The Hidden Blade
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Yoji Yamada
Masatoshi Nagase
Hidetaka Yoshioka
Min Tanaka
Tomoko Tabata
Ken Ogata
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
An honest, low-ranking samurai, Munezo Katagiri finds himself buffeted by the confusion of old and new in mid-19th century Japan. Facing outside pressure, the Shogunate is trying to open Japan to the West and some carefully selected Western ways, while maintaining its fragile political base. Munezo, and his colleague Samon Shimada try to maintain their footing, paying heed to the demanding moral code of the samurai while also learning new military strategies, particularly the mastery of Western artillery. But Munezo also has a personal complication. He is secretly in love--so secretly, he may not even admit it to himself--with his family's maid, the sweet and beautiful country girl, Kie. His passion leads him to rescue Kie from a loveless marriage after she leaves his household; the samurai even shocks propriety by carrying away the low-caste young woman on his back. Just as Munezo starts to get his domestic situation into something resembling order, Munezo hears devastating news. A comrade, Yaichiro Hazama, has been caught up in a plot in Edo. Their clan has sent the rebellious samurai home in the humiliating transport of a "prisoner's basket." Munezo comes under suspicion because he and Yaichiro, the clan's best swordsmen, shared a famed instructor, but Munezo refuses to cooperate with the chief retainer's witch hunt. Tension finally leads Munezo to confess his growing affection to Kie, a development that the young woman begins to hope will lead to the abandonment of caste structures. But before Munezo can realize his romantic destiny, Yaichiro escapes. Munezo is ordered to kill him, and the loyal, honorable samurai is faced with one final challenge to his principles.
Director
Yoji Yamada
Cast
Masatoshi Nagase
Hidetaka Yoshioka
Min Tanaka
Tomoko Tabata
Ken Ogata
Nenji Kobayashi
Yukiyoshi Ozawa
Crew
Yoshitaka Asama
Shuhei Fujisawa
Hiroshi Fukazawa
Iwao Ishii
Kazuko Kurosawa
Mutsuo Naganuma
Yoshinobu Nishioka
Junichi Sakamoto
Isao Tomita
Yoji Yamada
Ichiro Yamamoto
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Limited Release in United States June 23, 2006
Released in United States 2006
Released in United States February 2005
Released in United States January 2006
Released in United States March 2006
Released in United States on Video August 8, 2006
Released in United States Summer June 23, 2006
Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Competition) February 10-20, 2005.
Shown at Palm Springs International Film Festival (World Cinema Now) January 5-16, 2006.
Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) May 25-June 18, 2006.
Released in United States 2006 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) May 25-June 18, 2006.)
Released in United States January 2006 (Shown at Palm Springs International Film Festival (World Cinema Now) January 5-16, 2006.)
Released in United States February 2005 (Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Competition) February 10-20, 2005.)
Released in United States March 2006 (Shown at South by Southwest Film Festival (Special Screening) March 10-18, 2006.)
Limited Release in United States June 23, 2006
Released in United States on Video August 8, 2006
Shown at South by Southwest Film Festival (Special Screening) March 10-18, 2006.
Released in United States Summer June 23, 2006
