Zatōichi
Action! If there’s one word associated with cinema, the tension of movie sets, and the focus of attention, it’s this one. Action is very often at the heart of popular cinema: Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock hands in Safety Last! (1923), Cary Grant threatened and strafed by a plane in North by Northwest (1959), Franka Potente gasping for air in Run Lola Run (1998)... Westerns, swashbuckler films, martial arts or adventure flicks, thrillers, all these genres rely on action—sometimes frenetic, sometimes meticulously measured.
From movies by Sergei Eisenstein to Gilles Carle, from John Ford to John Boorman and Werner Herzog, via Paul Verhoeven, Kathryn Bigelow, Park Chan-wook, Érik Canuel, and Nicolas Winding Refn, this series will take you through the full range of emotions, from laughter to thrills, from fear to satisfaction.
Winner of the Silver Lion for Best Direction for Takeshi Kitano, 2003 Venice International Film Festival
Zatôichi is blind and earns his living by gambling and giving massages. Appearances are misleading, Zatôichi is also secretly a master of the sword.
Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano, also known by the stage name Beat Takeshi, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, television host, comedian, painter, and writer. He is critically acclaimed for his unique body of work. He first gained recognition for his violent and melancholic crime thrillers, followed by deadpan dramatic comedies. Whether through dark comedies, poetic narratives, or genre films, his works often leave a lasting impression on audiences. They sometimes reflect a dark, even nihilistic philosophy, yet are always tinged with humor and affection for his characters. By depicting the absurd daily lives of those on the margins of society, Kitano raises profound moral questions.
