Shogun (1980)

Just perfect...

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I find it hard to fault this series. I watched it when it was first shown on British TV in the 80s and since bought the box set which I have now watched more than once. For me they captured the essence of the book (which I have also read more than once) and although Richard Chamberlain was not their first choice, I find it hard to imagine anyone else as Blackthorn now. Apparently Sean Connery was asked but I think he would have been awful. Connery does one act and that is himself. He cannot do accents (remember him as an Irish cop in The Untouchables with a Scottish accent?) Blackthorne was English and Chamberlain's accent is appropriately ambiguous. But for me all the Japanese actors steal this series. Toshirô Mifune is a perfect Lord Toranaga; Yôko Shimada as Miriko is perfect but also many of the lesser characters fill their roles perfectly. Furankî Sakai as Yabu is brilliant as is Yûki Meguro as Omi. Of the non Japanese actors John Rhys-Davies stands out as a perfect portrayal of Rodrigues as does Damien Thomas as Father Alvito. The story is brilliant and James Clavell's insight into Japanese life goes beyond his research. After being a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp during WW2 he set out to 'understand' how the Japanese could treat the western prisoners so wickedly. Shogun is in some ways an explanation of how they could do some pretty evil things. Based on the true story of William Adams a sailor in the 1600s who became the first Western samurai, many aspects of his life Mirror the things we see happen to Blackthorn in Shogun.I am sure that they could remake this story with maybe Henry Cavill as Blackthorn and with modern special effects but I doubt if a remake would ever be as good. Who knows maybe one day they will remake it and I will be pleasantly surprised?

I happened to watch Shogun again on Encore this week. I was shocked when I realized that the original release date was 33 years ago! I was a young 24 years old when I saw it the first time. It made quite an impression on me. I had read the book shortly before and really enjoyed the film I have a suggestion. Shogun should be re-released to a new generation. Here's what should be done to enhance this classic without diminishing or compromising this television classic.1. Do a standard digital remastering similar to other re-releases.2. If possible eliminate the TV "fade-outs to a commercial" that really date this mini-series.3. Re-do the score. The score is the weakest point of the movie. It sounds very 70s and the score sounds like a Rockford Files episode where Jim Rockford visits the Orient. This great classic deserves better.4. Here's the most important one: Add sub-titles. This would bring a whole new dimension to the re-release. Baby-boomers like myself who enjoyed the original three decades ago will be anxious to hear the new dialogue that was not previous translated. I'm not really sure if translating the parts that are already translated by one of the characters (Mariko, Father Alvito for example) would work. Maybe just subtitle other parts.Thirty three years is a long time. Shogun begs for a re-release.

I enjoyed "Shogun" a great deal more than a bloated, overlong historically-set miniseries that followed a few years later, "North and South." In spite being twelve some-odd hours in length, "Shogun" does not feel like it goes on forever like "North and South," has much better actors, and moves at a decent pace. It has the formula of historic romances, including a soap opera love between the Western man and an Eastern woman, whom he is forbidden to love. "Dances With Wolves" and, of late, "Avatar" follow a similar formula, but I enjoyed the love story between Lady Toda and John Blackthorne in "Shogun" much more than in those movies. "East meets West" romances, including those between Western men and Eastern women, and even including those set in Japan some time in the past, are pretty standard in literature and film; but, somehow, I enjoyed how this formula played out in "Shogun" more than others. This may have to do with the long running time of the miniseries, which allowed for a credible romance to develop; a three-hour film would have to, by comparison, develop this plot rather quickly."The Last Samurai" repeats the theme of a Westerner of no great title in his own homeland earning the respect of the Japanese nobility, earning the title of samurai, and aiding the nobles for their own ends. Somehow, I like how this formula played out in "Shogun" even more. Richard Chamberlain (TV's Dr. Kildare) is insanely fun to watch. His American accent does not hinder his role; in fact, it makes it very enjoyable. His character of John Blackthorne does undergo a change throughout the story, but still maintains a healthy skepticism of Japanese culture and of the trustworthiness of the Portuguese Jesuit priests who have insinuated themselves amongst the Japanese noble houses. Other wonderful actors include John Rhys-Davies (perhaps best known as Gimli from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies) is superb and fun to watch as Portuguese pilot "Rodrigo-san." Toshiro Mifune, perhaps the Japanese actor best known outside of Japan, credibly and subtly conveys the menace and wiles of the enigmatic Lord Toranaga (a fictionalized version of the real-life Ieyasu Tokugawa). The actors who played Lady Mariko Toda and Father Alvito, though relatively unknown, deserve commendation for their excellent acting.If you have any money saved up, try to rent separate discs of "Shogun" when you can until you have seen the whole series. It makes the experience more manageable (each disc is about two-and-a-half hours in length) than to see the whole damned thing at once. You will not regret it!

I saw this movie when I was a kid and it became the catalyst for my study of Japanese and martial arts. I have now been here in Japan 10 years, have my black belt and can say that this series still rocks. The only difference now is I understand all the Japanese spoken and the historical references, which makes it rock even further. The producers have done a wonderful job and the historical, linguistic, cultural points are spot on. There are few works like this where Japanese and Americans get together to produce a realistic piece (Blackrain is another good example)I recommend to other users if you ever have a chance, come to the places in this film here in Japan, and the series shall rock further for you indeed.