Sunday, November 15, 2009

Movie Notes: Lady Snowblood (1973)

I often have questions when I post a rave review of some movie: should I recommend this movie? What if the readers here watch the movie and don't care for it? Recently, I've been lauding Sam Fuller, and I know that he's a bit of an acquired taste. It's sort of the same with Werner Herzog actually. It's worth exposing yourself to his movies, but admittedly, they're not for everyone.

Having said all that, I think I can unequivocally recommend the 1973 movie Lady Snowblood. I'm pretty sure all of you will like it because it really does kick ass. There are probably some viewers who won't enjoy the film, but I don't want to know about them.

The film is based on a Japanese manga detailing a female assassin- the Lady Snowblood- and her quest to kill a group of bandits that raped her mother and killed her father, mistaking him for a government official during the Meiji period. The mother is locked in a women's prison and gives birth to a daughter, Yuki, concieved with a prison guard. The mother dies during childbirth, swearing that Yuki will live for vengeance. Another prisoner takes the child to be raised by a priest who trains her in the martial arts. When she comes of age, she sets out with a hitlist. You can imagine what happens next.

The titular assassin is played by Meiko Kaji, who also signs the theme song, 'Flower of Carnage', which you might recognize from Kill Bill. The film has a very similar visual style and storyline, and the final swordfight in the snow, in particular, reminds me of Lady Snowblood. It's also very similar to the Lone Wolf and Cub series of films, released in the United States as Shogun Assassin. Apparently, some special effects artist in Japan figured out in the 70s how to pump fake blood out from under actors' clothes because all of these films feature characters spraying geysers of blood from samurai sword wounds. It's both ridiculously gory and pretty awesome.

The film was produced by The Toho Company, who are best known for their Godzilla movies, but have put out all sorts of media. There was a sequel to Lady Snowblood, which I haven't yet seen, and a sci-fi remake. It is an action-packed and stylish film and I can recommend it without qualifications. Well, unless you are bothered by arterial spray.

9 comments:

Holly said...

That looks fantastic.

Holly said...

Feedback about this from a friend who's very, very fond of these sorts of films:

Definitely check it out - really good.

And if you'd like a modern but more disturbing equivalent, try "Sympathy For Lady Vengeance" by Park Chan-Wook.

Rufus said...

Yeah, I was amazed by how good Sympathy for Lady Vengeance was. It is definitely more disturbing, but well worth seeking out.

Brian Dunbar said...

What if the readers here watch the movie and don't care for it?

You can't know you don't like something until you try it.

If I try X and I like it - I've added it to my universe: win! But if I don't like it then I'll know for sure I don't.

And also - I may circle back years later and discover I do like it. This has happened: I used to scorn country and western music. Now I've circled back and enjoy those old songs I mocked as 'hillbilly' once upon a time.

Rufus said...

I guess that's true. Moreso lately, I've been seeing this site as a place to prostelytize for art and literature that I like than anything else. Claire pointed out that my writings on politics or philosophy aren't really tubthumping so much as me trying to figure out for myself what I think about things. With art, there's a bit more certainty because I have more idea what I think.

I've definitely reconsidered a lot of art though. Actually, the thing I posted today was partly about finally understanding what John Wayne was doing in all those movies and starting to get why people like Westerns so much.

As for the hillbilly music, I definitely like bluegrass and older country & western. I can't get the appeal of Billy Ray Cyrus or any of that new stuff, but the old stuff is great. I'll also admit that I once drove an hour and a half to see a dinky "museum" dedicated to Patsy Cline.

Brian Dunbar said...

Actually, the thing I posted today was partly about finally understanding what John Wayne was doing in all those movies and starting to get why people like Westerns so much.

Perhaps emotional repression you noted is noted, and appreciated by
men who, themselves, are emotionally repressed. They like it but can't or wont' articulate the more nuanced reasons _why_.


As for the hillbilly music, I definitely like bluegrass and older country & western. I can't get the appeal of Billy Ray Cyrus or any of that new stuff,

A lot of what passes for C+W from Nashville leaves me cold. But I like (say) Miranda Lambert and spent a few hours yesterday getting to know Dwight Yoakam all over again.

Brian Dunbar said...

Having said all that, I think I can unequivocally recommend the 1973 movie Lady Snowblood

It came to me like a thunderclap - I've seen a movie just like this: it was called 'Hannie Caulder' and starred Raquel Welch.

Rufus said...

I'll have to check that one out. It sounds a bit like The Bride Wore Black, which is also about a woman out for revenge on the gang that (by pure accident) killed her husband on their wedding day. It also vaguely reminded me of the extremely violent Swedish movie Thriller- A Cruel Picture. Both are recommended.

Supposedly, Lady Snowblood was also the template for Kill Bill. I think there's just a lot of room for female revenge movies.

Rufus said...

As for John Wayne's acting style, I think what I once saw as a limited range on his part is really an accurate portrayal of emotional repression. My father used to be like that- a "man of few words"- and I think that men like that really do express themselves with the subtlest gestures. There's a scene in the movie in which his character has apparently just seen the raped and murdered body of a relative and Wayne plays it by simply staring off somewhat vacantly and digging in the dirt with his knife. While I might have once seen that as too vague, it's actually a really brilliant portrayal of shock and grief. That's exactly how that man would have behaved.