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| Images courtesy of Arrow Video |
Tokusatsu visual effects supervisor and assistant director
Yoshiyuki Kuroda has his fingerprints all over many a Japanese effects laden
screen venture including but not limited to two of the Daimajin films,
three of the Yokai Monsters films and today’s Arrow Video release of his
1970 period fantasy thriller The Invisible Swordsman. A simple, straightforward and playful
escapist Daiei tokusatsu, it tells the tale of a novice swordfighter determined
to avenge his father’s death when he encounters a yokai who gifts him with
instruction the ability to brew a mysterious elixir with cloaking
capabilities. Thoroughly Edo-era period gothic
with ghostly supernatural imagery and thrilling fantasy elements, it comes to
Blu-Ray disc for the first time via Arrow Video’s limited edition set in a
somewhat mixed but mostly satisfactory home video release which we’ll get into
later.
Sanshiro Yuzuki (Osamu Sakai) trains his sword fighting skills
at the kendo dojo with rusty results unable to hide his own gracelessness and
cowardice when actually facing off against an enemy fighter. However one fateful evening as his father is
drawing a night watch, he is murdered by phantom thieves and he sees his father
crossing over into the underworld at the banks of the Sanzu River which proves
to be a gateway separating the dimensions between the living and the dead. Encountering the yokai Shokera (Tokio Oki),
he is presented with the option to gather together mushrooms which can be
cooked into a special elixir that which after drinking and spitting some on his
kimono renders him invisible for about an hour.
Aiming to fend off thieving wandering samurai and thieves responsible
for his father’s death, it becomes a race against time and abiding by the rules
of the yokai to become the dreaded titular invisible swordsman.
With ornate period detail lensed with low contrast and dim
light levels by The Haunted Palace cinematographer Hiroshi Imai involving
much of the action taking place at night, and a rousing if not impishly playful
score by Naked Ambition composer Takeo Watanabe, The Invisible
Swordsman is a cheerfully carefree tokusatsu gothic horror supernatural romp. While there are indeed stakes present with the
venture, from the opening credits song and presence of children in the
proceedings this is among the few more family friendly samurai swordplay
offerings. Largely an effects-show for
its director with some decent screenwriting by Akadô Suzunosuke recurring
author Tetsurô Yoshida with some silly over-the-top performances from the
ensemble cast, the gothic mostly nighttime action-comedy thriller for as dark
as it looks is fun and a bit like a Disney Haunted House ride.
Where the film and especially the disc tends to suffer
however can’t be faulted by Arrow Video but from a combination of already dark
source elements and the decision by the film’s rights holders at Daiei to apply
the dreaded DNR (digital noise reduction) overlay resulting in heavy ghosting
which for as much nighttime photography and effects shots as this one has
becomes difficult to decipher. You’re
aware of a number of wild effects sequences and set pieces but the already murky
visuals combined with the waxy ghosty DNR renders a lot of it frankly hard to
tell what’s going on. As such, it makes
for a disappointing release but again Arrow tries their best to make up for it
with their extras including an audio commentary from Jonathan Clements as well
as video interviews with Kim Newman and Jasper Sharp. The package also comes with reversible sleeve
art and an illustrated collector’s booklet.
Fans of tokusatsu and the supernatural jidaigeki replete with yokai
monsters running about will have fun here but go in knowing the transfer might
frustrate you some.
--Andrew Kotwicki
