"Shogun" (1980) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

James Clavell (novel)
Eric Bercovici (writer)

Release Date:

15 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

Plot:

A English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Power | Shogun | Jesuit Priest | Honor

Awards:

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	Pilot-Major John Blackthorne / Anjin-san
Toshirô Mifune	...	Lord Yoshi Toranaga
Yôko Shimada	...	Lady Toda Buntaro - Mariko
Frankie Sakai	...	Yabu
Alan Badel	...	Father Dell'Aqua
Damien Thomas	...	Father Alvito
John Rhys-Davies	...	Vasco Rodrigues
Vladek Sheybal	...	Captain Ferriera
Yuki Meguro	...	Omi
Hideo Takamatsu	...	Lord Buntaro
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Ishido
Hiromi Senno	...	Fujiko
Michael Hordern	...	Friar Domingo
George Innes	...	Vinck
Leon Lissek	...	Father Sebastio

Also Known As:

"James Clavell's Shogun"

Runtime:

60 min (10 episodes)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (DVD rating) | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Daiei-Kyoto Studios, Kyoto, Japan

Company:

Asahi National Broadcasting Company

Trivia:

The location used for Osaka castle is in fact Himeji Castle.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Anjin-san receives a flintlock pistol as a gift from Lord Toranaga. Flintlock pistols were not in wide use until 1630, thirty years before the show's setting. The wheel lock and match lock pistols and muskets, also used in the show, are correct. Additionally, the Europeans were reluctant to export the latest firearms to Japan, preferring to keep the superior weaponry to themselves.

Quotes:

[after Blackthorne's guard prevented an assassination attempt by Rodrigues]
Pilot-Major John Blackthorne: Captain Yoshinaka was right to search him. Was that your idea?
Lady Toda Buntaro - Mariko: Please excuse me, but I was afraid for you.
Pilot-Major John Blackthorne: Sad, isn't it? Not being able to trust anyone.
Lady Toda Buntaro - Mariko: It is not sad, Anjin-san. It is just one of life's most important rules.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Soundtrack:

BLACKTHORNE'S SHANTY

Cool introduction to Clavell

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.