Kakushi ken - oni no tsume / The Hidden Blade (2005 Berlinale) in person: Yoji Yamada

Yoji Yamada: 隠し剣　鬼の爪 / Kakushi ken - oni no tsume / The Hidden Blade (JP 2004). Masatoshi Nagase (Munezo Katagiri).

Takeo Hisamatsu and Yoji Yamada, producer and director of competition entry 隠し剣　鬼の爪 / Kakushi ken - oni no tsume / The Hidden Blade at the press conference preceding the premiere. 15 Feb 2005. Photo: Berlinale 2005: Kakushi ken - oni no tsume.

隠し剣　鬼の爪 / La Servante et le samouraï / Das verborgene Schwert / Скрытый клинок.

JP 2004. PC: The Hidden Blade Film Partners / Shochiku. D: Yoji Yamada. Based on short stories by Shuhei Fujisawa. DP: Mutsuo Naganuma. Starring Masatoshi Nagase (Munezo Katagiri), Takako Matsu (Kie), Hidetaka Yoshioka (Samon Shimada). 132 min. A Shochiku release with German subtitles. In person: Yoji Yamada. Viewed at Berlinale-Palast, Berlin Film Festival (competition) 15 Feb 2005. A Shochiku 110 years jubileum contribution. The second samurai film by Yoji Yamada, again based on stories by Shuhei Fujisawa. It takes place during the turmoil of the samurai classes on the verge of the modernization of Japan in the mid-19th century. It's more a study of society and manners than a martial arts picture. Yoji Yamada displays again his sense of humour and understanding of human relationships. I viewed this one distractedly, maybe ***