STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. REMEMBERING 'SHØGUN'

In the New World: Richard Chamberlain and Yoko Shimada in the classic SHØGUN. Image: PARAMOUNT.

Truly caught between two worlds, noble and passionate seamen adventurer John Blackthorne, looking to discover the sea trading routes of China, instead finds himself shipwrecked alongside the remains of his crew within the deep wiles of beauty and brutality that is feudal Japan, quickly adapting to the culture and caught in a power struggle between its ambitious enemy warlords, once of whom, the mighty Lord Yoshi Toranaga (as played by legendary actor Toshiro Mifune), recognises that he can use the clever Englishman to aid his plans, in the epic 1980 US mini-series from PARAMOUNT: SHØGUN, based on the legendary seventies bestseller by respected author James Clavell. Beating strongly vocal opposition against him from the acclaimed novelist, who was heavily involved in the early stages of its TV translation, and after ex-007's Sean Connery and Roger Moore, as well as Albert Finney, had both turned down the role, Richard Chamberlain, recognising one of the best parts in Hollywood at the time, would fight tooth and nail to get the lead role of Blackthorne (later Anjin-san) and quickly proves well-cast, in what is probably his best screen role to date, in a costly (but well worth the price) mini-series that would be totally filmed in Japan and utilise its top talents, both in front of and behind the camera, resulting in both the Japanese and US crews each having to adapt and adjust to the others way of life and filming techniques, as well as surmounting the language barrier obstacles and translation problems that needed to be sorted out in an exhausting, but ultimately rewarding, daily basis. SHØGUN has a visceral, fairy-tale like beauty to it at times, helped with a memorable score from legendary film composer Maurice Jarre and lovely cinematography from Andrew Laszlo, mixed in with some noted violence and cruelty that amazingly got past the TV censors of the time-though perhaps this time such bosses were wise enough to realise that such unsettling deeds, was all truly part of the historical story of the period, what with its legendary Samurai and Ninja warriors/assassins. Right from the shows opening minutes, we as viewers unsettlingly realise that TV history will never be the same again when a shocked Blackthorne sees a Japanese Warlord quickly decapitate one of his servants in front of his (and our) eyes for not looking at him incorrectly, a powerful sequence and a stark visual reminder that this is all a whole 'nother world that our hero has now found himself entangled in.

Trailer: Shogun trailer - YouTube

Backed up with excellent guest star support from a pre-RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK John Rhys-Davies (playing a Falstaff-like Portuguese pirate, Vasco Rodriguez, captain of the Black Ship, who becomes hero/enemy to Chamberlain over the course of the series), the beautiful Yoko Shimada as Blackthorne's love interest, Lady Todo Buntaro-Mariko (the actress to be commended for her learning the English language specifically for the production, of which she also shows great dignity and fragile warmth in her role), Damien Thomas and Alan Baddiel, as the leaders of the Spanish Christian church struggling to maintain their order's power base and position against the ever-changing Japanese power plays that are intensified with the arrival of the "heretic" Blackthorne, and UFO's Vladek Sheybal who once again gives a uniquely memorable and villainous performance as the pirate Captain Ferriera. And let's also not forget the rest of the great Japanese cast, either, like Hideo Takamatsu as the dangerous and jealous Lord Buntaro or Frankie Sakai as Yabu.

Directed with verve by Jerry London and adapted lovingly by Clavell with Eric Bercovici, the soon acclaimed SHØGUN would be one of the true jewels of the PARAMOUNT TV crown, and an inspiring mini-series masterpiece, quickly proving itself as addictive viewing not only in the US (where it was hugely responsible for broadening friendly relationships and understanding between American and Japan in a way that had not been previously possible, due to the prior lingering ghosts of World War II) but worldwide, also (In the UK it was shown to very good ratings on the BBC). The five-part (sometimes shown as six) production has aged very well in its subsequent repeats and releases on DVD, and if you've never seen it before it's well worth a look.