User reviews

Without a doubt, this is the best American movie about the Orient that has been ever made. Nothing we Americans will do will ever surpass this. Next to Akira Kurosawa's amazing works, there is Shogun. Shogun is in excellent company.

Do NOT see the shortened version, see all of it. The multi tape version is great; and the single tape mini version is a travesty.

There was a time in TV when the mini-series was king. They were great prestige products for the networks who, risking immense financial expenditure, hoped to create a cinematic masterpiece on a small screen.

SHOGUN may be the ultimate expression of this neglected TV format. Based on James Clavell's sweeping epic novel of the same name, it succeeds fully in transporting the viewer to another time and place. Through John Blackthorne's eyes (Richard Chamberlain in a now iconic performance, blending moments of delightful scenery chewing with moments of genuine emotion and subtlety), we become ever more involved in the political dealings of the Japanese nobility and the mixed motives of the Jesuits.

One of the great triumphs of SHOGUN is to ensnare the viewer despite long segments in Japanese with no subtitles. The filmmakers were trying to tell the story through Blackthorne's eyes and save for a few moments of narration explaining the dialog, we are left to slowly comprehend the action at the same pace as Blackthorne. It's a device which works wonderfully well, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on through context and character.

In addition to Chamberlain, SHOGUN is replete with glorious performances. Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga, a Japanese nobleman with grand political designs, possesses great power and yet Mifune's performance is also very nuanced. Toranaga is a man who's mind is always trying to figure three steps ahead and we see this aspect of Toranaga's personality in Mifune's work- a considerable feat considering his dialog is exclusively in Japanese and without subtitles.

Yoko Shimada plays Mariko with a captivating beauty and ethereal grace. Becoming Blackthorne's interpreter and love interest, we cannot take our eyes off of her. Her performance is made doubly impressive by the fact that Ms. Shimada spoke no English and had to be told what her lines met with great care.

Additionally, John-Rhys Davies gives a wonderfully bravura turn as Rodrigues and Damien Thomas gives his Father Alvito real depth and dignity.

SHOGUN does show its age. The quality of the video image does have a bit of that TV glow to it and Maurice Jarre's score, seeming so lush back in 1980, sounds as if it were recorded by a very small third-rate band in a backwater recording studio- it reeks of TV. Still, these are comparatively minor quibbles to an otherwise completely engrossing epic. SHOGUN succeeds mightily in taking the viewer into a strange land filled with wonder and intrigue. By the end, it's a land you aren't ready to leave- perhaps the ultimate compliment for any film.

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

In 1976, James Clavell wrote an epic masterpiece: the story of Blackthorne, an English sailor lost in Feudal Japan. He gradually finds his place, oft the central pawn of political intrigues between various foreign powers and the local warlords. In 1980, this miniseries was unleashed on the world and created a whole new audience for the mammoth bestseller. No small feat considering the length and complexity of Clavell's 1200+ page door-stopper. Clocking in at almost 10 hours, this mega-budgeted series delivers the goods. People who have seen "The Last Samurai" might see a few plot similarities (even in certain smaller details: Tom Cruise sports exactly the same haircut as Richard Chamberlain). With all respect for the 2003 film, Shogun is far out of it's reach.

Richard Chamberlain embodies Blackthorne to perfection, successfully gaining our empathy through an ambiguous yet very human performance. Supporting him are Japanese icon Toshiro Mifune as the shrewd warlord and aspiring shogun Torunaga, who befriends/manipulates Blackthorne, and Yoko Shimada as Blackthorne's translator, confident and friend. Every actor gives life to Clavell's carefully drawn and layered characters (most of all a very bombastic John Rhys-Davies). For a television miniseries, the technical specs are quite surprisingly good. Indeed the budget must have been quite important (and set a record at the time) but never is the story or it's rhythm scarified to show-off. The direction and photography are quite tasteful, often reminiscent of early Kurosawa, only in color. Maurice Jarre's score might not reach the lofty heights of his work for David Lean but it serves it's purpose.

Many will tell you that the book is better. It is certainly more intimate and detailed, but a more faithful and excellent adaptation of such a rich book you are not likely to see anytime soon. For anyone with a taste for epics, Japan or just plain good entertainment, this is essential viewing.

