Fight, Zatoichi! Fight!

At Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, at 2nd Street) in Manhattan
— June 24 – June 27, 2004 —

part of

New York Asian Film Festival 2004

Subway Cinema is proud to present FIGHT, ZATOICHI! FIGHT! as part of the New York Asian Film Festival 2004. Zatoichi is the original 60’s anti-hero, a blind masseuse who happens to be one hell of a swordsman. Over the course of 26 films and 100 TV episodes, all starring Shintaro Katsu, Zatoichi captured the hearts and minds of angry people all over the world, and while he’s not quite as well-known as James Bond, he’s much cooler.

To celebrate the release of Takeshi Kitano’s Zatoichi (2003) and the upcoming release of the Zatoichi back catalogue on DVD by Home Vision Entertainment, we’re unleashing three of the classic Zatoichi films at the Anthology Film Archives during the NYAFF.

Zatoichi 3: New Tale of Zatoichi (Japan, 1963)
Directed by: Tokuzo Tanaka
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Meiko Kondo, Mikiko Tsubouchi

Thomas Wolfe said it first, but Zatoichi says it with steel: “You can’t go home again.” Returning to his hometown (always a big mistake) Zatoichi finds that his former teacher has been renting out his swordplay skills to a gang of kidnappers. Bummer. Mass blood-letting ensues.

Zatoichi 4: The Fugitive (Japan, 1963)
Directed by: Tokuzo Tanaka
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Miwa Takada, Toru Abe

What’s worse than having a price put on your head? Not much. Under the baking summer sun, Zatoichi arrives in a village to find that the locals don’t want relief from spinal tension, they want to cut off his head. They conspire against him in secret before unleashing a super ronin (masterless samurai) to perform the necessary hack work.

Zatoichi 5: On the Road (Japan, 1963)
Directed by: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Reiko Fujiwara, Shiho Fujimura

Zatoichi saves a rape victim and agrees to help her return to her family — which means he suddenly has to face off with two rival gangs and the local lord. Oops. She falls for the sightless hero, but Zatoichi knows that loving him is too dangerous for any one woman. Then he kills a lot of people to prove his point.