The Bushido Blade (1981)

Director:

Tsugunobu Kotani

Writer:

William Overgard (screenplay)

Release Date:

1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History

Tagline:

It cuts to the heart of courage.

Plot:

A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Japan | Japanese | 19th Century | Costume

Cast

Richard Boone	...	Commodore Matthew Perry
Toshirô Mifune	...	Shogun's Commander
Mike Starr	...	Bos'n Cave Johnson (as Michael Starr)
Timothy Patrick Murphy	...	Midshipman Robin Burr (as Timothy Murphy)
Frank Converse	...	Captain Lawrence Hawk
William Ross	...	Perry's Aide
Bin Amatsu	...	Baron Zen
Sonny Chiba	...	Prince Ido (as Sony Chiba)
Iwae Arai	...	Guide
Mayumi Asano	...	Yuki
James Earl Jones	...	The Prisoner
Laura Gemser	...	Tomoe
Mako	...	Enjiro
Kin Omae	...	Sumo (as Kin Omai)
Tetsurô Tanba	...	Lord Yamato

Directed by
Tsugunobu Kotani		(as Tom Kotani)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William Overgard		screenplay

Produced by
Jules Bass	....	executive producer
Masaki Îzuka	....	associate producer
Benni Korzen	....	associate producer
Arthur Rankin Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Maury Laws

Cinematography by
Shôji Ueda		(as Shoji Ueda)

Film Editing by
Yoshitami Kuroiwa

Production Management
Kinshiro Ohkubo	....	production manager (as Kinshiro Okubo)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Koichi Nakajima	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Paul Carr	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ian Crafford	....	sound editor
Yuji Hiyoshi	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Kazuo Shimomura	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Robert D. Cardona	....	post-production executive
Anne V. Coates	....	editorial supervisor
Barbara Hilse	....	post-production secretary

Music Department
Kenjiro Hirose	....	conductor
Kenjiro Hirose	....	music arranger

Other crew
Ryû Kuze	....	swordplay choreographer
William North	....	coordinator: US Navy (as Commander William North, USN)

Production Companies

• Rankin/Bass Productions
• Trident

Distributors

• Aquarius Releasing (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Saguenay Films (1981) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Ekaterinburg Art Home Video (EAHV) (Russia) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Koch Vision (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Lance Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Lance Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Bloody Bushido Blade

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Norway:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Trivia:

Although this film was derided as an attempt to copy the hit TV mini-series _"Shogun" (1980/II)(TV)_, it was actually made in 1980, before "Shogun", though it wasn't released until after that series had aired.

Potential wasted

I feel absolutely terrible giving a Toshiro Mifune film 4/10, but I could not do otherwise and remain honest. Frankly, the only acting in this movie that didn't leave me cringing was from the three main Japanese actors, (Sonny Chiba, Toshiro Mifune and Mako) and James Earl Jones who only had a tiny part. Frank converse didn't do a terrible job, but it wasn't a very enthusiastic performance. The rest of the actors deserve little more than scorn. Commodore Perry (Richard Boone) left me absolutely cringing every time he opened his mouth.

Frankly there was little, if anything, in this movie to recommend watching it. The culture is portrayed in a caricature manner, if not outright incorrectly. The history is wrong. The acting is terrible. The action scenes are decent, but not worth much.

I wouldn't say avoid this movie at all costs, but don't go out of your way to see it either.