pressureworld
06-23-2007, 10:55 AM
Genre: Ninja (shot in black & white)
Title: Jushichinin no Ninja, Seventeen Ninja (1963)
Director: HASEGAWA Yasuto
Cast: SATOMI Kotaro, KONOE Jushiro, OTOMO Ryutaro,
MISHIMA Yuriko
I grew up watching American Ninja films such as Enter
the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja etc. which were cheesy fun, but still entertaining. I then graduated to films like Shoguns Ninja which I hated and I have been pretty
much turned off every since. I then discovered Shinobi No Mono, Ninja Hunt, Samurai Spies and now Seventeen Ninja how does it hold up well lets see.
The first five minuiites of this film it was clear I
wasn't watching Pray for Death. The Shogun is dying
and he is leaving two sons his older son Lord Iemitsu
is to be the new Shogunate but his younger brother
Lord Tadanaga wants the position and has alined
himself with some pretty powerful dyanmo. The young
lord signs a pact with the dyanmo this pact is the
focus of the film. The english title Seventeen Ninja
refers to the Iga Ninja clan who want to see Lord
Iemitsu inheriet the Shogunate to do this he must
steal the pact and believe me there is nothing easy
about that. In fact when the mission is described the
Iga chief tells his ninja followers "Im asking you to die". It then clicked that this is a film about a suicide mission the Iga few in numbers must take on to steal the all important pact. This is a dead serious movie by any account. The villain a lone ninja from the negero ninja clan is working independently for Lord Tadanaga's dyanmo he has his own very interesting motivation for destroying the Iga and he's no joke. It is a uphill battle for the Iga if they are to survive. This isn't a mind blowing film but it is pretty impressive stuff by any standard. The action scenes are amazing for the time period and the story is rock solid.
Title: Jushichinin no Ninja, Seventeen Ninja (1963)
Director: HASEGAWA Yasuto
Cast: SATOMI Kotaro, KONOE Jushiro, OTOMO Ryutaro,
MISHIMA Yuriko
I grew up watching American Ninja films such as Enter
the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja etc. which were cheesy fun, but still entertaining. I then graduated to films like Shoguns Ninja which I hated and I have been pretty
much turned off every since. I then discovered Shinobi No Mono, Ninja Hunt, Samurai Spies and now Seventeen Ninja how does it hold up well lets see.
The first five minuiites of this film it was clear I
wasn't watching Pray for Death. The Shogun is dying
and he is leaving two sons his older son Lord Iemitsu
is to be the new Shogunate but his younger brother
Lord Tadanaga wants the position and has alined
himself with some pretty powerful dyanmo. The young
lord signs a pact with the dyanmo this pact is the
focus of the film. The english title Seventeen Ninja
refers to the Iga Ninja clan who want to see Lord
Iemitsu inheriet the Shogunate to do this he must
steal the pact and believe me there is nothing easy
about that. In fact when the mission is described the
Iga chief tells his ninja followers "Im asking you to die". It then clicked that this is a film about a suicide mission the Iga few in numbers must take on to steal the all important pact. This is a dead serious movie by any account. The villain a lone ninja from the negero ninja clan is working independently for Lord Tadanaga's dyanmo he has his own very interesting motivation for destroying the Iga and he's no joke. It is a uphill battle for the Iga if they are to survive. This isn't a mind blowing film but it is pretty impressive stuff by any standard. The action scenes are amazing for the time period and the story is rock solid.