Guest reviewer and Cinema Head Cheese Asian cult film afficianado Dineh Tom takes a look at AnimEigo's Dora-Heita.
I remember the Golden Age of Japanese cinema, or at least my past soul does remember them, ha! There was always something about the chambara films within that time that gave me the chills. Maybe it was way a samurai lived a life in solidarity when the times were changing and he had no one to serve. Or, it could be the way a samurai can be so quiet and gentle, yet turn into a slashing weapon of death when he was given the right circumstances! So, when I was allowed to watch “Dora-Heita,” the film directed by Kon Ichikawa and produced in the year 2000, my anticipation was very high.
BUY DORA-HEITA ON DVD
BUY DORA-HEITA ON DVD
The story goes that the famous Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Kon Ichikawa, and Masaki Kobayashi wrote the film. They joined forces to create a production company that would allow them to make their own stories and possibly enliven their country’s motion pictures. After all these years, Kon Ichikawa, the last director remaining out of the four, finally made the piece.