The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) [Film Review]

The Tale of Zatoichi; or, Inconspicuous Masseur This Way Comes
     What I do is no different than the tricks street vendors use to attract customers. Enough about me...
The Tale of Zatoichi from 1962 marks the first movie in the long-running series about a blind swordsman who wanders through Japan and experiences numerous adventures. Produced by the studio Daiei and directed by Kenji Musumi (best known for Lone Wolf and a Cub series), this adaptation of Kan Shimozawa’s novel presents Zatoichi not as a larger-than-life hero, but as a compassionate, Sherlock Holmes-like keeper of justice. 

Release Info

Directed by: Kenji Misumi Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Eijiro Yanagi

Language: Japanese Original Title: 座頭市物語 Runtime: 95 min

Synopsis
Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) reaches a yakuza den in Iioka. He is provided shelter and care by the gang-leader Sukegoro (Eijiro Yanagi) who knows about Zatoichi’s extraordinary fight skills and wants to use them for his own advantage. It turns out that Sukegoro is preparing to attack a rival yakuza boss Shigezo (Ryuzo Shimada). In consequence, Shigezo hires a renowned ronin, Miki Hirate (Shigeru Amachi). Due to a coincidence, Zatoichi and Hirate befriend each other. The two warriors are not keen on fighting each other in some petty gang war, especially in view of the fact that Zatoichi is blind and Hirata suffers from tuberculosis. Nevertheless, both gangs press for a conflict.

Where the Devil Says Goodnight
I have to admit that I did not expect much from The Tale of Zatoichi, but now I understand why it kick-started the popular movie series. Unlike other samurai epics of that time, such as Yojimbo (1961) or Harakiri (1962), The Tale of Zatoichi is a radically different film. With slow-pace, Buddhist undertones, and innovative (for that time) cinematography, it is more similar to Woman in the Dunes (1964), a perfect example of Japanese New Wave, rather than standard chanbara motion pictures. Also, the sombre music score by the legendary Akira Ifukube increases the viewing experience.

The movie about people whose activity is mostly talking in enclosed spaces does not seem to be encouraging, but the character of Zatoichi glues everything together. He is the symbolic fool who is frowned upon by almost everybody, but he presents extraordinary skills, not only in fighting, but also in gambling, and solving mysteries. My all-time favourite scenes are 1) touching the face of Otane (Masayo Banri) in the moonlight and 2) Zatoichi giving Hirata a massage. The conversation between the two protagonists is so soothing and tranquil, which only increases the bromance level between them.

There are some scenes in which too many random characters plot against each other, which, in my opinion, is the only disadvantage of the film. Yet. the story is straightforward enough to follow without the necessity of having a repeated viewing.

With regard to performances, I have to say that I like Shintaro Katsu’s interpretation of Zaotichi more than Takeshi Kitano’s. This classic Zatoichi can be funny, cheerful, but also incredibly humble and sorrowful (Kitano’s Zatoichi’s seems to be a bit too angry in the 2003 remake). I also enjoyed the performance of Shigeru Amachi as Harata. The two actors had amazing chemistry on the screen. There is also some nice acting done by Masayo Banri, a woman who falls hopelessly in love with Zatoichi.

Recommendations
If you want to see a classic Japanese production which does not necessarily follow the chanbara formula, then I recommend The Tale of Zatoichi. This movie is definitely classic and it encouraged me to check out the remaining sequels. Hopefully, I will be able to review all of them soon.

Overall score: 8/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»