Masaki Kobayashi | Through the Shattered Lens

A new feature that I thought was a nice way to introduce not just our readers, but also fellow site writers to some films we love, admire and think worthy of checking out.

It won’t be any sort of review or recap of what the film is about, but just a simple, single shot from the film itself that the individual writer considers an worthy and interesting glimpse of the film.

To start off “4 Shots From 4 Films” here’s the first 4 shots. Moving forward it will be just 4 screenshots and the title of the film they belong to.

4 SHOTS FROM 4 FILMS

Kwaidan (dir. by Masaki Kobayashi – 1964)

Minority Report (dir. by Steven Spielberg – 2002)

La Horde (dir. by Benjamin Rocher & Yannick Dahan – 2009)

The Exorcist (dir. by William Friedkin – 1973)

Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike followed-up his 2010 critically-acclaimed jidaigeki film 13 Assassins with another foray into classical Japanese filmmaking with his reimagining of the 1962 classic by Masaki Kobayashi. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is not a straight out and out remake of the Kobayashi classic, but Miike’s film follow similar ideas and themes.

Miike’s latest first premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and is just now making it’s way to North America. The film is now available for viewing On Demand with Tribeca Film as it’s North American distributor. There’s one caveat about seeing the film On Demand and that’s not being able to see it how Miike filmed it and that’s in 3D which made it the first to make such a premiere at Cannes.

Here’s to hoping this film make’s it’s way into the late film festivals in Northern California so I get a chance to see it on the big-screen. Barring that I don’t mind watching it in the comfort of my new condo in 1080p HD.