The Best Samurai Movies to Watch before Playing, Ghost of Tsushima

[@derworfnet]

They accoplished the final scene of "Throne of Blood" by having archers actually firing arrows around Toshiro Mifune. To quote wikipedia: _"Washizu's death scene, in which his own archers turn upon him and shoot him with arrows, was in fact performed with real arrows, shot by knowledgeable and skilled archers. During filming, Mifune waved his arms, which was how the actor indicated his intended bodily direction. This was for his own safety in order to prevent the archers from accidentally hitting him."_

[@bushidoblues9302]

It's crazy what lengths movies would go to?, to get that realistic looking scene we'd be talking about decades later.

[@Brianfilms]

I thought I was the only one watch classic Samurai Films before playing that game

[@Bhakhanda1369]

I really appreciate you doing this series. I am deeply touched.

[@dylanlewis3251]

Before I watched this video I had seen exactly zero samurai films. After watching this video I have been watching as many as I can. Appreciate the video! 7 Samurai and 13 Assassins have been my favorite so far. Also loved Ran, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo. Akira Kurosawa has become one of my favorite directors. Still have so much more to watch. Thanks for making the video! Keep up the good work!

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thanks man! And welcome to the wonderful world of samurai cinema. You can't go wrong with Akira Kurosawa and every one of his films are worth seeing even the non samurai ones. Other great samurai films for you to check out are Sansho the Baliff, Ugetsu, Onibaba. You can also check out the samurai film trilogy with Toshiro Mifune and also the lone wolf and cub series is pretty good. It's great knowing there's other people that like what I like and I really appreciate you checking out the films I mentioned.

[@murrietakenitri2157]

Bro if you love samurai movies you would love 'When the Last sword is drawn' so far one of my top 3 favourite movies of all time. Amazing story, characters etc...

[@Romulo_V]

Great video man. Really enjoyed it. I'm also loving the Ghost of Tsushima. Amazing game.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thank you! Yeah I’m a few hours into it. I’m really loving it too. Love how there’s a Kurosawa mode!

[@jonrandall638]

i know im asking the wrong place but does any of you know a tool to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot my password. I love any assistance you can give me!

[@terryesteban8954]

@Jon Randall instablaster ;)

[@jonrandall638]

@Terry Esteban Thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@jonrandall638]

@Terry Esteban it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much, you saved my ass!

[@gregarganda]

This is one great list, thank you for the suggestions.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thank you! I've since watched a lot more great ones. Maybe I'll do another list.

[@shwetank2000]

I was looking for a list that was not just copied of google's top list and was a personal recommendation by someone who deeply enjoys the genre. Great video man. Thanks!

[@bushidoblues9302]

I'm always glad to meet someone with the same taste in film. Please let me know of any others that you'd include because I'm always hungry for more. I'll also add: The Samurai Trilogy with Toshiro Mifune, Sansho the baliff, Ugetsu and the lone wolf and cub series.

[@gagecrawley6223]

Last Samurai was also my introduction to the samurai genre and my introduction to the warrior class, as well as Japan. Yes I love that movie, but I’m checking out other samurai films because I don’t want Last Samurai to be the only samurai film I’ve seen in my life. And your list really helped me out.The first these films on your list that I checked out was Ran. And lemme tell you, I loved it! I look forward to checking out the other samurai films in the future. 😄

[@bushidoblues9302]

Glad I can be of some help. Be sure to watch all of Akira Kurosawa's samurai movies, they are all excellent.

[@n1ckotin]

This video needs more views. I hope a lot of people get it recommended in 7 years

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thanks man

[@therealfolkblues5535]

I was just about to ask if you was going to review this after watching your take on RAN, your videos are always excellent brother, much appreciated! I'm enjoying the hell out of Ghosts of Tsushima, thinking about ya everytime I play! Thank you!

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thanks my friend! I'm currently eagerly waiting by my mailbox for my pre-order to arrive and I'm super hyped. I feel like I've waited forever for a proper samurai game like this to be made AND THAT BLACK AND WHITE KUROSAWA MODE! It's like it was made for me! Anyway, I'll definitely put out a review for the game and thanks for watching my vids and enjoy the game :)

[@gidews2it]

thanks a bunch, i'll be binging the movies i haven't seen yet; pretty excited to delve into the samurai genre

[@bushidoblues9302]

You're in for a treat. There's some amazing movies. Be sure to watch anything by Akira Kurosawa.

[@gidews2it]

Bushido Blues cheers!

