Tag: samurai marathon

Bernard Rose Interview

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This is the original English transcript of a conversation with director Bernard Rose which was part of an interview article published on February 22 by French speaking media outlet Blog Fascinant Japon to celebrate the third anniversary of the theatrical release of Samurai Marathon : Bernard Rose, un anglais au pays des samourai.

If memory serves me right, producer Jeremy Thomas suggested you could go to Japan and film Samurai Marathon with a Japanese team and cast. Could you remind our readers of the project’s premises?

Jeremy Thomas had made a number of films with Nakazawa Toshiaki (’13 Assassins’ being the best known). Nakazawa suggested Samurai Marathon to Jeremy as a coproduction, which he had already developed as a screenplay by Saito Hiroshi from the novel by Dobashi Akihiro. Jeremy had the idea that a western director could bring something different to the genre and asked me if I would be interested in taking it on.

The idea of making a Samurai movie in Japan was impossible to refuse, so I went to Tokyo to meet with Nakazawa and Yamagishi Kikumi who run Sedic productions. We took a trip up to Shonai where Sedic have a standing set of a Samurai village and scouted the amazing ancient forests in that region. 

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Samurai Marathon US Bluray

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Director Bernard Rose‘s Samurai Marathon is now available on DVD (region 1) and Bluray (region A) in the USA. The movie is truly entertaining and offers a well-balanced mix of action and drama with a good dose of humor. Based on actual historical facts it also has elements of modernity, in this respect the film is a fine tribute to the Samurai Cinema genre.

With Jeremy Thomas (Oscar Winner for The Last Emperor) as a producer and a Japanese stellar cast, Samurai Marathon is also a journey through the magnificent landscapes of rural Japan. Young thespians such as Takeru Satoh, Mirai Moriyama and Nana Komatsu* deliver outstanding performances. American movie goers will also enjoy Danny Huston‘s impersonation of Commander Perry.

*Actress and Chanel Ambassador Komatsu Nana was the recipient of the Rising Star Award at the New York Asian Film Festival in June 2019.

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Samurai Marathon UK Release

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SAmurai Marathon release in the U.K. on January 20th 2020

Signature Entertainment, one of the leading distribution companies in the UK, will release Bernard Rose‘s movie Samurai Marathon on Monday January 2020 in a HD Digital format.

From the official press release:  Inspired by a real-life race that is still held annually in Japan, Samurai Marathon is an epic sword slasher from the team behind 13 Assassins and The Last Emperor. In the late feudal era of Japan, a young ninja (Satoh) is operating undercover in the court of an aging Lord during a peaceful era of Japan that is on the brink of change. After the Lord challenges his lazy samurais to a punishing marathon to toughen them up, the ninja finds his loyalties put to the test. Facing impossible odds, this unusual band of characters is running a race to win or die. 

Starring Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu, Shôta Sometani (First Love) and Danny Huston (The Aviator), Samurai Marathon is thrilling adventure with original music from legendary composer Philip Glass (A Brief History of Time, The Hours). 

Samurai Marathon – Press ReleaseDownload
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Samurai Marathon Bonus

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The Bluray and DVD collector’s editions for Samurai Marathon include a bonus disc which is really worth the extra money: superb making of documentary, premiere event report and various interviews. (Amazon Japan – CD Japan)

The atmosphere of involvement, complicity and good humor from the cast, which pervades the Making of Documentary, can also be felt in the 3SHOT Interview with Takeru Satou, Mirai Moriyama and Nana Komatsu.

The actors are asked about difficult scenes, things they had to care or worry about and if Bernard Rose, being a foreign director, was different from Japanese directors. We get the impression that the shooting was exciting and enjoyable but rather demanding both physically and mentally. For instance, Mirai Moriyama recalls the water he had to swim in was awfully cold.

Takeru Satou had no problem running with others but he was asked to deliver extra speed when he was on his own. Nana Komatsu was a bit worried about her kimono (a very valuable and unique piece) not getting dirty or wet, quite an issue when one considers weather conditions in Japan (end of summer, early fall). The three actors portray director Bernard Rose as a nice and benevolent man who relies a lot on his actors’ ability to be spontaneous.

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US Webzine Interview

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On June 28, Nana Komatsu was in New York to attend the US Premiere of Samurai Marathon and receive a Rising Asia Star Award. During that special night at the 18th New York Asian Film Festival she was interviewed by several English speaking magazines.

One of the interviewers was the webmaster of The Diva Review. Nana Komatsu, whom she describes as “a delightful person”, kindly answers a set of pretty interesting questions. Below is a collection of selected excerpts, you will find the whole interview on their site: Nana Komatsu Exclusive Interview.

Q1-What attracted you to the role of Yukihime, the princess of the film?

When I first read the script, in that kind of period, it was a society where women would do the housework, and men were the strong ones, and women had to cater to men; but in that environment, Yukihime, she does what she likes. She pursues her interest in western things, and she sticks to that. She pursues her interest in the world with great curiosity, which was something that I really related to. So through this role, I hoped that I could portray a strong woman to women worldwide.

Q3-You have a lot of action in this film, including so much running, as one would expect from the title. You also get to have some fight scenes. Tell us about the physical challenges of the role?

It was actually my first time doing fight choreography, as well as horseback riding, but I really loved it (…) when I was playing Yukihime in her kimono, I wanted to be elegant, almost dancelike with the fighting, but when it was her in disguise as Kumanosuke, I wanted to be powerful and strong (…) I really enjoyed it, and would love to do more.

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