Shogun

Was 11 years old when this was on TV. "Oh you should watch this it's so good," my parents said. So I didn't watch it, of course. Then on Friday night I went in to the bedroom and turned on the set and surfed through the channels to see what was on. Came upon the last episode of Shogun and was transfixed. Yoko Shimada, so beautiful as the character Mariko, captured my young heart, and I was forever in love with Japan. Started reading the book the next day, read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on about Japan, went to Japan as an exchange student, and am now married to a Japanese girl. This is a wonderful story, and Yoko Shimada was the best choice for the part, looking so natural in Kimono. No woman ever showed more grace, except maybe Audrey Hepburn...

I first saw the mini-series on TV when it came out. I was like millions of other viewers who made sure they were home night after night to see this epic. Now that it's out on DVD, how could I resist? Seeing it on a much bigger screen than existed in the early 80's, I immediately was appalled by the bad hair pieces of almost all of the Japanese actors. It took a while to get used to the seams and wrinkled skullcaps and the makeup that didn't really match. The only other "ouch" moment, for me, came in the opening shot of the "Erasmus" being filmed from a helicopter with Orson Welles narration. It was impressive up until the helicopter shadow goes right over the boat and the water!..... I was amazed that wasn't edited out in post. Ah well. When you watch the bonus material, you get an idea of what a monumentally difficult project this was from the language and custom difficulties to the famous TOHO Studios being about 25 years behind the times with their equipment...not to mention the tank where the shipwreck was filmed. I don't know if I agree with the director and producers that if it wasn't for 'Shogun' sushi would not be as popular in the U.S. as it has become, but it certainly sparked an ongoing interest in Japanese history and culture in me. It will always be one of the crowning achievements for television. It's a miracle that it came off as beautifully as it did. Just don't watch the 2-hour mess that is on video.

One of the most famous mini-series in television history, "James Clavell's Shogun" tells the epic tale of an English pilot who is washed up on the shores of Japan in the 17th century and becomes involved in the local political struggles. "Shogun" proves to be both an engrossing story, and a fascinating piece of television history.

Based on the life of the English navigator William Adams, "Shogun" is a complex story that explores both the political struggles of Feudal Japan, as well as analyzes the cultural differences of East vs. West. The story revolves around Pilot Major John Blackthorne, played by Richard Chamberlain. Coerced by Catholic Portuguese missionaries, with whom the English were at war, the Japanese authorities, or daimyos, throw the shipwrecked Blackthorne and his ailing crew into prison, and torture them as pirates. We soon learn that Lord Toranaga, the most powerful daimyo in Japan, is in the midst of a power struggle that could possibly lead him to be Shogun--the most powerful military ruler in Japan. In a final interview before his execution, Toranaga sees Blackthorne as valuable, and he spares the Englishman's life. Toranaga decides to employ him in training his troops in the Western methods of battle to help them prepare for the upcoming war against his rival, Ishido. Along the way, the audience is given a fascinating introduction to Feudal Japan through Blackthorne's eyes.

Shot entirely in Japan, director Jerry London took great care in using authentic costumes and believable sets. The casting is commendable, with Richard Chamberlain embodying the perfect Blackthorne (his performance garnered an Emmy nomination in 1980). Lord Toranaga is played masterfully by Toshiro Mifune, who also appeared in Akira Kurasawa classics such as Yojimbo and The Hidden Fortress.

Without a doubt, "James Clavell's Shogun" is worth a watch.

Any movie with this magnificent actor even showing up in a cameo, I give a 10. Actually, the costumes weren't very good, & a lot of the true historical facts were sometimes a little silly, but Toshiro Mifune makes the movie a classic. He's elemental, a force of nature, fantastic. Watch it just to get a glimpse of this wonderful actor's presence & charisma. The movie is based on the book by Clavell, & he did write the part of Toranaga with Toshiro in mind. The movie does follow the book pretty closely, and the book is based very loosely on an Englishman who was stranded on the Japanese Islands in the early 1600's.All-in-all, the movie on DVD is a lot better than the previous video tape that was out.

Shogun is the story of an English pilot shipwrecked in Japan and the first Englishman to arrive there. The story is based fairly closely on the life of William Adams to whom most of the events in the film happened to and did in fact become the only non japanese ever to become a samauri. He also became a minor daimyo and Japan's first Admiral. He may have well been a deciding factor in tiping the balance of power that let the Shogunate become as powerful as it did to rule as long as it did. One of my favourite things about the story on video is that it is about half english and half japanese. With no subtitles. As John Blackthorne (the name given the main character in the story) is struggling with the japanese so is the viewer. (I have also used it to help improve my japanese which is very limited).

The story is fast moving and fasinating. I read the book in three days and couldn't wait for the mini-series if I have an entire day to relax I will sometimes watch the entire 549 minutes of the show. As I said it is my all time favourite program