“The Shogun ” ( eng. Shōgun ) - a mini-series of 1980, a historical adventure drama. The film adaptation of the novel by James Clavell .
| Shogun | |
|---|---|
| Shōgun | |
 | |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Creator | |
| Screenwriter | |
| Producer | |
| Cast | Richard Chamberlain Toshiro Mifune |
| Composer | Maurice Jarre |
| A country |  USA  Japan |
| Original language | |
| Number of seasons | |
| Number of series | eight |
| Production | |
| Producer | |
| Operator | Andrew Laszlo |
| Location | |
| Timekeeping | 547 min. (10ep. X ~ 60min., 6 x ~ 120 and others) 125 min. (theatrical version) |
| Broadcast | |
| TV channel | |
| On the screens | 1980 |
| Links | |
| IMDb | ID 0080274 |
The series begins with the arrival of the Dutch ship in the harbor of Anjiro in April 1600 and ends in September of the same year when the historical battle of Sekigahara (September 15) takes place , in which the army of Tokugawa Ieyasu (in the novel Yoshi Toranaga) defeats the army of his opponent Isis Mitsunari (in Isido's novel).
John Blackthorn, the hero of James Claywell's The Shogun (1975), which was the basis of the mini-series script, had a real historical prototype, an English sailor, William Adams (1564–1620), who came to Japan in 1600, having set off two years earlier on an expedition through the Strait of Magellan on the Dutch ship Lifde (Mercy). When the ship crashed on the island of Kyushu, Adams was also imprisoned in Osaka for the false lies of the Jesuits, but was soon released and later used by Tokugawa Ieyasu, for whom he built a European-type ship. William Adams died in 1620, having lived in Japan for 20 years, having started a second family here and never returned to his homeland, to England. Subsequently, the Anzin-cho quarter was named after him in Tokyo (Edo), and in 1636 his son (from the Japanese) James built a memorial church in honor of his father.
Story
The events of the film unfold in April-September 1600. The Dutch ship "Erasmus", driven by an Englishman skipper John Blacktorn, crashes off the coast of feudal Japan . Blackthorn comes to life in a typical Japanese room, the local population treats it very friendly. In the village of Andziro, in which he found himself, he meets a Jesuit priest, in whom he finds the enemy, since the Catholic Order of the Jesuits considers Protestant England (the home of the skipper) and the Netherlands (under whose flag his ship floats) heretics and enemies of the Catholic Church. He accuses Blackthorne and his team of piracy, and the head of the local samurai Omi-san puts them in a hole before the arrival of the local daimyo , who will have to decide their fate. Daimyo, Prince Yabu, decides that one of the team members should be executed .
Blackthorne tried to resist the manifested barbarism, but was forced to yield to strength and watch his companion in misfortune die martyred, brewed alive in a huge cauldron; later Blackthorn himself was humiliated by Omi-san. After that, he will proceed to Osaka , where the powerful Prince Toranaga (with Tokugawa Ieyasu as the prototype), who sent Blackstar Vaschu Rodriguez (John Rhys-Davies) for the Blacktorn, wants to meet him.
From now on, Blackthorne is called Anzin-san, which in Japanese means “skipper”. On the way to Osaka, a friendly relationship is established between Blackthorn and Rodriguez, and Blackthorn even saves Rodriguez's life when he fell overboard during a storm. So he purchased the first debtor. Also, during the voyage, he learns from Rodriguez that there is a long-term civil war in Japan, and that at the present time the powerful princes Isido and Toranaga are fighting for power.
So, by the will of fate, Blackthorn falls into the thick of this internecine confrontation. He gains the trust of a cruel and cunning, but inquisitive and just Toranagi, becomes over time his samurai and hatamoto , and also conquers the love of the beautiful Todo Mariko (Yoko Shimada). However, the hopes of the Englishman do not come true. When a ninja attacks a castle in Osaka, Mariko-san dies tragically, and Blackthorn himself nearly loses his sight. Despite the patronizing attitude of the mighty Toranaga, who received the title of shogun from the emperor, Blackthorne loses his ship and at first suspects the Jesuits of secret arson, but soon his beloved, who was lost, confessed in his letter that he was responsible for setting the ship on fire. She explained her action by valuing his life more than a ship. Having lost the ship, Blackthorn is convinced that he will never return to his homeland.
Cast
- Richard Chamberlain - John Blackthorn
- Toshiro Mifune - Daimyo Yoshi Toranaga
- Yoko Shimada - Lady Toda Buntaro Mariko
- Frankie Sakai - Daimyo Kashigi Yabu
- Nobuo Kaneko - Daimyo Ishido
- Yuki Meguro - Omi-san
- Hideo Tokamatsu - Mr. Buntaro
- Hiromi Sanno - Fujiko-san
- John Rhys-Davies - Vasco Rodriguez
- Alan Badel - father of Aquila
- Damien Thomas - Father Elvito
- Vladek Sheybal - Captain of the Black Ship Ferreira
- Orson Welles - Narrator
Literature
- Giles Milton. Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan. - Penguin, 2003. - 368 p. - ISBN 0142003786 ISBN 978-0-14-200378-7 .
- Rogers FJ. The first Englishman in Japan. The story of William Adams. - Science, 1987. - 96 p. - 30 000 copies
- The Original Letters of the English Pilot. William Adams: Written from Japan Between AD 1611 and 1617. - Japan gazette, 1878. - 73 p.
Links
- "Shogun (TV Movie 1980)" (English) on the Internet Movie Database
- "Shogun (TV Mini-Series 1980)" (English) on the Internet Movie Database