[@wanderingbardagain6945]

Excellent choices. Nice to see Kagamusha get some love. It is one of my favorites for sure, and it seems like a lot of folks overlook it. I think Ran casts a long shadow over it, and for good reason. I do think Ran is a better movie. But Kagamusha has a lot going for it, and some of the imagery in it is so memorable. Also love that you mentioned Sanjuro, one of my favorites as well, and another one that seems to get lost in the discussion of Kurosawa's black and white samurai film. Most folks just say, "Eh, its a sequel to Yojimbo". But it is a lot more than that. Nice to see you specifically mention it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Kagemusha is such a gorgeous movie, and you're right, Ran does often overshadow it, but they are both pretty different. I love the opening scene in Sanjuro where Sanjuro wakes up and is introduced that way and of course the unforgettable final duel.

[@peterlovett5841]

Excellent choices there. I especially liked the inclusion of "The Twilight Samurai" which is often overlooked in this genre but for me is one of the best films made regardless of genre. For sheer spectacle and monumental film making who could go past Kurosawa and "Kagamusha" and "Ran", especially the latter.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thanks for watching. I'm glad to see there's other people that have a liking to this genre. I agree The Twilight Samurai really is a masterpiece. I love the subtle way in which it is told, leading up to the final encounter. I still have yet to see the director’s other samurai movies, that I heard were good.

[@peterlovett5841]

@@bushidoblues9302 Absolutely agree - I also can't find his other samurai movies. Incidentally, another film with a similar subtle feel to it is "After The Rain". It is so good that the only version I was able to find had no subtitles (I don't speak Japanese) but I knew the story and I still watch it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@peterlovett5841 haha I tried tracking down, After the Rain too, could only find the version on youtube with no subs. I heard Kurosawa wrote it so that's enough reason to see it.

[@42kellys]

@@bushidoblues9302 There is another Last Samurai and it is excellent, by a Japanese director Kenji Misumi from 1974. It is wonderful.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@42kellys I heard about that. I never knew the American one was a remake for the longest time.

[@epicdragon409]

I just watched The Last Samurai and I never cry when watching movies but I have to admit I teared up a bit at the end when they all bowed down. 10/10 movie really glad I watched it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

It really is a powerful film and never gets the credit it deserves.

[@burntt999]

Lol yeah Ghost of Tsushima is all i play now.. i spent about 3 days just riding around on my horse taking screenshots to oil paint.. the game is just beautiful

[@fooltharc7377]

Very much liked your video. Your voice seems to be a combination of Willem Dafoe's and Liberace's.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Haha thanks I'll take that as a compliment.

[@michaelaguilar7771]

In regards to Throne of Blood, yeah, they actually had real archers shooting real arrows at Mifune. The one through his neck was a prop shot in reverse. It was common for chanbara actors to be shot with real arrows into wood blocks hidden under their wardrobe.

[@bushidoblues9302]

That's amazing. Yeah I've since looked it up there's photos of it online. Crazy!

[@CMCustom112]

I came in here ready to throw shade. But this is an excellent list. I have seen almost all of the films here. Big Props for Twilight Samurai. Got to see this at an arthouse during its first screenings here in the US, quickly became one of my favorite films of all time.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Haha thanks. Yes Twilight samurai is something special and gets me everytime. That screening must have been incredible.

[@CMCustom112]

@@bushidoblues9302 I was just a tiny screen on a small stage with bad audio. It was the experience of seeing the ad in the newspaper and being unexpectantly rewarded with a really great film that moved me that really stuck with me.

[@iamreaper3257]

yo dude thank u very very much i was looking for best samurai movies but they all like 1996 or something, but am watching after ghost of tsushima platinum 🤣🤣 not before ❤️

[@bushidoblues9302]

Haha anytime is a great time for samurai film. I'm still working on my platinum... amazing game!

[@James2005.]

Ran obviously inspired the color palette and I love it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

The game was so inspired by Kurosawa it even named a mode after him.

[@claduke]

The incestuous relationship between Westerns and Samurai films is pretty wild. Not only did Leone rip off Yojimbo for A Fistful of Dollars, but Sergio Corbucci did the same thing for his B-picture version: Django. Additionally, The Magnificent Seven is an authorized remake of Seven Samurai that Kurosawa loved so much when he saw it that he gave director John Sturges a ceremonial katana as a token for the film. Kurosawa even famously said about how he learned to make movies “I studied American film, which is to say I studied John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford.”

[@murrietakenitri2157]

You forgot 'When the Last sword is drawn' bro...If you haven't seen it yet one of my favourite. You would love it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Been meaning to watch it for years. I probably would love it.