The background is explained up front and via dialogue. There is occasional narration by the renowned Orson Welles. Music is added for emphasis. The lighting is consistently good. There is occasional humor. There are colorful costumes. Less gore...and off-camera. The biggest difference: instead of battles, relationships are focused on. There is more about the crew and their frustrations with their long journey and their fate. Blackthorne learning the hard way about the barbaric nature of his captors. The interplay with the excellent Richard Chamberlain and the wonderful John Rhys-Davies. The immediate attraction between Blackthorne and Mariko. The tense relationship between the Portuguese, their monopoly and ways exposed, and Blackthorne, is firmly established, thanks in large part to the.excellent acting of Damien Thomas as Father Alito. The viewer gets a much better sense as to what John Blackthorne was up against. If you read the book, which I highly recommend, you may-as I did in 1980-appreciate the care and thorough nature of this version.

Richard Chamberlain gives an excellent performance as well as all the Japanese actors in this well-made adaptation of Clavell's novel. It sticks fairly well to the plot of the book.

Super-rich in history with one of the most interesting characters, Anjin-san (Japanese for Mr. Pilot). Anjin-san is marooned in feudal Japan and makes a decision to change his Western thinking and fit in to the totally foreign but alluring Japanese society.

He is drawn into a forbidden love with a Japanese noblewoman, while battling jealous Japanese nobles and fanatical Jesuits. He earns the trust of Lord Torenaga who is a wise tactician in the art of waging war and diplomacy. Can Anjin-san survive the constant perils he is put into and win the hand of the woman he loves? Many scenes are in Japanese, but if you had no problem with The Last Samauri, it should pose no problem here.

I read this book so many years ago I dread to think. I watched the series on TV when it first released here in the UK and was completely blown away by it. A few years later I noticed a video in the video library and hired it. I was disappointed in that because it had be condensed into a mere 125 it was almost unwatchable, but for fans there were a few changed sequences, not least a full frontal view of Lady Mariko Buntaro (Yoko Shimada) that didn't go amiss.

I bought this DVD when it was recently released and its as fresh today as it was then. A few things grate, the large TV type titles showing locations (OK it was made for TV), the fact that we cannot hope to learn Japanese in only 10 hours (although the major plot lines are narrated by Orson Welles) and so miss much of the political intrique set out in the book and of course Maurice Jarre's music now seems to be a little out of place in such an oriental setting.

Take it from me, these are small criticisms of a piece of work that has well stood the test of time. If you have 10 hours to spare, or chunks of it at a time, it is very much worth watching. You won't be disappointed. The only way it could have been better in the DVD version would be to combine some of the scenes from the 125min video version and to subtitle the Japanese. Mel Gibson has proven that we are adult enough to sit through a movie of subtitles if we are motivated enough and with this we would be.

One of the best period pieces captured on film made even better because of location and exquisite scenery the costumes are stunning and the Japanese actors and extras are awesome. Set in their environment (Japan) it sets the scene and tone of the whole show. There are bad reviews on some small details but it doesn't take away the dedication and hard work that everyone has put in this production. Richard Chamberlain and all the other actors and actresses were also great in playing their parts to make us believe that we were transported to that period and time. Thanks to all cast and crew for a job well done.

I saw this movie when I was a kid and it became the catalyst for my study of Japanese and martial arts. I have now been here in Japan 10 years, have my black belt and can say that this series still rocks. The only difference now is I understand all the Japanese spoken and the historical references, which makes it rock even further. The producers have done a wonderful job and the historical, linguistic, cultural points are spot on. There are few works like this where Japanese and Americans get together to produce a realistic piece (Blackrain is another good example)I recommend to other users if you ever have a chance, come to the places in this film here in Japan, and the series shall rock further for you indeed.

The novel Shogun (based on true events around the year 1600, though the names have been changed) is one of the best stories ever about medieval Japan and the good news is that this mini-series remains faithful to the book. The bad news is that it is the quintessential 70's-style mini-series. Made-for-TV movies have always been handicapped regarding their budget compared to theatrical blockbusters, but a lot of progress has been made TV's shooting and editing techniques in the last 20 years. There are perhaps only 10 years between the mini-series versions of Shogun and Lonesome Dove, but the latter looks fairly modern while the former looks really dated. It almost looks as if every scene was shot with only one camera. Then there are the commercial breaks. Thankfully the commercials themselves aren't included on the DVD, but the breaks are so drastic you can see where they originally were. There is even some recapping going on after the break to remind everyone exactly where the story was. And the "special" effects for the sea storm and earthquake scenes are laughable. This really cries out to be remade, except that it would take an effort and budget like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy to do the story justice. So much for the laments. Once you get past the dated TV techniques, you will be riveted by the story. It delves deeply into Japanese culture of the samurai period far beyond Tom Cruise's recent Last Samurai, and spends enough time with the characters to portray the contradictions in a meaningful way. It shows how horrifying some Japanese customs are to a European (a petty samurai lord beheads a peasant only for not bowing to him), and how disgusting the Europeans' hygiene (lack of) customs are to the Japanese. Then there is the pheasant episode! Showing how communication problems can lead to tragedy, it is horrifying, disgusting, ironically funny, and ultimately heart-breaking. But then, Shogun has all human emotions in abundance throughout its nine hours. The costumes (and hair-styles and makeup) are very authentic, as are the settings, apparently all shot on location in Japan. By all means, watch this mini-series if you are interested in this sort of subject. It's a little like listening to your favorite symphony, played by a provincial orchestra, and recorded on scratchy LP's, but it still remains one of the very best dramatizations of Samurai Japan ever made.

