Shogun - Il signore della guerra

Incomprehensibly, they tried to sell a two-hour version of the 10-hour miniseries, and it's junk. Why anybody went through this (and I pity the poor editor who had an impossible job) is beyond me, except that there must have been a greedy executive somewhere who thought there was money to be made. Skip the 2-hour version, and dive in to another world, another time.

The full-length version of the miniseries is now available on DVD, and it's the best way to see it. There's a first-rate adaptation of Clavell's novel, crisp direction and sterling performances by Richard Chamberlain, Yoko Shimada and Toshiro Mifune. Outstanding support by John Rhys Davies, Damien Thomas and Alan Badel, as well as a host of Japanese actors keeps the atmosphere rich and the action strong. The adventures of an English Pilot (Chief navigator) in 1600 in Japan - the height of the samurai power - are riveting. Blackthorne (Chamberlain) lands in the midst of the mighty struggle for Shogun: military dictator of the country that's had 600 years of civil war. Unlike many another action tale, an educated woman has a pivotal role.

Or read the book. In the words of one reviewer, "It simply will not let the reader go."

James Clavell's Shogun, the first book in his epic asian saga, was a modern masterpiece. It showed completely the culture clashes between two nations at the opposite ends of the world, as Pilot John Blackthorne is thrust into the midst of a Japanese feudal war between Lords Ishido and Toranaga. Whilst in 'the land of the gods', Blackthorne becomes engaged in a passionate and tragic relationship with the married Mariko, while the two obstinate men, Toranaga and Blackthorne learn to respect one another's cultures and ideologies. With this ten-hour miniseries, television comes as close as it possibly can to paralleling the adventure realized so clearly in the pages, yet unfortunately, that's not quite close enough. True this is the first great miniseries, and a excellent work in it's own right. Yet when compared to the book, it simply fails to convey the effect. One noticeable problem is the casting of Richard CHamberlain as John Blackthorne, whose appeaance doesn't suit the ruggedness of the character

Basically, trying to fit a Clavell epic into a 2-hour movie is like trying to fit the entire Sears catalog into a single 30-second ad. While the miniseries is a masterful adaptation, covering all of the essential plotlines and perhaps even adding to the understanding for Mariko's and Blackthorne's relationship, the 2-hour cut is piece-meal and poorly edited. in short, it doesn't make sense, and it doesn't do justice to Clavel's greatest epic.

It is also a great read, by the way.

This is the one, that showed everyone else how to really tell a book in a mini-series. No body had every really got it right before. Very few have gotten it right since. This is for people that love books, told on film. Not a butchered hatchet job.

A Classic.

I recently got the DVD collection and sat down to watch this great mini-series again. Even after several viewings over the years, it's hard to believe that I can still get so caught up in this world of honor and brutality. Never has 9 hours went by so fast.

Obviously, things weren't perfect. This was made over 20 years ago with only a moderate budget. The extra DVD in this set was actually pretty good (better than most DVD "extras"). It told of the many cultural and communication problems involved with filming a movie in Japan with many non-English speaking Japanese actors. What I found particularly interesting was that Yôko Shimada, who played Mariko, didn't speak a word of English. She was a last minute (somewhat desperate) casting choice who pretty much only got the part because she faked the English language well. It was also quite funny to hear stories told by Richard Chamberlain and John Rhys-Davies about Toshirô Mifune trying to get into his Toranaga character. How he would grunt and growl to everyone who came near him.

Speaking of these two, I've always liked John Rhys-Davies and always perked up a little when his character was on the screen. He brought so much power and energy to the role that it was hard to take your eyes off his performance.

And Chamberlain actually became Blackthorne to me. Maybe he was over the top at times but I just accepted that as part of Blackthorne's character. This part was originally slated for Sean Connery but, while I like Connery a lot, I don't think it would have been possible for him to give a better performance than Chamberlain. So while I've never really liked Chamberlain in anything else he's done, he was the perfect Blackthorne in my eyes.

So many little things were done right in Shogun. The intracasies of the sets and costumes, the viewing of the Japanese culture through Blackthornes eyes, and the graceful use of a narrator (Orson Wells) instead of clunky subtitles to let us know what was being said in Japanese. In particular, the Tea Ceremony was entirely in Japanese yet, even without knowing the language, the actors facial expressions conveyed so much that we almost knew what was happening, even before the narrator filled us in.

The only thing I have left to say is that Shogun is an experience you won't forget. They don't do TV like this anymore.