Samurai Fiction
Samurai Fiction (oppure SF: Episode One) è il titolo inglese di SF・サムライ・フィクション (SF: samurai fikushon), un atipico film samurai. È quasi completamente in bianco e nero e segue la trama tipica dei film jidaigeki-samurai, ma la presenza del rock and roll di Tomoyasu Hotei nella colonna sonora lo differenzia dai film a cui è ispirato, come per esempio i lavori di Akira Kurosawa. Un lungo spin-off è stato rilasciato nel 2001 col titolo Red Shadow: Aka Kage.
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| Durata | 111' |
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Il fatto che il film sia quasi interamente in bianco e nero, per rendere omaggio ai vecchi "samurai movie", permette un uso artistico e drammatico del colore, questo è particolarmente evidente quando un personaggio viene ucciso, e lo schermo per un attimo lampeggia nei toni del rosso. Il colore è usato per creare effetti anche all'inizio e alla fine del film.
Samurai Fiction è stato il primo lungometraggio per lo sceneggiatore-regista Nakano Hiroyuki, che fino a quel momento era stato regista di video musicali per MTV Japan. Il film è anche stata la prima esperienza da attore per la rockstar giapponese Tomoyasu Hotei.
Plot
The plot centers on Inukai Heishiro, played by Fukikoshi Mitsuru, the son of a feudal lord. One of his family's most precious heirlooms, a sword given them by the Shogun, has been stolen by the samurai Kazamatsuri, played by Tomoyasu Hotei. Against his father's advice, Heishiro insists on retrieving the sword himself. His father sends two ninja after him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.
Kazamatsuri wounds Heishiro, and kills one of his companions. The young noble ends up staying with an older samurai and his daughter, Koharu, played by Tamaki Ogawa, while he heals from his wound and plans his next move. The older samurai tries to dissuade him from fighting, but Heishiro's honor won't allow him to leave Kazamatsuri alive. The older samurai, who turns out to be the master Hanbei Mizogushi, played by Morio Kazama convinces him to fight Kazamatsuri by throwing rocks at him.
In the mean time, Kazamatsuri settles for a few days at a gambling house owned by the Lady Okatsu, played by Mari Atsuki, who falls in love with him. Then one night one of the ninja sent to protect Heishiro bribes her to poison his sake for one thousand gold. She does, but Kazamatsuri tastes the poison and kills Okatsu and the rest of the people in the gambling house. He then kidnaps Koharu in an attempt to get the master Mizoguchi to fight him.
Mizoguchi reveals to Heishiro that he killed Koharu's father, and has since never drawn his sword on another man, despite his immense skill. They then go to find Kazamatsuri and rescue Koharu. While Mizoguchi stalls Kazamatsuri, Heishiro takes Koharu aside and says he will marry her if Mizoguchi wins. Kazamatsuri fights Mizoguchi, who only draws his sword after his opponent destroys his wooden sword. He then disarms Kazamatsuri near a cliff. Kazamatsuri, admitting defeat, commits suicide by jumping off the cliff. Heishiro and the others go to the bottom, where there is no sign of Kazamatsuri's body, but Koharu spots the stolen sword at the bottom of the river, where Heishiro retrieves it.
Flash forward one year. Heishiro has married Koharu, the sword is returned, and Mizoguchi is now an official in Heishiro's father's clan.
Cultural references
The film has some amusing inside jokes, references, and connections. For example, the stolen sword that is at the center of the plot was a personal possession of Toshiro Mifune, the star of many of Akira Kurosawa's samurai films.
The name "Samurai Fiction" is a reference to Pulp Fiction[senza fonte], and the Japanese movie's bichromatic (red/black) opening credit featuring the shadow of a samurai performing a kata, was later spoofed, in blue & black, by Quentin Tarantino in his Kill Bill vol.1.
Also, Tarantino used Hotei's famous "Shin Jingi Naki Tatakai" instrumental track (aka "Battle Without Honor or Humanity") - which is the title of a Kinji Fukasaku, a major influence for Tarantino, classic yakuza movie - as BGM for the Kill Bill vol.1 teaser and in the movie's score. Hotei stars in Samurai Fiction and he had composed its OST.
Licensed products
A variety of licensed products were released from the video editions (DVD/LD/VHS), to the original soundtrack (CD), to Samurai Foto, a portfolio collecting 300 pictures taken from the motion picture.
SF episode one
Hiroyuki Nakano envisioned Samurai Fiction as the first episode in a "SF" entitled series. The films would be only vaguely related, in terms of plot or characters as Nakano wanted to explore a number of genres. However, only a second feature film has been made, Stereo Future in 2001, the following episodes being short films. Unreleased episodes were named Super Funky, and Sunday Family. -->
Collegamenti esterni
- Official Website
- (EN) Samurai Fiction, su IMDb, IMDb.com.