Legend of the Eight Samurai
| Legend of the Eight Samurai | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Kinji Fukasaku |
| Produced by | Haruki Kadokawa |
| Written by |
Toshio Kamata Kinji Fukasaku |
| Starring |
Hiroko Yakushimaru Hiroyuki Sanada Sonny Chiba |
| Music by | Nobody |
| Cinematography | Seizō Sengen |
| Distributed by | Toei |
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Release date
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December 10, 1983 (Japan) |
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Running time
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136 min |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Legend of the Eight Samurai (里見八犬伝 Satomi Hakken-den?) is a 1983 Japanese historical martial arts fantasy film, directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The script is adapted from a 1982 novel Shin Satomi Hakkenden (新・里見八犬伝) by Toshio Kamata, a loose reworking of the epic serial Nansō Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin.
The story follows Princess Shizu (Hiroko Yakushimaru), her family slain and on the run from her enemies. As she escapes she is found by the vagabond Shinbei (Hiroyuki Sanada), before being rescued from her pursuers by Dōsetsu (Sonny Chiba). He tells her the legend of a curse on her family, and of eight beads that identify eight dog-warriors who can lift it, of which he and his companion are two. To defeat the evil queen Tamazusa (Mari Natsuki) who killed her family, they must find all eight. But Shinbei hears of Princess Shizu's identity, and vows to collect the reward for capturing her.
The film preserves little of the plot or characterization, and none of the feel of the Bakin original. Instead it builds on the basic template – collecting a band of warriors together to accomplish a task, better known from films such as Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. While some of the back story and key elements like the beads remain, even the eight dog brothers are substantially changed, to the extent of Keno's feminine disguise becoming actual womanhood.
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