03-14-2025, 11:41 PM
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
The final scene where Itto cuts the 3rd monk of death came up in conversation at Iaido when discussing a denko cut so I revisited this.
The bulk of the US remix Shogun Assassin is drawn from this film and my memory of it is crystal clear - scene for scene, line for line, although I remember the dubbed US version better. That also had a better soundtrack, cheesy electronic 80s music, plus the dubbing was wryly sarcastic and worked well. As translations go, Shogun Assassin has its own unique merits. The original soundtrack is like Japanese folk jazz, not as engaging.
I did catch one scene that I believe was edited out of SA - in the original, when the radish ninjettes attack, there’s a quick cut of nekkid breasts being slit - looked like a latex chest. That must’ve been too graphic for New World at the time.
Styx stills holds up well. The burning boat looks intense because it’s real fire. And I can’t but wonder how the scene where Daigorō brushes the head ninjette’s nekkid nipple was directed. Still wonder what became of that kid actor.
Seeing this again, I’m struck by how well Wakayama handles a katana. The details of his actions demonstrate finely trained skills, especially his noto.
The final scene where Itto cuts the 3rd monk of death came up in conversation at Iaido when discussing a denko cut so I revisited this.
The bulk of the US remix Shogun Assassin is drawn from this film and my memory of it is crystal clear - scene for scene, line for line, although I remember the dubbed US version better. That also had a better soundtrack, cheesy electronic 80s music, plus the dubbing was wryly sarcastic and worked well. As translations go, Shogun Assassin has its own unique merits. The original soundtrack is like Japanese folk jazz, not as engaging.
I did catch one scene that I believe was edited out of SA - in the original, when the radish ninjettes attack, there’s a quick cut of nekkid breasts being slit - looked like a latex chest. That must’ve been too graphic for New World at the time.
Styx stills holds up well. The burning boat looks intense because it’s real fire. And I can’t but wonder how the scene where Daigorō brushes the head ninjette’s nekkid nipple was directed. Still wonder what became of that kid actor.
Seeing this again, I’m struck by how well Wakayama handles a katana. The details of his actions demonstrate finely trained skills, especially his noto.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse