Eureka Entertainment is to release SAMURAI WOLF I & II, two anarchic, spaghetti western-inspired samurai adventures from legendary genre auteur Hideo Gosha. Presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever in UK, in a 2-Disc set as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Available from 22 January 2024, the first print run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase.
A duo of chanbara masterpieces from one of the genre’s greatest directors, Hideo Gosha! Out of a desire to make what he felt was a truly no-holds-barred sword-fighting film, Gosha took inspiration from the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa as well as the spaghetti Western sub-genre they had inspired. Working with a low budget to free himself from the restrictive oversight of his producers, the result was Samurai Wolf and Samurai Wolf II, which tell the story of a charismatic ronin named Kiba (played by Isao Natsuyagi).
In the first film, Kiba wanders into a small town and ends up ensnared in a local conflict that’s more than meets the eye. In Samurai Wolf II, Kiba gets mixed up in a complex web of intrigue, involving a crooked goldmine owner, a cynical swordsman and an arrogant dojo master.
With stunning black and white cinematography and ultra-stylish action sequences, the Samurai Wolf films are a lean, mean triumph of samurai cinema. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present both films for the first time ever in the UK on Blu-ray.
SPECIAL TWO-DISC BLU-RAY EDITION FEATURES:
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella
- Presented in 1080p HD from restorations of the original film elements by Toei
- Uncompressed original Japanese Mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Audio commentary on Samurai Wolf by film historian and writer Chris Poggiali
- Outlaw Director – Hideo Gosha featurette with Tomoe Gosha
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
- PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
- And more to be announced…
