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New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Monday, September 29, 2008

With Hiroshi Kuze in the mix, this certainly looks to be more than usually interesting. Add Fumihiko Sori to the mix and this could be really damn good. I’m sure word out of the Sitges Film Festival this year should be a good indication on how well this film has turned out. I have some very cool Sori stuff to post here in the coming days…

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Press Notes

INTRODUCTION
“Zatoichi” – the lonesome blind swordsman in search for justice – has been one of the most popular samurai heroes in Japanese film and TV.

In ICHI, we bring back this character, but replacing the main character as a female. She is a lone goze (a blind traveling entertainment troupe) who has been isolated from her troupe She carries a shamisen (traditional Japanese instrument) and a walking stick with a hidden blade inside, and wonders about to find a place for herself in life.

Because she is blind (and also, beautiful), she constantly encounters people who try to take advantage of her. People treat her coldly, and she is even dismissed by the others who are blind or in the lower rank as her.

However, Ichi stands tall with dignity. It may be that because this character — who fights with pain every time she swings her sword — is a female, the audience is able to feel her sorrow and the sting in the heart of the difficulty to live.

It is also through her eyes that cannot see, that the audience will reach her soul, and her true relief when she finally connects with others by finding friendship and love.

The swordplay will be done in a classic form with intensity, with the swordplay direction done by Hiroshi Kuze, the man behind Akira Kurosawa’s amazing sword fights.

Director SORI, acclaimed for his direction in PING PONG (2002) and a hit CG Animation VEXILLE (2007) returns to bring ICHI in action, together with a great cast and crew. Audiences will definitely appreciate and feel the emotions of each character, and the action which brings the film to a dramatic climax.

About ZATOICHI
A fictional character and samurai hero in one of Japan’s longest running series of films (26 in total) and television. Zatoichi, a wandering blind swordsman who protects the innocent and fights the injustice, has been acted by Shintaro Katsu through 1962 to 1989, who was the sole actor to work on this role until Takeshi Kitano has directed and acted his version of Zatoichi in 2003. In “ICHI” the character returns in a female role.

Image Source:
Official stills that were used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

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New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Blindness, the latest film from Fernando Meirelles (City of God, Constant Gardener) was the opening night film at the Cannes Film Festival this year and can next be seen at the Toronto International Film Festival and Sitges – International Film Festival of Catalonia. The US release is slated for late September with a staggered international release around the same time period (look for it this fall regardless of where you live).

Related Coverage:
::: Cannes 2008 Press Conference
::: Cannes 2008 Photocall Video
::: Cannes 2008 Steps Interview
::: Cannes 2008 Clip from the Film
::: GreenCine Daily Post

Image Source:
Official still that used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile