The Samurai Film

by Alain Silver

Now illustrated throughout with color and black and white photographs and film stills; completely revised and up-to-date; and Praised in American Cinematographer as “the definitive study of this traditional movie genre,” Alain Silver’s The Samurai Film is the ultimate resource for one of world cinema’s most influential and compelling genres. The image of a lone hero, marked by a violent past and bound by honor, has fascinated film audiences the world over, but nowhere more than in Japan where Samurai films have gained legions of passionate followers. Popularized by one of the greatest directors in cinematic history, Akira Kurosawa, the themes of the Samurai film continue to cross over into Western films, recent blockbusters include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Kill Bill. The most astute Western analyst of this genre, Alain Silver deconstructs its key themes, from its focus on death and the significance of weaponry to key motifs such as hara kiri, and nostalgia for Japan’s feudal past. With comprehensive filmographies of the major directors and films, a survey of the history and myths of the Samurai, a glossary of Japanese terms, and extensive illustrations including more than two hundred photos, The Samurai Film covers every aspect of this fascinating cinematic tradition.

Genres: Film, Japan, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Reference

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1984

About the author

Alain Silver has co-written and co-edited a score of books including The Samurai Film, The Noir Style, The Vampire Film, Raymond Chandlers Los Angeles, director studies of David Lean and Robert Aldrich, and four Film Noir Readers. His articles have appeared in numerous film journals, newspapers, and online magazines. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and is a member of the Writers Guild of America west and the Directors Guild of America.

Reviews

[Melvin Van t hof · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a hard one for me. At the end it was a struggle to get trough. The writing style is very academic and dry. It goes into detail about camera angles and specific scenes but if you haven't seen the movie, it's very hard to really get interested. Even if I have seen the movie, it was hard to recollect such details. I think this would be great for a video essay or audiocommentary during a specific movie. It's not a bad book. It's well researched but it didn't grab me. It's one of those books while finishing a page, I couldn't remember what I've just read. I can totally understand that others like this book. It just wasn't for me.

[Phil Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

From its first edition this book has always been for serious readers only and exhaustive in its formal analyses. Silver discovered the masterful director Hideo Gosha long ago, before most of his movies could be found anywhere outside of Japan; and the chapter of his work was and is the core of this study. Now, as others have noted, in the new color edition, high-quality frame captures illustrate the detailed discussions. Use this latest edition as a reference on what to see then come back to it after you're watched the movies.

[Eskil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kjedelig når jeg ikke har sett filmene fra før. Ble veldig repetitivt og abstrakt.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alain Silver's The Samurai Film (1977 revised in 2006) has a lot of insight into the genre. It seems that Silver has written several books on film including many on film noir. Part One begins with The Introduction which discusses samurai in a historical context and is followed by Chapter One: "The Samurai in Fiction." He then devotes a whole chapter to Akira Kurosawa (rightly so in my opinion). Chapter Three is called "Genre Types" and is devoted to Daisuke Ito's film The Ambitious(which I have yet to see) as well as two classics directed by Masaki Kobayaski:Hara-Kiri and Rebellion. Chapter Four, "The Alien Hero," has three sections of which the first two, "The Blind Swordfighters: Zato Ichi and the Crimson Bat" and "Kyoshiro Nemuri, 'Son of the Black Mass,'" are new to me. However, I have seen the third section focusing on the film trilogy of "Miyamoto Musashi." Silver venerates director Hideo Gosha enough to give him his own chapter as well. Chapter Six, "The Slayers" looks at directors Kihachi Okamoto and Masahiro Shinoda and "The Red Slayers." Chapter Seven "The Evolution of the Genre" has three sections: "Violence, East and West: The Last Samurai," "Style and Political Statement," and "The Samurai at the Millennium." Part Two is comprised of: filmography, video distributors, VHS/DVD rental outlets, bibliography, glossary, notes, and index. There is a lot of good information here and some interesting discussions of the genre and films. If there's one drawback, it would be the lengthy plot summaries that are sometimes difficult to follow. Silver is more compelling when making observations about directors he admires like Gosha-which inspires me to seek out more of his films since I have only seen Sword of the Beast, which I quite enjoyed.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot of useful information in this book, but most of it's bogged down in formal analysis of particular films. If you're wanting to learn more about the particular films discussed in the book from a formal perspective, then this is very helpful. But if you just want a general overview of samurai films (themes, tropes, etc.), that's (more or less) summarized in about three pages near the end.

[Ver Delivres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. Informative, and littered with astute observations. A very good attempt at producing an exhaustive study of the samurai in cinema. Gave me cause to make a list of films I wish to re-watch with new insights in mind. Some might find the author's voice a little lost in detail, but that is exactly what I hoped for from such a book.

[David Wilentz]

I used to have the old edition of this. The updated one is great. Dense and intense, maybe a little too much, but definitely of interest to the serious samurai film aficionados.

[Galo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and comprehensive look into the history of Japanese Samurai Films. Highly recommended for fans of the genre, students of film, and anyone interested in Japanese Culture.

[Djll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great topic; I couldn't finish the book because the writing was unfriendly.