Author of Yôji Yamada's Samurai Trilogy get adapted in "Yamazakura"

by Chris MaGee

Nippon Cinema has details and a trailer for the latest screen adaptation of a Shuhei Fujisawa novel. Fujisawa (1927-1997) published over 50 works, from novels to short stories, three of which were used by filmmaker Yôji Yamada as the basis for his award winning Samurai Trilogy (Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honour).

This time out Tetsuo Shinohara (Karaoke Terror, Metro ni Notte) helms "Yamazakura", that tells the story of Noe Isomura (Rena Tanaka), a woman whose heart is torn between her husband by an arranged marriage, the self-involved samurai (Tetsuya Chiba), or her true love Tezuka (Noriyuki Higashiyama).

I am a huge fan of Yôji Yamada's Samurai Trilogy, so it will be interesting to see whether Shinohara can bring the same empathy for the characters and attention to detail that made those films so special.

"Yamazakura" opens in Japanese theatres today, May 31st. Check out its official site (in Japanese).