Best known for dramas such as Until We Meet Again and An Inlet of Muddy Water, the Japanese filmmaker Tadashi Imai was also the director of Revenge, a highly accomplished and brutal jidaigeki picture. These two sensibilities come together in the film that might just stand as Imai’s masterpiece: Cruel Tale of Bushido. Kinnosuke Nakamura (Miyamoto Musashi) stars in multiple roles, playing seven generations of men belonging to the same family. In the modern day, salaryman Iikura is devastated by his wife’s attempted suicide. To distract himself, he begins working through his recently discovered family records. As he traces his personal history across 350 years, he discovers tale after tale of men who have suffered, debased themselves and made untold sacrifices in the name of bushido, or the moral code of the samurai. Featuring Eijiro Tono (Seven Samurai) and Masayuki Mori (Rashomon) in supporting roles and boasting a foreboding score by the celebrated composer Toshiro Mayuzumi, Cruel Tale of Bushido won the Golden Bear Award at the 1963 Berlin Film Festival for its uncompromising deconstruction of the all-too-often romanticised concept of bushido. The Masters of Cinema Series is honoured to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

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Views: Also known as Bushido, Samurai Saga and Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai, this 1963 Toei production is set over the course of many years, telling the story of one family's fate over seven generations. From the early 1600s through to the 1960s, where one man looks back at his linage after his fiancée attempts to take her life. Realising the extremes his samurai ancestors were pushed to out of devotion and loyalty, a recurring theme over the years, Susumu decides now is the time to change his fate and rethink his life! Often considered to be one of the finest samurai films ever made, Cruel Tale of Bushido, which won the Golden Bear award for Best Film at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival, was directed by the talented Tadashi Imai – the same man behind classics such as An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953), Night Drum (1958), and the awesome Revenge/Adauchi (1964) which he was most likely inspired to make after delivering this gem...

 

Gorgeously filmed in stunning black-and-white, courtesy of cinematographer Makoto Tsuboi – the eye behind classics such as Case of a Young Lord (1956) and it's sequels, Wind Woman & Road (1958), Hawk of the North (1959), Miyamoto Musashi (1961) and it's sequels, Jakoman & Tetsu (1964) and many more – the film also benefits from an incredible score by acclaimed composer Toshiro Mayuzumi who also scored the epic Japanese Godfather Trilogy (1977), The Pornographers (1966), Pigs & Battleships (1961), and Imai's Revenge (1964) after this. But perhaps the biggest draw for me was having the great Kinnosuke Nakamura himself star in 8 different roles as he played every generation of his linage, and does any amazing job in every role. Following his father into the world of kabuki as his first foray into acting, Kinichi Ogawa took on the name of Nakamura which stayed with him throughout the rest of his career. During this time, until his passing in 1997, Kinnosuke would star in around 140 films impressing as the titular lead in Toei's popular Miyamoto Musashi series (recently released as the Zen & Sword box set by Eureka Video), The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy/Shogun's Samurai (1978), and a host of TV shows including the much loved Lone Wolf & Cub series from 1973 to 1976. Without a doubt, his roles here in Cruel Tales of Bushido serve as some of his best! Here, he is joined by a strong cast including Eijiro Tono, Kyoko Kishida, Masayuki Mori, Shinjiro Ehara, and others.

 

While we may have seen the theme of a regular guy, this time a salaryman, question the code of conduct – whether samurai, corporate or otherwise – many times before, Tadashi Imai does it in a way that questions the foundations of the bushido code itself; presenting many situations that makes us all sit back and take notice. Recently restored in 4K by Toei and released on Blu-ray by Eureka Video as part of their Masters of Cinema series, Cruel Tale of Bushido is accompanied by a 21 minute highly informative piece from Tony Rayns who shares his thoughts and memories on the film and those involved in it. Along with that, we get Seven Kinds of Samurai – a 16 minute video essay on Cruel Tale of Bushido that proves to be a worthwhile piece. And finally, the original 3 minute trailer sees things out with an intriguing edit that's been wonderfully restored. Limited to only 2000 copies, the Blu-ray also comes with a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring stunning new artwork by Tony Stella, and a collectors booklet.

 

Overall: Relentless, gripping and beautiful, Cruel Tale of Bushido is quite possibly Tadashi's true masterpiece!

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Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Tony Rayns on Cruel Tale of Bushido, Video Essay by Jonathan Clements, Trailer