The MiniSeries Shogun is my all time favorite program. It is a romantisied account of the adventures of the first Englishman to reach Japan. The main character John Blackthorne is based on the real life person William Adams who was the only non Japanese ever to become a samurai. He was also a feudal lord in Japan ( called a Daimyo ) and the first Admiral of the Japanese Navy.

The acting is excellent and something which I found interesting and unusual about this series is that one of the ways that the movie uses to put you into the mind of the main character is that as he doesn't know any Japanese when he arrives there are no subtitles when the characters are speaking Japanese.

As I said earlier my all time favorite program and one I wish could be seen by more people more often. I did buy the series.

This miniseries does a credible job in presenting the cultural landscape during the Shogunate years. Not only is it a historical (somewhat modified) adventure, it demonstrated the advances the Japanese had made in medicine, iron-working and in other areas. It shows the differences between the Western and Eastern attitudes towards cleanliness and religion- which had not been presented before. It also shows the stratified class society of those times. A shock to our delicate sensibilities - but, at least an attempt to show it in a positive manner. The costumes and background was very accurate for the time and it was the first honest attempt to portray the Japanese in a kindly manner since before Pearl Harbor. Could it have been better - yes, could it have been more historically accurate - again yes, BUT it sure was light years better than the horrible attempts that had littered the movie landscape in prior years. It also encouraged people to see Toshiro Mifune and Kurosawas' other classics such as Rashomon, etc. Definitely worth watching.

I saw Shogun when it first came out in '80. I was blown away by the magnitude of this mini-series. It moved me as I hadn't been moved before by a simple TV program. It immerses you into the story in bitchin' fashion. Although it is fiction, writer James Clavell based it on in-depth historical knowledge of 17th century Japan.

It's a long ride (about 10 hours) but I very seldom got bored. This certainly hits home as a mans movie, with all the inherent violence and war that men do, but it also makes clear that women know men, and how to manipulate them. (Guys, they've had us by the short hairs for ages). I've heard there is a horrible 2 hour version of this floating around. Don't bother with that. Check the full 10 hour series to find out who pees on our hero, and why. (You can Google the answer to that, but don't, it will ruin the fun.)

I read the book in '82 and found out how much was missing from the series. Fantastic book! I suggest seeing the series before reading the book, as I did. If you read the book first, I'd imagine you'd be disappointed that the series left out so much information. But seeing the series first is a real eye-opener. I highly recommend it.

I happened to watch Shogun again on Encore this week. I was shocked when I realized that the original release date was 33 years ago! I was a young 24 years old when I saw it the first time. It made quite an impression on me. I had read the book shortly before and really enjoyed the film I have a suggestion. Shogun should be re-released to a new generation. Here's what should be done to enhance this classic without diminishing or compromising this television classic.

1. Do a standard digital remastering similar to other re-releases.

2. If possible eliminate the TV "fade-outs to a commercial" that really date this mini-series.

3. Re-do the score. The score is the weakest point of the movie. It sounds very 70s and the score sounds like a Rockford Files episode where Jim Rockford visits the Orient. This great classic deserves better.

4. Here's the most important one: Add sub-titles. This would bring a whole new dimension to the re-release. Baby-boomers like myself who enjoyed the original three decades ago will be anxious to hear the new dialogue that was not previous translated. I'm not really sure if translating the parts that are already translated by one of the characters (Mariko, Father Alvito for example) would work. Maybe just subtitle other parts.

Thirty three years is a long time. Shogun begs for a re-release.

