Samurai films are a wonderful combination of frenetic action sequences, moving personal drama and philosophical observations on loyalty and violence, all set against the spectacular backdrop of pre-industrial Japan. Many mainstream directors, from Hollywood and elsewhere, have been inspired and influenced by the genre. Want to know where George Lucas got some of the major plot ideas for Star Wars: A New Hope? Check out Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Interested in seeing the film that arguably inspired the whole Spaghetti Western genre? Have a look at Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Want to see one of the major inspirations for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films? Look no further than Toshiya Fujita's Lady Snowblood. If you want to know more about Samurai films, then this is the book for you. Roland Thorne covers the history of this popular cult genre, including the influence it's had on world cinema, as well as analysis of all key films. Classics such as Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy are included, as well as more recent films, such as Aragami, The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade. Samurai Films is Roland Thorne's first book.
