I guess I wasn't paying attention. It's on Spike tv right now, I went to cook some corn dogs during a commercial and came back to someone shooting a revolver?
I know there was swordfighting to the late 1800's or later in Japan, but I thought this movie took place much earlier.
As far as I know, all the Zatoichi films, as well as many other samurai films, are what's called "period dramas" in Japan. The Edo Period was from 1603 to 1867. Most of these period dramas take place in the Late Edo Period. Revolvers that look like the one in the movie were patented around 1820. So the film probably takes place somewhere between 1820 and 1867.
shareI'm not sure about that. The only revolvers available in 1820 were flintlocke-type. The revolver in the movie looks to me like very late, or post American Civil War type.
I think the gun is a Colt Peacemaker on closer examination. Like the one found in this photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Colt_SAA45.jpg. That gun came out in 1873.
Overall I think the movie had a very "classical" period look to it, indicating to me it as set in the seventeenth century. I was very distressed to see the revolver as well, and not just any revolver but a fairly "modern" looking revolver. I should think such a weapon extremely rare in Japan up until the time of the Meiji modernization.
On a side note, the woman who committed seppuku by stabbing her belly, this also appeared to be a factual error as it was always my understanding that women committed suicide by cutting their throats.
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i'm not sure it was set in any particular era. there were several modernisms such as zatoichis hair and the tap-dogs sequence at the end that leads me to believe its kind of a cipher i mean to say its not literal but poetic interpretation of the ledgend...
"I've seen your light. It burns bright forever. No more blue tomorrows... you on high now."
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The musical number isn't really supposed to be taken as part of the storyline. It's a homage to what used to happen after a Japanese play where the cast would come on and perform a musical number.
shareExtremely cool! Reminded me of the end of Slumdog Millionaire, though this was made well before that.
shareYou seen Yojimbo?
I think the revolver is Kitano's joke. As the film progresses we see more and more absurd things start to happen. The revolver was taken from behind a pillar, completely out of the blue, and it stuck out in a way that showed it to obviously be Kitano's odd sense of humour.
There is no way this film is after 1854 and a small village such as this would not have had this type of gun. This film looks to be set in the 17th century, 18th at a push, 19th? no way. Tap dancing and modern revolvers aside.
Kitano does what he wants with his films. That's why I love them.
It sticks out like a sore thumb but it's not that far-fetched as long as it's in the same era. There's always importation of illegal goods or possibly gifts from foreign friends.