The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
Encyclopedia
is a 1962
Japan
ese film directed by Kazuo Mori
and starring Shintarō Katsu
as Zatoichi the blind swordsman. The Tale of Zatoichi Continues is the second entry in the popular, long-running Zatoichi
series.
's review judges The Tale of Zatoichi Continues to be less interesting in plot than the previous film, The Tale of Zatoichi
, but more quickly-paced than the first film. According to the review, the musical score by Ichirō Saitō is more melodramatic than Akira Ifukube
's score for the first film, though melodrama is not out of character for the series. The casting of Tomisaburo Wakayama
-- lead actor Shintarō Katsu
's older brother—in the role of Yoshirō, the one-armed swordsman, lends the film more interest.
In Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook (2005), Patrick Galloway also judges the pacing of this second film in the series to be tighter than the first. He notes that this film has the first large-scale battle in the series, with Zatōichi taking on fifty to sixty opponents at once. Galloway praises Katsu's ability to move quickly in a way that obscures the choreography in the fights.
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film directed by Kazuo Mori
Kazuo Mori
was a Japanese film director. He directed films from 1930s to 1970s.- Filmography :Kazuo Mori directed 131 films:* * Fighting Fire Fighter...
and starring Shintarō Katsu
Shintaro Katsu
, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
as Zatoichi the blind swordsman. The Tale of Zatoichi Continues is the second entry in the popular, long-running Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
series.
Plot
Zatōichi, the expert blind swordsman and masseur is hired to massage a powerful political leader. When Zatōichi learns of the nobleman's unstable mental condition, his followers are determined to kill him before he can report what he has learned. After the master swordsman has defeated the attackers, Yoshirō a champion one-armed swordsman, is sent to silence Zatōichi.Cast
- Shintarō KatsuShintaro Katsu, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
as Zatōichi - Yoshie Mizutani (Yaeko Mizutani) as Osetsu
- Masayo Banri as Otane
- Jo Kenzaburo (Tomisaburo WakayamaTomisaburo Wakayama, born Masaru Okumura, was a Japanese actor, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.-Biography:...
) as Nagisa no Yoshirō - Yutaka Nakamura as Kagami no Sanzo
- Sonosuke Sawamura as Seki no Kanbei
- Eijirō Yanagi as Sukegoro Hanoka
- Saburo Date as Morisuke
Critical response
DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
's review judges The Tale of Zatoichi Continues to be less interesting in plot than the previous film, The Tale of Zatoichi
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962 film)
The Tale of Zatoichi , directed by Kenji Misumi, is the first film of a classic Japanese samurai drama saga starring Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi.-Plot:...
, but more quickly-paced than the first film. According to the review, the musical score by Ichirō Saitō is more melodramatic than Akira Ifukube
Akira Ifukube
was a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
's score for the first film, though melodrama is not out of character for the series. The casting of Tomisaburo Wakayama
Tomisaburo Wakayama
, born Masaru Okumura, was a Japanese actor, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.-Biography:...
-- lead actor Shintarō Katsu
Shintaro Katsu
, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
's older brother—in the role of Yoshirō, the one-armed swordsman, lends the film more interest.
In Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook (2005), Patrick Galloway also judges the pacing of this second film in the series to be tighter than the first. He notes that this film has the first large-scale battle in the series, with Zatōichi taking on fifty to sixty opponents at once. Galloway praises Katsu's ability to move quickly in a way that obscures the choreography in the fights.