Welcome to the Samurai Film Forum

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Welcome the Samurai Film Forum, where we discuss all things related to samurai and jidai geki cinema!

The House Rules are simple:
-Have fun
-Do not post explicit photos or use foul language (this is a family-friendly site)
-Keep posts relevant to the subject of samurai films and jidai geki.
-Do not personally attack any forum members, even if they do like the film "Bushido Blade"!
-Bring your own popcorn

What you'll find in this thread:
-Links to DVD distributors and grey market providers
-A List of book resources
-Links to Japanese movie studios and production companies
-for solid information on Japanese films and actors (in Japanese), try the Japanese Movie Database

[Tatsunoshi]

Here are links to some tried and true dealers for those aiming to track down that elusive samurai film that doesn't turn up on Amazon. Some dealers sell region specific DVD's, so make sure you have a machine that can handle them before ordering. Your best bet is to invest in a "no region" DVD player, available for $50 or under on eBay, Best Buy, or many other places-it'll take the guesswork out of the region game. Many new players are also DIVX coded, allowing you to play AVI files and such on them as well.

Licensed Dealers-these companies deal in new DVD's that are fully licensed from the copyright owners.

Amazon Japan

Obviously, the best place to get Japanese movies is from Japan-and Amazon is the easiest place to do so along with having the largest variety. Of course, you'll have to know how to read and search in Japanese, and their DVD's will be region 2 and most will not have English subtitles-so it's not for everyone. Extremely fast service (3-5 days), but postage is rather high.

Animeigo

Animeigo has been a longtime supporter of licensed jidaigeki and chanbara films, releasing many classic series and fan favorites on DVD such as 'Sleepy Eyes Of Death', 'Lone Wolf And Cub', 'Shinobi No Mono', 'Zatoichi', and many others. They're also notable for including extras on their discs that educate viewers as to the actual history behind the films. Now, if only they'd pick up 'Abarenbo Gaijin' for release...

Yes Asia

Yes Asia also has a large selection, and is extremely reliable with low postage (sometimes free). It has the added advantage of being searchable in English, Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. Again, pay attention to the region coding and subtitle information.

CDJapan

Amazon UK

Grey Market Dealers-We don't condone the bootlegging or copying and distribution of unlicensed copyrighted material, but if there's a particular film or TV show you want that's never been released commercially on DVD, these are the guys to go to. Be aware that picture quality is not likely to be as high as a commercial release, but most listings will inform you as to the level you can expect for a particular product. There are a lot of grey market dealers, but these seem to be the best.

Samurai DVD

Kurotokagigumi

Far East Flix

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

Here's a list of books about Samurai films and general Japanese cinema. More books will be added later.

Galloway, Patrick, Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion, Berkley, Stone Bridge Press, 2008 --Not released yet, but sure to be a gem and an instant classic!

"Galloway manages to translate the action, visual poetry, and standout performances of these samurai film classics to the written page in a way that combines the best of a scholarly approach with a fan friendly attitude. He not only KNOWS these films, he LOVES them-an attitude which you'll share after finishing this book (although you'll find yourself coming back again...and again...)"-Brick McBurly


Galloway, Patrick, Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook, Berkley, Stone Bridge Press, 2005 (Obenjo’s pick!)

Silver, Alain, The Samurai Film, Woodstock, The Overlook Press, 2005

Cocoro Books, Silver Screen Samurai: The Best of Japan’s Samurai Movie Posters, Hong Kong, DH Publishing, Inc., 2004

Richie, Donald. A Hundred Years of Japanese Film, Tokyo, Kodansha International, Tokyo, 2005

Desjardins, Chris, Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film, London, I.B. Tauris & Co., Ltd., 2005

Kurosawa, Akira,Something Like an Autobiography, New York, Random House, Inc., 1983

LeFanu, Mark. Mizoguchi and Japan, London, British Film Institute, 2008

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21Gro23iOcL._SL160_AA115_.jpg
Thorne, Roland, Samurai Films, Herts (UK), Kamera, 2008


Mellen, Joan, The Waves At Genji's Door: Japan Through Its Cinema, New York, Pantheon, 1976
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