[@murrietakenitri2157]

@@bushidoblues9302my man...You have missed on something...I'm sure you would love it. So far one of my top 3 movies of all time. Ima check some of those you have put out. Haven't seen em all so thanks for that bro 👍🏼

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@murrietakenitri2157 thank you! I'll be sure to add it to my collection and make a vid on it 👍

[@itachi16ful]

U like anything to fo with samurai? Sounds like I need to subscribe. I’m a huge samurai fan

[@bushidoblues9302]

Thanks fellow samurai fan! I specifically make videos to find other people with similar tastes. Any samurai films you'd recommend? I'm always looking for more.

[@itachi16ful]

@@bushidoblues9302I’ll let u know, I now take iado in trying to become a samurai

[@katakauchi]

You could actually watch the NHK Taiga Drama Hojo Tokimune ( 2001 ) which is a much more factual depiction of the Mongol Invasions

[@maniwar94]

What about the movie you used the music of? The Last Samurai, one of my all time Favourite Movies

[@bushidoblues9302]

Last Samurai is what started it all for me. Beautiful film.

[@dylanlewis3251]

The ending of Ran truly wrecked me

[@bushidoblues9302]

It's a Shakespearen tragedy where noone wins. Pretty unfair too.

[@MrVvulf]

Hard to understand how you left off "Harakiri" (1962), since the themes in the movie are reflected in the game. The movie explores the question of whether bushido is the ultimate moral compass for a true samurai, or perhaps there is a code that is even more sacred. I have to assume you just haven't had the opportunity to watch it.

[@bushidoblues9302]

3:16 I included it. Hara-kiri is one of the greatest samurai movies of all time.

[@MrVvulf]

@@bushidoblues9302 Cheers! I missed it because it didn't have it's own "time stamp segment" thingy.

[@bushidoblues9302]

@@MrVvulf yeah I noticed that too. Strange it skipped it.

[@MrVvulf]

@@bushidoblues9302 It's all good. I enjoyed the video. Eventually (hopefully sometime in the next 3 years) I'll get a PS5 and play GoT. I refuse to pay over MSRP, and haven't had a console of my own since my boys grew up and moved away 10+ years ago.

[@SidewaysBurnouts]

check out the japanese remake of unforgiven. shogun assassin series. duel series.

[@bushidoblues9302]

I should make a new list as I've since seen some more greats like Unforgiven and After the Rain. I haven't seen the duel series yet.

[@beanbaka]

If you haven't seen it last sword drawn is pretty good

[@bushidoblues9302]

It's one of the best newer samurai films I have a review on it.

[@Serx1079]

I would add one more: Shigurui.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Shigurui is great but it's a series not a movie, unless there is a movie.

[@qureshiabaan1337]

Are there any books to understand cinema?

[@bushidoblues9302]

Yes there's books you can look up online none that I read. I learn from cinema from other people and I like to rewatch films while playing the commentary if the DVD offers it.

[@markinvdenvers5424]

Yeah

[@markinvdenvers5424]

Samurai

[@Frexican54]

A "Melodrama" is something you describe Lifetime Original Movies not a Cinematic Masterpiece like Hara Kiri.

[@bushidoblues9302]

Haha you're right. Hara Kiri is a masterpiece. Maybe I'll watch it again tonight.

[@Frexican54]

@@bushidoblues9302 Yeah assumed you said that since its more of a plot driven film instead of action driven.

[@Sevatar_VIIIth]

Why can't anyone make any solid "Samurai" movies or shows nowadays?

[@bushidoblues9302]

Seriously. If only the greats like Kobayashi and Kurosawa were still alive.

[@redakumaproduction]

lets be honest.. movie in black and gray are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too hold for me.. like 40 years before i was born XD i cannot say that list isnt complete XD

[@bushidoblues9302]

You should give black and white a chance. You'd be surprised how effective it can be especially when it's digitally remastered.

[@nj7969]

How did you know my reasoning for being here?

[@bushidoblues9302]

Lol ;)

[@42kellys]

You overestimate the samurai. It was just as pitiful a life as any other, and most samurai died very young. And in the Hideyoshi era they died senselessly for some trupmed up 'treason' having to commit ritual suicide for briningin shame on themsleves or their clan leader or someone else. Before that they died in the 148 years of war-time. After that in some conquests toward Korea, and at the end of Edo period they died of poverty and of boredom of a petty life as people reduced to meaningless offices working for the shogunate for petty money or as a ronins wandering about becoming bandits or hired swords. Many of them was far from honourable and the few who were are not even necessarily the ones the stories are about. Forinstance Nobunaga by far was not a nicve and honourable man. Or the man the 47 ronin died for. He was not worth it either, but these ronin made names for themselves and were in that sense re-gaining face. They were interesting people, their daimyo was not.

[@SidewaysBurnouts]

onibaba

[@bushidoblues9302]

I'm mad I forgot to add that. One of my favorites.