Bronze Magician (1963) Yôsô | Region-Free (Blu-Ray)

Presented in 1080p with English subtitles

Title: Bronze Magician (1963)

Alternate Title: Yôsô

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Plot Synopsis:
Set during Japan’s Nara Era (710–794 AD), a Buddhist priest becomes a magician dedicated to protecting life wherever needed. His devotion leads him to serve directly under the Empress. As he rises in prominence, political intrigue ensues, with many suspecting him of harboring ulterior motives.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa
• Writers:
  • Teinosuke Kinugasa
  • Jun Sagara
  • Fuji Yahiro
• Cast:
  • Raizô Ichikawa as the Buddhist Priest
  • Yukiko Fuji as the Empress
  • Tomisaburô Wakayama as the Prime Minister
  • Hikosaburo Kataoka as Kinmaro
  • Eitarô Ozawa as Kiyokawa of the Fujiwara Clan

IMDb Link:
Bronze Magician (1963)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Boblipton – ★★★☆☆
   “A Buddhist priest becomes also a magician, dedicating himself to the protection of life wherever it’s needed, whereupon he finds himself in direct service of the Queen. Political intrigue tightens around him as it is increasingly assumed that he harbors ulterior motives.”

2. Lencho of the Apes – ★★★½
   Film noir fairy-tale; a Christ-like Buddhist monk (with his magick) tries to reform the corrupt government of some-era pre-modern Japan. The dark, airless formalism, the obsessive patterning of positive and negative spaces, reminds me of the post-noir, phantasmagoric something-else of John Alton’s work on The Big Combo.

3. (Systemsdead) – ★★★★
   A real treat for fans of Japanese cinema this is a very rare and seldom seen classic from the Director of A Page Of Madness,Gate Of Hell,it totally had me hooked from its fantastic brilliant opening cinematography and soundtrack,starring Raizo Ichikawa who puts in a brilliant and mysterious performance has Dokyo the enigmatic priest who has the power of life and death with a mere twist of his beads.Luckily I found it random browsing YouTube link below.

Meta Description:
“Bronze Magician” (1963), directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa, is a Japanese drama set in the Nara Era, exploring the rise of a Buddhist priest-turned-magician and the political intrigues surrounding his service to the Empress.