Roningai (1928)

Original title

浪人街 第一話 美しき獲物

Directed by

Masahiro Makino

Genre

silent film

Country

Japan

Runtime

8 min

Rating

6.2 of 10 from 6 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This silent film follows a group of masterless samurai in a town full of ronin. It shows their lives and sword fights in a unique setting.

fast-pacedenergeticaction-heavyatmosphericnostalgicvisually inventiveensemble-drivenhistoric

What happens

Roningai (浪人街 第一話、第二話、第三話, Roningai Daiichiwa Dainiwa Daisanwa), also known as Samurai Town: Story 1, Story 2 and Story 3, are respectively 1928 and 1929 black and white Japanese silent films directed by Masahiro Makino. Serving as parts of a 4-part series, the first and second installments are representative films of Masahiro Makino, the son of Shozo Makino (considered the 'father of Japanese film'). The Story 2 consists of two parts - the "first chapter" (第一篇 (Dai-ippen)) and "the solution" (解決篇 (Kaiketsuhen)). These films lent status to ensemble casts and did not rely on famous stars. The film was known for its depiction of the unique setting of the ronin town as well as for the exquisite camera work and fast-paced sword fighting scenes. Most of the film of Story 1 was lost, and Story 3 was completely lost. The shortened version of the film of Story 2 exists. Makino remade this movie in 1939, 1951, 1957, 1990. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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