Tetsuro Tamba, Eiji Okada, Eitarô Ozawa, Isao Kimura, Muga Takewaki
- Directors: Masahiro Shinoda
- Producers: The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin ), The Assassination (1964), Ansatsu, The Assassin
- Format: PAL
- Language Japanese
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 12
- Studio: Eureka
- DVD Release Date: 23 Jan 2006
- Run Time: 104 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000BX6FSM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,121 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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DVD Description
(or Ansatsu) marked Masahiro Shinoda's first attempt at a period film, and is widely considered to be his finest achievement. Previously gaining fame and status alongside Nagisa Oshima and Kiju Yoshida, challenging established Japanese cinema with tales of reckless youth, The Dry Lake (1960) and the seminal yakuza drama Pale Flower (1964) Shinoda graduated from Shochiku, where his grounding was working as an assistant to Yasujiro Ozu. The story of Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political maneuvering that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa (Tetsuro Tamba), an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor. Filmed in richly stylish black and white 'Scope by cinematographer Masao Kosugi, Shinoda's film explores the character of Kiyokawa as he singlehandedly attempts, against a backdrop of betrayal and abrupt violence, to prevent the outbreak of civil war. With an award-winning score by Toru Takemitsu (Pitfalll, The Face of Another) and a deft, twisting narrative structure, Assassination's profound nihilism has a striking contemporary resonance which fiercely displays the director's skill and individual vision. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Assassination for the first time on home video in the West.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Japanese ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Booklet, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Assasination (or Ansatsu) marked Masahiro Shinoda's first attempt at a period film, and is widely considered to be his finest achievement. Previously gaining fame and status alongside Nagisa Oshima and Kiju Yoshida, challenging established Japanese cinema with tales of reckless youth, The Dry Lake (1960) and the seminal yakuza drama Pale Flower (1964) Shinoda graduated from Shochiku, where his grounding was working as an assistant to Yasujiro Ozu. The story of Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political maneuvering that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa (Tetsuro Tamba), an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor. Filmed in richly stylish black and white 'Scope by cinematographer Masao Kosugi, Shinoda's film explores the character of Kiyokawa as he singlehandedly attempts, against a backdrop of betrayal and abrupt violence, to prevent the outbreak of civil war. With an award-winning score by Toru Takemitsu (Pitfalll, The Face of Another) and a deft, twisting narrative structure, Assassination's profound nihilism has a striking contemporary resonance which fiercely displays the director's skill and individual vision. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Assassination for the first time on home video in the West. ...The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Wave Samurai,
By hj (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Assassination - Masters of Cinema series [DVD] (DVD)
Shinoda was a leading director of the Japanese New Wave. In the mid 60s he turned to making classy period films of which “Double Suicide” used to be familiar on the indie cinema circuit, but the earlier “Assassination” has been little seen outside Japan. The reason is fairly obvious: this film has an extremely complicated narrative concerning a Machiavellian figure, Kiyokawa, plotting amongst rival factions, loyal to either Shogun or Emperor, as Japan decided how to respond to the first arrival of “foreign barbarians” (American gunboats) in 1853. Unless you know about this historical period you’ll find the film difficult to follow on first viewing. However the (black & white) cinematography is stunning, as is the editing: it is a very stylish, modern & intelligent film, sharp in every sense. Eureka’s “Masters of Cinema” series is to be congratulated once again for selecting a neglected classic, with a beautifully restored print, a brief but informative intro from Alex Cox, plus a booklet including a lengthy explication of the movie by Joan Mellon which certainly makes subsequent viewings more comprehensible. A challenging film perhaps, but if you are interested in 60s Japanese cinema “Assassination” is worth investigating. Let’s hope they release “Double Suicide” next!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intellectual but often confusing political thriller,
This review is from: Assassination - Masters of Cinema series [DVD] (DVD)
This rarely-seen Japanese film centres around a mysterious wandering ronin Hachiro Kiyokawa (Tetsuro Tanba) as he juggles between the Shogunate and the Emperor sympathisers in 19th-century Japan. As the pre-credits text informs us (in detail), four American warships arrived in 1853, upsetting the political balance in Japan, as the country divides into the Liberal Shogunate, and the Imperialists who want all foreign influence banished. Kiyokawa's story is told by various supporting players in flashback and the film jumps around a detailed timeline. We never know or fully understand Kiyokawa's intentions and political preference as he proves unpredictable and at time, extremely ruthless.
The film is more of a political thriller than a traditional samurai film, full of conversations in dark rooms, back-stabbings, bargains and power-shifts. Director Masahiro Shinoda never feels like he has to make it easy for the audience to follow, as the large cast of minor players are never fully developed enough, so it's difficult to keep up with who is who. This, I feel, works both for and against the film. It is on one hand highly intelligent and intellectually stimulating, but on the other hand it allows the plot to become convoluted. It's a shame because I would like to have had time to soak up the mysterious atmosphere, and the beautiful cinematography on show. It is though, as a whole, a very good film, and one I will watch again when I get the chance, in order to wrap my tiny brain around the complex plot. (...)
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