Product Details

• Actors: Richard Chamberlain, Yôko Shimada, Toshirô Mifune, Frankie Sakai, Alan Badel
• Directors: Jerry London
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 26, 1994
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300214141
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,299 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Originally broadcast in September of 1980 as a 5-part, 12-hour miniseries, Shogun stood out from the pack of television events at the time with its boldness of action and calculated risks. Based on James Clavell's epic novel, Shogun stars Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne, a 17th-century English pilot commanding a Dutch ship that wrecks off the coast of Japan. Viewed suspiciously by local authorities, Blackthorne is at first in some danger of being executed. But with little hope of returning to Britain anytime soon, he begins to assimilate into the feudal society, befriending a powerful warlord (Toshiro Mifune) and wearing the robes of a samurai. Inevitably, Blackthorne begins to think of himself as Japanese, defending his hosts in battle, learning the language, and falling in love with an interpreter (Yoko Shimada). At the same time, his presence there exacerbates a problem with would-be European colonialists gazing at Japan covetously. Directed by journeyman Jerry London, Shogun immediately caught on with its blend of romance, exoticism, and compelling myth of an outsider's reinvention--a story that becomes sadder as it becomes clear that Blackthorne may never see his home again. The production deliberately pushed hard against various television taboos and audience expectations, including the extensive use of Japanese dialogue, startling violence, near nudity, and profane behavior. That all looks tamer now, of course, but Shogun is still a unique entry in the phenomenon of prestige miniseries from the late 1970s and early '80s. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Viewing this will only make you yen for the original..., October 8, 2000

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I just spent the weekend watching the complete video tape version of this classic mini-series and I thought I would give the one tape version a second viewing. To be fair, this version is, as others have noted, an above average job of reducing "Shogun" to a single cassette. But doing so really takes away a complete dimension from this epic. Ultimately it is comprehensible only to those who have read the book and/or seen the complete mini-series. You will constantly be thinking back to what they have cut out, filling in all of the jettisoned backstories of the supporting characters who gave "Shogun" its breadth and depth (especially Lord Yabu and Omi). You also lose the sense of the political intrigue, focusing more on the love affair between Pilot-Major Blackthorne and Mariko. Consequently, viewing this edited version is only going to make you want to go back to the complete mini-series or Clavell's novel. Therefore, you should just go do that in the first place. "Shogun" is on a level with "Roots" and "I, Claudius." Can you imagine them doing this to either of those classics?

Of course this begs the question: Why did they even bother to make this version? If memory serves, this was released at a time when no one had really tested the market in terms of making an entire mini-series available on tape. Fortunately, our local library has not only "Shogun" but just about every other major mini-series you can mention. Once I month I grab one for a major weekend viewing session. It is truly the only way to go.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy this movie, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This edited version has been cut up so bad that it doesn't even make sense. Look for the original version and get that. This one should be removed from the shelves for good.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Cliff's Notes" version of a monumental mini-series, April 17, 1999

By A Customer

Making a landmark mini-series into a two-hour video is a tall order. In the case of "Shogun", the editors have done a very commendable job. Naturally, mountains of details had to be cut for this ultra short version, yet the flow of the story line is surprisingly fluid and unstrained. It does help to have recently read the novel for the short version of the "Shogun" film to make the most sense. Certainly, the full-length version is a masterpiece. Do not expect the short version to be everything that the original was. Take it for what it is--s synopsis-- and you'll truly enjoy even this short version.