
Blu-ray release: ‘Samurai Wolf 1 & 2’
By Phil Mills | Nov 21, 2023
Eureka Entertainment are bringing the 1966 Japanese chanbara classic ‘Samurai Wolf’ (牙狼之介) and its sequel to UK Blu-ray on January 22, 2024.
Out of a desire to make what he felt was a truly no-holds-barred sword-fighting film, director Hideo 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.
Features:
• 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 Chris Poggiali
• Outlaw Director – Hideo Gosha featurette with Tomoe Gosha
• Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes
‘Samurai Wolf 1 & 2’ is available to pre-order now from Amazon.co.uk.
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