Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi by Kitano Takeshi: Not a Mere "Entertainment"

Kitano employs his wellknown "offbeat" sensibilities to add memorable dimensions to the ambiance through which his characters move. Despite his protestations that the film is "an entertainment," and presumably not to be taken too seriously within his oeuvre, it is quite apparent that his use of color, music, and shot composition, as well as his pastiches of Japanese film and of Japanese culture more widely, make of this much more than another installment in the long-running Zatoichi series. These aspects, as well as the particular characterization of Zatoichi by Kitano, will be the focus of this study.