I watched this series (based on Clavell's novel-historical fiction) with Richard Chamberlain twice in the 80's, the 2nd time with helpful voiceover from Orson Welles (the first time, my well-read brother provided a similar narrative of the obscure cultural points). Chamberlain did a few great pieces: Thorn Birds, Count of Monte Cristo, Wallenburg, (original) Bourne Identity...

I've only started the new Disney entry, which has the benefits of first-class production values. Nevertheless, this 1981 entry has an early 'sailing vessel in a storm' sequence that was quite lifelike. I find Chamberlain excellent in his role as 'Thorndike' or 'Anjin-san' (the pilot), who thinks he is guiding his own destiny on Japanese soil in 1600, but in reality, his boss Toranaga (who wants to be the SHOGUN, or supreme military commander) is pulling all the strings. A funny scene has a tipsy Anjin-san singing a sea ditty in sing-speak, but Chamberlain actually had a great singing voice.

I decided to re-watch this earlier series first-so, I hunted the DVD Collector Set on Amazon. Love it! (I cannot stomach seeing 1 episode per week on streaming services myself.)

Anyway, even if you like the new version, I recommend you try the 'original'.

10/10 Chamberlain=King of Mini-series!! (And alive, turning 80, in 2024!)

I watched the series first in 1991, when satellite TV had just come to UK. All these years I wanted to watch the series, again!

Only this time, I had no idea how much it was going to effect me! Back then, I was eighteen and it seemed just another swash-buckling adventure. Almost a decade later, I could actually see people and their lives! Back to time when honour and shame actually meant life and death!

I even got the audio book! It helped me realise how Jerry London's adaptation remained true 2 the text! The book certainly complements the series and fills in the missing gaps!

James Clavell was captured by the Japanese in Singapore and spent most of the Second World War in captivity. It is quite astonishing that instead of hating his captors he came to admire their culture and simply demonstrate the mutual prejudices of both sides!

With the exception of Toshirô Mifune, it is quite disheartening to find hardly anything on the Japanese cast of the series! After much search I came across a small passage on Yoko Shimada , who starred alongside Richard Chamberlain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Shimada

Miko Taka, Lord Toranaga's (Toshirô Mifune) consort starred alongside Marlon Brando in the movie Sayonara 1957! And yet there's nothing on her, either.

It's been said that Yoko Shimada was the only Japanese, speaking English in the series. But, that is not true! Further down the line, a Jesuit Japanese priest appears, who also speaks English!

Based on a real life English pilot William Adam's (Japanese name Miura Anjin) life, Shogun is a fictional account of John Blackthorn's adventure in the feudal era (Azuchi Momoyama period) Japan. Some other characters are also based on actual historic figure (Like Kagetora is caricature of Iyeyasu ), but their names are changed in this story.

Tossed by a storm, John Blackthorn's (Richard Chamberlain) ship Erathmus reaches the shore of Japan. He's met with Lord Yabu's (Franky Sakai) soldiers. Blackthorn is initially shocked at the barbaric deeds of the samurai but gradually leans the ropes to live in this foreign country.

Cultural depiction of Japan of the era is not entirely accurate, and behavior is exaggerated to bring the point to the viewers. This was in the early '80s when the Americans were still getting acquainted with sushi, and knew lot less about the Japanese culture. But it was bold move on NBC's part to broadcast such epic story for 5 nights in a row when this series first aired. Japanese actress Yoko Shimada won the Emmy for best actress that year.

It's not an authentic portrayal of samurai culture which is bit unfortunate, but the series deserves an A+ for putting the period drama of Japan in the early '80s. 20 years later, Hollywood does a much better job with the likes of "The Last Samurai" that impressed even the Japanese with its accurate depiction of Japanese towns and villages.

The show should be viewed with couple of grains of salt, but the adventure of John Blackthorn is an intriguing and exciting tale to watch.

I have been a huge fan of Kurosawa movies, epics like Gladiator, and other movies as such. Then I stumbled across this wonderful series in my video store. The story is of epic proportions, one which follows a European man's journey through old Japan. These were the days when Europeans were new to Japan, and it is exciting to see the character transformation which occurs in our main character, Anji.

Although this is a mini made in the 80s, it could well have been a movie (a rather long one!), since it was done so well. Interesting characters, all set in such a complex narrative with unexpected turns.

I am a big fan of Japan, and if you are interested in the country and the customs there, see this. Since it is from Anji's perspective we are led into the story through his eyes, understand what he understands, maybe a little bit more in some trouble spots. But narrative is done very well, and yeah... no flaws with this series.

The 6 hours or so was worth every minute, and I highly recommend.