The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin )

The Assassination (1964) (DVD) (*)

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Original Title: Ansatsu
Alternate Title: The Assassin
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
Japanese ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
104 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Booklet
Remastered

Movie filmed in 1964 and produced in:
Japan ( India, Eastern Asia )

Directed By:
Masahiro Shinoda

Written By:
Ryotaro Shiba
Nobuo Yamada

Actors:
Tetsuro Tamba ..... Hachiro Kiyokawa
Eiji Okada ..... Lord Matsudaira
Eitarô Ozawa ..... Premier Itakura
Isao Kimura ..... Tadasaburo Sasaki
Muga Takewaki ..... Shingo Miyagawa
Shima Iwashita ..... Oren, Kiyokawa's sweetheart
Keiji Sada

Synopsis:

Assasination (or Ansatsu) marked Masahiro Shinoda's first attempt at a period film, and is widely considered to be his finest achievement. Previously gaining fame and status alongside Nagisa Oshima and Kiju Yoshida, challenging established Japanese cinema with tales of reckless youth, The Dry Lake (1960) and the seminal yakuza drama Pale Flower (1964) Shinoda graduated from Shochiku, where his grounding was working as an assistant to Yasujiro Ozu. The story of Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political maneuvering that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa (Tetsuro Tamba), an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor. Filmed in richly stylish black and white 'Scope by cinematographer Masao Kosugi, Shinoda's film explores the character of Kiyokawa as he singlehandedly attempts, against a backdrop of betrayal and abrupt violence, to prevent the outbreak of civil war. With an award-winning score by Toru Takemitsu (Pitfalll, The Face of Another) and a deft, twisting narrative structure, Assassination's profound nihilism has a striking contemporary resonance which fiercely displays the director's skill and individual vision. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Assassination for the first time on home video in the West.

Based on a story by Ryotaro Shiba, this samurai classic from director Masahiro Shinoda follows a mysterious samurai leader who continuously shifts his allegiance from one political faction to another. All involved are under the constant threat of assassination. Ansatsu's screenplay was written by Nobuo Yamada, and the film features Tetsuro Tamba, Shima Iwashita, Isao Kimura, Eitaro Ozawa, Eiji Okada, and Keiji Sada.

A shogunate official in 1863 uses a free samurai to suppress a rising but the assassin proves difficult to control and in turn is killed.

This product was added to our catalog on Saturday 04 April, 2009.

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