Samurai Wolf 1966
Distributed by Film Movement
Produced by Nobusaburo Honda
Directed by Hideo Gosha
Streaming, 75 mins
High School - General Adult
Asian Film Studies; Martial Arts; Popular Culture
Date Entered: 07/19/2023
Reviewed by Ray Boucher, Lecturer of Theater and Film (SUNY Buffalo State, SUNY Geneseo, GCC, NCCC) and actorGoshen's classic "chanbara" (swordfight film) has all the great earmarks of Japanese Samurai films. There is a clear connection between these works and Westerns of the same period--very reminiscent of Sergio Leone in both style and themes. Goshen's use of silence with isolated noise, jump cuts, zooms, odd angles, stellar fight choreography, and plenty of blood make the film stylishly satisfying and an exemplar of 1960's action cinema.
Isao Natsuyagi's portrayal of ronin Kiba, the Wolf, is at times comical, at times filled with pathos, and always entertaining. When we first meet the Wolf, he is ravenously gulping bowl after bowl of rice, for which he is unable to pay. The roguishness soon dissipates when we learn that he is a hard worker, with a mean sword, and a strong moral center. The plot revolves around a postal outpost where lawlessness and murder beleaguer a blind widow who acts as the shipping manager. When Kiba decides to help, the plot twists and turns in a series of double crosses that becomes almost dizzying. The film is a great introduction to classic cinema and martial arts films from the East.
Awards:Festival du Nouveau Cinema (2022)
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