Zatoichi at Large

Zatoichi at Large (座頭市御用旅, Zatōichi goyōtabi) is a 1972 Japanese film directed by Kazuo Mori.[1] The film stars Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi, a blind swordsman and masseur who helps deliver a baby and transport it to its relatives after its mother dies. It was the 23rd film in the Zatoichi film series and the first distributed by Toho, while all others were distributed by Daiei.[1]

Zatoichi at Large
Directed byKazuo Mori
Produced by
Screenplay byKinya Naoi[1]
Based onA novel
by Kan Shimozawa[1]
Starring
Music byEiken Sakurai[1]
CinematographyFujio Morita[1]
Production
company
Katsu Production[1]
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • 15 January 1972 (1972-01-15) (Japan)
Running time
87 minutes[1]
CountryJapan

Release

Zatoichi at Large was released in Japan on 15 January 1972 where it was distributed by Toho.[1] It was released in the United States by Toho International with English subtitles in September 1973.[1] The film has been released under alternate titles, including The Blind Swordsman on a Mission.[1] The film was followed by Zatoichi in Desperation.[1]

The film was released on DVD by Animego on 8 June 2004.[2] The film was later released on Blu-ray and DVD by the Criterion Collection as part of their Zatoichi box set.[3]

Reception

In a retrospective review, DVDTalk described the series of films to be tired at this point, noting that the film series was running out of ideas, noting "Ichi's obligatory face-off with a badass swordsman which is almost comically tacked on at the end."[4] The review concluded that "the characters are colorful and despite piling on a few too many twists against Ichi in the finale, his guilt, eventual capture, humiliation, final revenge, and bond with the people he has met make it an enjoyable film in the series."[4]

References
  1. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 280.
  2. "Zatoichi at Large". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. "Zatoichi at Large". Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. Wallis, J. Doyle (23 March 2004). "Zatoichi at Large". DVDTalk. Retrieved 2 October 2017.

Footnotes
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 1461673747.
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