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Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Finally, a book about the ever-popular genre of samurai film. Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves provides essential background on the samurai warrior in Japanese culture to help explain what makes these tales of loyalty, revenge and explosive swordsmanship so watchable. It covers top directors and stars and has over 50 original reviews of a wide variety of films, from classics like Samurai Trilogy and Yojimbo to influential films like Lady Snowblood, plus newly released hits like Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi. With American directors like Quentin Tarentino increasingly influenced by Japanese films, this book is as much a guide to style as it is a solid film reference.

"Galloway's thoughtful and personal touches make this book much more than just a vital reference for samurai film fans." -- The Asian Reporter

"Galloway's contextualization of the genre is masterly, one of the clearest and most succinct explanations I have read on teh whole historical samurai phenomenon." -- The Daily Yomiuri

"Without a doubt, Galloway knows his stuff." -- Yellow Menace

From the publisher: Check out Patrick Galloway's latest book, Asian Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, & Thailand

About the Author

Film critic Patrick Galloway won over readers with film guides Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook, and Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. A lifelong student of Asian philosophy and culture, Galloway has traveled in Japan, Hong Kong, India and Nepal. He lives in the Bay Area.

Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press (May 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1880656930
ISBN-13: 978-1880656938
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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	65% buy the item featured on this page: Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook 4.5 out of 5 stars (15) $17.56
	15% buy The Samurai Film 4.5 out of 5 stars (2) $25.15
	10% buy Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion 5.0 out of 5 stars (6) $13.57
	7% buy A Hundred Years of Japanese Film: A Concise History, with a Selective Guide to DVDs and Videos 4.5 out of 5 stars (11) $14.96

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

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4.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chambara - o - Rama, September 9, 2005

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Patrick Galloway is no film scholar, and "Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook" is no didactic, insightful critique of a unique and subtle genre. Instead, he is an unabashed fan who has written a gushing fan book full of excitement and energy, as befits the nature of the subject. This is not to put any doubt on his knowledge. Super-fan that he is, one would be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable expert on the Samurai genre. From the most ludicrous splatterfest to the most powerful and moving drama, Galloway treats each film with respect and notes the quality of its merits on its own terms.

Taking this films decade by decade, Galloway highlights the best that each period has to offer. He kicks things off right with "Roshomon" and "Seven Samurai" in the 1950's, moves through the Golden Age of the 60's with such films as "Yojimbo," "The Tale of Zatoichi," "Hara Kiri" and "Samurai Rebellion," into the 70's with "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx" and the "Kill Bill" inspiration "Lady Snowblood: Blizzard from the Netherworld," the 80's and beyond with "Kagemusha," "Roningai" Kitano Takeshi's "Zatoichi" and the magnificent "Twilight Samurai." He plucks the absolute best from each era, and leaves you hungry to watch every magnificent offering.

Each review is packed with information on story, actors and historical setting. Ever a fan instead of a scholar, Galloway refuses to give away endings or crucial plot points, so that the films can still be fully enjoyed by eager viewers. The availability of each film is also rated, and Galloway specifically tries to review accessible films, rather than long out-of-print obscurities.

Along with his great reviews, he has side galleries such as the "Character Actor Hall of Fame," with bios of all those guys you see hanging around the various Samurai flicks, but never quite put a name too, and tidbits from "Takuan the Know-It-All Priest," which offers insight into Japanese Samurai culture, dress and relationships. He also includes four prefacing essays, "The World of the Samurai," "The Samurai Film Genre," "The Artists," and "Seeing the Films" which help set the stage for the film reviews to follow.

While always a fan of Samurai flicks, "Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves" has set me on the path to becoming a full-fledged fanatic. It has become my checklist to take shopping for DVDs or to the local rental shop, and so far it has never let me down. The more I see, the more I want to see, and I am constantly referencing back to this book, appreciating it even more as I see the films.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars popular introduction to these popular Japanese films, August 29, 2005

By	Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Dissatisfied with the academic reference books on this popular Japanese film genre of samurai films, the longtime student of Asian and Japanese culture Galloway wrote this jaunty, learned reference providing "historical background, cultural insights, production anecdotes, actor and director bios, and detailed plot synopses" for more than 50 of the films from the 1960s into the '90s. Besides the classics "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon," others of the numerous films included are "Three Outlaw Samurai," "Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance," "Heaven and Earth," and "Band of Assassins," as well as "Samurai Reincarnation" and "The Razor: Sword of Justice" and others in the series these two are a part of. Galloway's outstanding guide treats the films as part of the global popular culture rather than "foreign" films calling for explanation in terms of some film theory or film critic's abstruse, involved ideas.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good source for Samurai films..., November 29, 2005

By	Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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Do you like a certain actor? Look him up. Like a cetain director? Look him up. Want films from a certain decade or wish to know some of the plot before buying it? Look it up! This book is FAR from the complex list of Samurai films, but it hits on the major ones and the people who brought them about. I had a few films I truly enjoyed, such as RoninGai, The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo to name a few. But with this book I was able to expand my library to include such titles as Lone Wolf and Cub and Zatoichi. A must for ANY library on film or Japanese culture.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction chambara films
Neither exhaustive nor terribly in-depth in it's coverage, "Stray Dog and Lone Wolves: the Samurai Film Handbook" is targeted primarily at those who have yet to do more than dip... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Wes McClain

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, yeah, keep them swords-a-slashing!
Very good, very fun and very much loved by this very big chambara fan!!! A big and sincere thanks to the author for creating this informative guide and loving tribute.

Published on October 7, 2007 by P. O'Connell

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect reference book for Samurai film fans
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/07)

At the recommendation of a lab assistant that used to work for me, I started watching samurai movies. Read more

Published on April 22, 2007 by Reader Views

4.0 out of 5 stars Great source to find your next rental
As a fairly new Chambara/Samurai film fan, I've found this book to be a great source to help know where to look. Read more

Published on April 19, 2007 by Scott M. Fedor

5.0 out of 5 stars A handy handbook
This book is an absolute must for chambara fans, both newbies and fans seeking new films to explore. Read more

Published on March 3, 2006 by Kevin Fellezs

2.0 out of 5 stars Strictly for newbies
It's thin compared to the other, much better, Stone Bridge Press books about Japanese cinema, coming in at 235 pages with only 150 pages dedicated to samurai film reviews. Read more

Published on February 18, 2006 by Jason S. Spear

5.0 out of 5 stars A critical guide to over 50 top samurai films
Patrick Galloway's Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook provides a critical guide to over 50 top samurai films, from well-known masterpieces to new hits and... Read more

Published on November 9, 2005 by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Solid Primer on the Samurai Genre
As a long time collector of the samurai genre I really appreciated this book. Although I have read scholarly books and articles about the genre, I too always felt there was... Read more

Published on October 17, 2005 by Kevin J. Closson

4.0 out of 5 stars a good introduction to the genre
While not an exhaustive reference or a scholarly-style examination of the subject, this covers the basic eras, the essential films, and most famous artists of samurai cinema. Read more

Published on August 26, 2005 by Trey Causey

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, and Needed!
Here is a great guidebook of most of the great Japanese samurai films that are available in English subtitle format for the English-speaking filmgoer. Read more

Published on August 9, 2005 by Wave Tossed

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