Sunday, April 17, 2005

Shogun Assassin Assassinated

Friday night, I went to see Shogun Assassin, one of my all time top 10 favourite films. It was the first time I'd had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen. Chapter have a wild Japan season on, and this was one of the films featured - I'd never seen it advertised anywhere in the cinema (it was banned for many years as a Video Nasty) so leapt in joy at the chance of finally getting to see it on the big screen.

So, tickets ordered a week earlier, I met up with fellow fan Nursey, who was equally stoked to go and see it. It was fair to say I was quite giddy, partly from a quickly necked beer but mainly from childish excitement (I've seen it many times already.)

For those of you who don't know the film, its a lyrical, violent, gory and stunningly shot master-class in Samurai sword play and eastern mythology. Basically, this film was culled from the first two of a six part series of films (equally excellent) called either Lone Wolf And Cub or Baby Cart depending on which title translation you prefer. Re-edited, dubbed into English, re-scored with a pulsing synth soundtrack and a nifty and moving narrative (from the child's point of view) - this version works as a standalone outing, and was my introduction to the entire series of films.

It has some exceedingly graphic and nastily beautiful sword fights and some beautifully surreal moments in its short running time - stunning, in fact. A recent mention in Kill Bill 2 and a loose rehash in the form of the inferior The Road To Perdition has led to a keen new (and exceedingly irritating) audience for it - annoying people.

It's fair to say the clientele at Chapter can be a tad wanky at the best of times. Sporting a large proportion of failed or under-achieving arty types, pint-glass intellectuals and semi-successful light-weights - many with an up-their-arse attitude, its never been a place I've enjoyed drinking at. The cinema has some class stuff but I seldom go as its too much of a hassle (despite being only a few bus stops away) - Friday night's showing has only added to my frustration with the place and reinforced my lack of willingness to go there.

So, we settled down for the showing and up clicked the film. From the off I knew we were in trouble and it was going to be annoying. To start with, the print was damaged - badly. Big cuts and dialogue jumps, consistent scratch lines - crackle, you name it the print had it (and should have been binned years ago.) That I could have lived with - I've sat thorough many a nth generation bootleg in my lifetime so that's not a big issue for me. It didn't improve, and great swathes of choice dialogue disappeared in bad re-splices and film jumps.

A bloody scene from Shogun Assassin / Lone Wolf And Cub / Babycart But what really annoyed me was the smug, self conscious laughter that emanated from sections of the audience every-time one of the majestically vicious sword fights broke out.

People bleed in this film, maybe a little to much like the infamous Salad Days Monty Pythons sketch, but when you slash and dismember people with a big sword, that's what tends to happen. But every time an artery opened or a severed limb plopped lifelessly to the ground, clasping an unbloodied sword, the laughter rose. Not a polite snigger either, a real belly laugh. Me and Nursey just looked at each other in disgust. Nursey even said 'What the fuck are they laughing at?'

It was distracting and down right vexing. The scratchy film may have given it that authentic 80's grindhouse cinema feeling (where the film would have first made its mark) and I could have lived with, but the annoying elements of the audience came close to ruining it for me. However, its fair to say, the film still rocked despite it all - the composition and cinematography looked fab on the big screen and it remains a top 10 movie for me - just don't ask me to sit and watch it in a cinema surrounding again.

Posted by Dio Bach at 21:29

2 Comments:

holly said...: Augh!!! What is wrong with people?!?! Seriously, I can't stand going to the movies anymore because people are so clueless and just plain rude. Twice I have just lost it and turned around and loudly told the people to STFU. I always thought it was an American thing. Sorry to hear you guys have caught it, too.; 10:58 PM
wonderful_electric said...: It's probably just Chapter. Full of failed wannabe-artistes.

I went to see a St. Etienne digital video thing there. Biggest pile of puerile so-called-arty wank I'd ever seen. But the audience there afterwards were lauding it as a great piece of work. Running around grabbing shots of London while a Shakespearian actor does portentious voiceover is not good art.

But the beer's good there.; 11:25 PM