Zatoichi's Vengeance

Zatoichi's Vengeance
Japanese name
Kanji座頭市の歌が聞える
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnZatōichi no uta ga kikoeru
Directed byTokuzō Tanaka
Written byHajime Takaiwa
Based onZatoichi
by Kan Shimozawa
Produced byIkuo Kubodera
StarringShintaro Katsu
Jun Hamamura
Mayumi Ogawa
Kei Satō
CinematographyKazuo Miyagawa
Edited byKanji Suganuma
Music byAkira Ifukube
Production
company
Release date
  • 3 May 1966 (1966-05-03) (Japan)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Zatoichi's Vengeance (座頭市の歌が聞える, Zatōichi no uta ga kikoeru) is a 1966 Japanese chambara film directed by Tokuzō Tanaka and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi. It was originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company (later acquired by Kadokawa Pictures).

Zatoichi's Vengeance is the thirteenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi.

Plot

Traveling on the road, Zatoichi (Katsu) encounters a dying man who gives him a bag full of money and the name "Taichi". Traveling on, he makes the acquaintance of a blind biwa-playing priest. The two travel to a town that is having their annual thunder drum festival. The town is under the domination of a Yakuza boss who extorts from the people.

Cast

Production

Reception

In a contemporary review, "Chie." of Variety praised the film, noting "superlative camerawork" of Kazuo Miyagawa and compared the Zatoichi series to the James Bond film series, noting its "coolness and sense of fun".[2] "Chie." noted a highlight to be the film's finale with its battle on the bridge as being "splendidly photographed".[2]

From a retrospective review, J. Doyle Wallis, in a review for DVD Talk, wrote that "Zatoichi's Vengeance displays one of the most interesting aspects of Zatoichi as a character."[3]

References

  1. ^ "Zatoichi's Vengeance". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b Variety's Film Reviews 1964-1967. Vol. 11. R. R. Bowker. 1983. There are no page numbers in this book. This entry is found under the header "May 18, 1966". ISBN 0-8352-2790-1.
  3. ^ Wallis, J. Doyle (26 May 2004). "Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 13 - Zatoichi's Vengeance". DVD Talk. Retrieved 29 April 2014.


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