It would not seem right, it would not seem real, if a Japanese Film Festival did not offer at least one Samurai saga.
This year’s Japanese Film Festival put all to right with the inclusion of A Samurai in Time, a cut above comedy that pays homage to Seizo Fukumoto, Japan’s most famous samurai stuntman with a record 50,000 on-screen deaths.
When, during a duel, a samurai is struck by lightning, he is chronosynclastically transported to 21st Century Japan, waking up on a film set that is shooting a Samurai picture.
Dressed and tonsured as he is, he is immediately given a role as an extra in the extravaganza and performs so well he is elevated to featured performer.
His courtly manner endears him to the cast and crew particularly to the young female AD, to whom he becomes protective.
Basically a fish out of water comedy, A SAMURAI IN TIME subtly skewers issues of gender equality and deep seated feuds.
A SAMURAI IN TIME is a standout in a selection of ten fresh feature films from Japan, arguably the jewel in the crown.
From the heart-warming to the tear-jerking and hair-raising and head scratching, the Japanese Film Festival boasts a diverse ensemble of new features from Japanese cinema.
The free retrospective Special Series, featuring in Sydney (AGNSW), will showcase works spanning three decades from Shohei Imamura, two-time Palme d’Or winner and a key figure of the Japanese New Wave, whose subversive filmography was dedicated to illustrating a raw portrait of Japan’s lower social strata.
Latest Releases including A SAMURAI IN TIME screen 24-28 October at Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park
Special Series: Now till10 November (3 screenings per week) at AGNSW
The full program can be found here: www.japanesefilmfestival.net
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