Lady Snowblood

Review by Matthew Anderson

Live Action Japanese Film

Company: AnimEigo

Running Time:116 Min

Region: 1

Rating: PG-3 (Violence)

EXTERNAL EXAM

On a lone street, a gang leader encounters a beautiful woman. Little does he know, he is about to die. The woman is Lady Snowblood, child of the netherworld, and revenge incarnate.

Lady Snowblood has but one purpose in life; get revenge on those who killed her family. Trained by a former Tokugawa vassal, Yuki as she is also known, spends the next 20 years training, waiting for the day when she will fulfill her destiny.

Ryu is a anti-government reporter who learns about Yuki's quest. Writing about her exploits, he hopes to draw out the surviving members of the gang so she can kill them. It does, but not in the way he expected.

Will Ryu's involvement help Yuki complete her quest, or help to get her killed?

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: AnimEigo has done an excellent job with the restoration. The colors are solid, with no color bleeding, wrinkles, or pixels to be seen. They have also cleaned up the dust and film grain from the original transfer, making this one great looking Samurai Eiga.

AUDIO: The Japanese 2.0 track is very well done. There is no mono hiss, and they found the right balance for the music and dialogue.

EDITS: None. That's right, none. This is unedited at its best.

EXTRAS: Some liner notes, and trailers of other Samurai Cinema titles.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Based of the popular manga by Koike Kazuo, Osada Norio's screen play is a pretty straight forward adaptation. It also pulls no punches, frankly presenting the concepts of rape, slavery, and prostitution. Combined with the brutal directing style of Fujita Toshiya, Lady Snowblood is the template for most of the revenge films that followed.

ACTING: Meiko Kaji is blistering cold as the child of the netherworld, Yuki. Her icy stare, emotionless voice, and deliberate movements would make even the strongest man cringe. You can't imagine anyone else who could play this role.

The rest of the cast is entertaining. I can feel their emotions, and sense their evil intentions. However, most of them fail to compare to the intensity of Meiko Kaji.

FAN SERVICE: During the tale of Lady Snowblood, images from the manga appears. If you are a fan of Kill Bill, you can hear the opening theme "Shura No Hana" or "The Flower of Carnage" sung by Meiko Kaji. If you are looking for nudity, forget it.

FINAL EXAM

"Lady Snowblood" truly is "ground zero" for many a revenge picture. Movies ranging from "Sudden Impact" to "Black Angel" all owe a debt to this pioneering film. It must have created somewhat of a stir back then, considering that Samurai films were on their way out. They made a sequel just 1 year later. As further proof of it's staying power, a re-telling of this classic film was made in 2001. "The Princess Blade" drew in audiences from all over the world, and had a successful run in the US. Now, the new generation can enjoy this film, and become converts.

Now, I'm not going to say that this is a brilliant film. It's not. It a brutal, "go for the kill" kind of movie. The dialogue isn't anything impressive. While I do like the way it was shot, there isn't really anything groundbreaking in it's presentation. What makes this film so interesting is how it shows that a world of revenge is a rough place. There is no mercy, there is no time to mourn, and there is no justice. The law of the jungle is the only way to survive, and Yuki has become a beast to do what she needs to do.

I feel kind of sorry for Yuki. It seems that everyone relishes the chance to remind her that she is a "child of the netherworld". From her own mother, to the priest that trained her, they reinforce that she is to avenge her father and her brother. With that kind of negative reinforcement, how can she expect to have a normal life? Plus, if you are an instrument of revenge, what do you do when the fight is over? At least "The Bride" in "Kill Bill" had her daughter to take care of . Yuki has no such safety net. Even when her quest appears to be over, she doesn't seem able to settle down.

I have to admit, I dig the groovy 70's soundtrack for this movie. While it would seem out of place in Meji era Japan, the electric guitars and Jazz inspired sound remind me of the diverse work of Yoko Kanno.

Like most people, I had heard about "Lady Snowblood" while Quentin Tarentino was making "Kill Bill". After watching it, I can see where QT drew his inspiration. There are many similarities both from a narrative and a visual standpoint. While some say he was mimicking "Lady Snowblood", I feel that he is paying tribute to a film he obviously loves.

Some of the similarities between these two films are obvious. The way both films are broken down into chapters. The jumping around from past to present is another. Let's not forget the whole blood and dismemberment thing.

Others are a little more subtle. Lady Snowblood telling the daughter of one of her victims to look her may ring a few bells. The final battle in the garden is another. What Yuki's mother does to her rapist is almost as cool as Uma ripping the tongue out of her attacker. There are many more parallels I could draw, but you get the picture.

I was quite impressed with the amount of love and care AnimEigo put into this release. Never have I seen a Japanese film as old as this look so good. There was no film grain, nicks or scratches. While there wasn't much in the way of color, it didn't look washed out, as most of these films do. The audio was great, with no hiss or drop outs usually associated with films of this age.

I can safely say that have joined the legion of fans of this piece of cinematic history. Lady Snowblood is the queen of the revenge flicks, and will continue to be for years to come. AnimEigo has once again presented an old school favorite to a new generation.

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