First Look: Zatoichi Box Set

Some might question why art film specialist Criterion released a twenty-five film box set tribute to the Zatoichi film series. After all, they once distributed a number of these same films under their Home Vision Entertainment label. If you count yourself among the skeptics, holding this superbly done box set in your hands might be enough to quell your doubts.

Background

Zatoichi was one of the longest running series in Japanese film history. After its run finished in the seventies, it lived on for a while as a television show. The film's star, Shintaro Katsu, also appeared in one last version in 1989 which is not included in this set. Since then, it has been revived in various forms, most famously by Takeshi Kitano. There was even a new take on the series with actress Haruka Ayase playing the lead role. The nearest Western equivalent to the Zatoichi franchise would have to be James Bond, even if the heroism of the main characters is decidedly different.

The Presentation

The artwork adorning the box, disc case, and hardcover booklet is stunningly appropriate. Inspired by Heian-era paintings depicting the Genpei War, the hallucinogenic colours used to depict caricatured actors in scenes from the movie seems strangely appropriate for a film series that largely played it straight. Perhaps this is because the artwork suggests the private hell the character of Zatoichi might have experienced after going on so many murderous rampages to protect the innocent and the weak in one village after the other. Regardless of the inspiration, kudos to the Art and Design team for their vision.

The Contents

The booklet does the series justice with a thoughtful essay contributed by Geoffrey O'Brien. He manages to tease out the formula elements of the film series and give a reasonable explanation as to how the movies still managed to avoid seeming formulaic. Chris D. contributes a synopsis of each movie, fleshed out with information about other notable participants in the production. A variety of artists take turns illustrating the page opposite each synopsis, which allows for a rich range of interpretations. Perhaps the nicest treat is the inclusion of Kan Shimozawa's original short story, "The Tale of Zatoichi", whose influence is evident throughout the first movie.

The disc case uses clever foldouts to match the DVDs and Blu-rays for each set of films. Thanks to the the latter's higher capacity, three movies are encoded on each disc with no loss of visual or sound quality I could detect. Criterion's decision to sell all their movies with both formats has been a boon in my household, since we only have a Blu-ray player in the basement, but sometimes watch movies on DVD in the living room.

Bonus Features

24 - Zatoichi in Desperation (B. Ward)

There is the equivalent of one disc worth of bonus content. I've only watched the interview with critic Tony Rayns so far. It is informative, but I did have one disagreement with him. He chooses Kenji Misumi and Kazuo Mori as his favourite regular directors. While I agree with the Misumi pick, Tokuzo Tanaka is the other name I look for when I want a surer bet at finding a quality Zatoichi flick--mais, à chacun son goût.

The Films Restored

I have only watched seven of the films so far, but have been impressed with the transfers and restoration efforts from everything seen to this point. As expected, the Blu-ray picture is particularly impressive, and my wife and I are noting numerous small details we had missed when viewing the HVE DVDs in the past. As well, the earlier DVD releases tended to saturate the colours. It was a look I liked, incidentally, but seeing the restored Blu-ray editions makes me feel like I'm watching the films the way they were originally projected in the sixties.

A Slight Subtitling Miscue

Did you just say you were trying to avenge your own death?

The greatest reward in having the box set though, is the ability to watch the movies consecutively. It is far easier to follow the storyline and keep track of characters and story elements that occurred in previous films. Since we were following along so closely, we found a small subtitling error in the fourth movie, Zatoichi the Fugitive, that could confuse English viewers.

At the 22 minute mark, Boss Yagiri is having a discussion with the ryokan owner, Shimazo, about Zatoichi. When Yagiri reveals his motive for putting a price on Zatoichi's head, he says it is for the killing of Iioka no Sukegoro, the boss who hosted Zatoichi in the first movie, and then was killed for betraying him in the second. Unfortunately, the subtitle names "the yakuza brother Kisuke," who Zatoichi killed in self-defence at the beginning of the movie in question. This mistake could cause a lot of confusion, since Kisuke says he was attacking Zatoichi to earn the reward himself. As there is no time travel in this film, it would be understandably hard to figure out how someone could be trying to earn a reward that was offered to avenge his own death!

Of course not! Only an oyabun is worthy of a reward!

Ever feel like the whole world's against you? (C. Willumsen)

Why Buy When You Can Watch on Hulu?

At a retail price of $224.99 US, one might wonder if it is worth springing for a bunch of movies with essentially the same plot structure, especially if one has access to them streaming. I would say yes, for 3 reasons. 

1. Criterion and Barnes & Noble each offer 50% off sales once in a while.
2. Criterion does such a great job restoring, preserving, and distributing classic films from around the world that they deserve our financial support (even if it is 50% off).
3. The box set looks awesome--both as a physical object and on screen. It is a fitting tribute to a great movie series.

I eventually plan to post capsule reviews of the movies, either here or on my website. If you can't wait, my favourite set can be found at a website called alexinwonderland. It might look dated, but the reviews are solid, and I generally agree with the star ratings for each film. Once all twenty-five films have been viewed, I intend to start a Zatoichi trivia quiz on Twitter. There will be no prizes other than a boost to your self-esteem, but if that sounds like fun, you can follow me @travisbelrose. I'll also run it simultaneously on Google+, so you can add me to your circles there and/or join the Japanese Cinema: the Art and Sound community to make sure you don't miss anything.