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Shogun (1980)

Director: Jerry London

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Startled blue eyes above silky beard, Richard Chamberlain in a kimono looks more like an actor on his way to the bathroom than a grizzled English seafarer, cast ashore in 17th century Japan, where he turns samurai and becomes romantically and actively involved in a violent political intrigue. Based on James Clavell's huge novel, Shogun was originally a 10-hour TV mini-series. Shamefully hacked down to 151 minutes (still a yawning long haul), the plot has been rendered action-packed but utterly incomprehensible. Though production credits and cast point to a lively synthesis of oriental/occidental interests, the end result reduces the complex moral codes of feudal Japan to an inexplicable death wish. The threat of harakiri follows Chamberlain's illicit hanky-panky with the Lady Mariko (Shimada) as surely as day follows night, and yet again that rising sun blobs onto the screen like a pulpy tangerine.

Author: JS 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

  • Rajat K. Bhattacharjee said...
    Posted on Oct 15 2008 03:27 I am an Indian, I have keen interest in knowing culture and life style / life values of different civilization, different races, different regions and all those aspects which make dwelling different from one group of people to another.
    James Clavell has to my view, captured the most difficult and brutal feudalistic culture yet so beautifully and simply that majority of the people with general intelligence will find it very interesting. I can not say about those self proclaimed or may be acclaimed by the neo intelligent race, critics.
    I read the book in my childhood and it was as interesting to read as it is to see the movie after a long 20+ years anxious and eager wait.
    I see a movie, as how it impacts myself and my thoughts now. How it impacts the general mankind and other such jargon is for the scholars to comment.
    From this movie, I have the desire to fall in true love with a very beautiful Japanese woman who has very high life value and can teach me all about life and its values in a different way than I know. It should be a love for pure sharing knowledge and knowing more.
    Not all wishes comes true I guess ;-) but then wish is again a wish, no bar.
    Single line: We never learn anything by rubbishing it, only limits our container of knowledge. The lotus thrives in the mud.
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Cast & crew

Director: Jerry London

Producer: Eric Bercovici

Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Shimada, Frankie Sakai, Alan Badel, Michael Hordern, Damien Thomas full cast

Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers

Duration: 151 mins


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