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Chushingura
Price: $125.00 Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
EAN: 9786305071556
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305071551
Label: Image Entertainment
Languages: Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Release Date: October 21, 1998
Running Time: 207 minutes
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: October 03, 1963
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Editorial Review:
Chushingura means "loyalty," and that potent Japanese theme runs like hot blood throughout this stately samurai epic. It's often called the Gone with the Wind of Japanese cinema, and while that may be a fitting cultural parallel, it gives an inaccurate impression of the film, based on one of Japan's most enduring and oft-interpreted historical events. A simmering, deliberately paced drama set during the Tokugawa shogunate in 1701, it centers on 47 loyal samurai who seek vengeance against the arrogant elder statesman who caused their master's ritual suicide. The now masterless ronin let seasons pass (and the movie occasionally seems just as long) before executing a climactic raid that is both expertly fierce and lethally efficient. Featuring a who's-who of fine Japanese actors, including Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, Chushingura bears little resemblance to Kurosawa's action-packed samurai classics. This is a thematically dense, politically complex drama, presented here at its fullest length (207 minutes) and best appreciated after multiple viewings. Masterfully composed with painterly precision, Chushingura weaves its intricate tapestry from time-honored tenets of Japanese culture, offering a challenging but grandly rewarding experience. --Jeff Shannon
For two hundred years, no other story has captured the hearts and imagination of the Japanese people more than "Chushingura." When Lord Asano is forced by a corrupt lord to commit hara kiri, forty-seven loyal samurai seek vengeance. Often referred to as the "Gone with the Wind" of the Japanese cinema, "Chushingura" is an unparalleled example of the true samurai spirit.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Like the cherry blossom, this film doth fall from my movie library...
A 1963 Japanese film whose title translates into "Loyalty," this movie accounts the famous Japanese legend of 47 ronin who avenge their master who was tricked into committing seppukku for striking a spiteful superior. It is definitely a great tale to show on film, but unfortunately the delivery here is lacking.
I enjoy how every time I read reviews for this film it is called a "deliberately paced drama." This seems to me an apologetic response to the film's incredible and slow-moving ... Read More
Rating:  - Inagaki's Chushingura
Japan loves the story of the loyal 47 ronin, who avenge the wrongful forced-seppuku death of their master. It's been told like a bazillion times before, and illustrated, and there are plays, too! Of films, I count at least 27 different versions.
I like Mizoguchi's version in two parts for its aesthetic. But, this Inagaki version is really a lot of Hollywood-style fun. Color, for one thing, makes this easy to like, and a little cameo of Toshiro Mifune doesn't hurt.
This ... Read More
Rating: - On the quality of the 2001 DVD version.
Several reviewers have suggested that this DVD is based on a poor print or of poor technical quality.
I obtained a copy of this edition (2001) from the local library system to check the quality, and found it
satisfactory. Perhaps they were viewing the earlier release (which still seems to be offered on Amazon).
As for the movie itself, yes it develops slowly but every minute is enjoyable. And there is a climactic
battle for those who demand action. The celebrated 1941 ... Read More
Rating:  - "Lord Kira, Prepare To Die": Classic Film About Loyalty!
"Chushingura," which translates into the word loyalty, is a different kind of samurai film. First, and foremost, it is mainly a drama that unfolds into two parts. Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, the films deals primarily with loyalty. And in specific, loyalty to ones Lord. In Part I, titled "Blossoms" the viewer is introduced to the films first protagonist named Lord Asano (Yuzo Kayami). Lord Asano is an honorable man, however, during the Tokugawa era, bribery and corruption were part and parcel of the ... Read More
Rating: - Loyalty
Based on actual events, the story of the loyal 47 ronin is probably the most dramatized story in Japanese theatrical tradition. Appearing originally as a bunraku puppet play, it was soon followed by a fantastically successful Kabuki adaptations and more than eight cinematic versions. Its enduring popularity is based on the core Japanese values it represents; loyalty to a superior, at the cost of all things including life, love and personal happiness. Like the Western King Arthur and Robin Hood, the ... Read More
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