Shogun is an amazing novel, and can be reread countless times yet still present one with overlooked/newly discovered details. To do justice adequately to such a complex/detailed saga seems improbable, yet the miniseries did just that. The acting was spot on, and visually such a feast for the eyes! It really was a great introduction to the roots of Japanese culture, and I learned several words in the language just by reading the book and watching the miniseries. Highly recommend it- you will be sucked in!

I happened to watch Shogun again on Encore this week. I was shocked when I realized that the original release date was 33 years ago! I was a young 24 years old when I saw it the first time. It made quite an impression on me. I had read the book shortly before and really enjoyed the film I have a suggestion. Shogun should be re-released to a new generation. Here's what should be done to enhance this classic without diminishing or compromising this television classic.1. Do a standard digital remastering similar to other re-releases.2. If possible eliminate the TV "fade-outs to a commercial" that really date this mini-series.3. Re-do the score. The score is the weakest point of the movie. It sounds very 70s and the score sounds like a Rockford Files episode where Jim Rockford visits the Orient. This great classic deserves better.4. Here's the most important one: Add sub-titles. This would bring a whole new dimension to the re-release. Baby-boomers like myself who enjoyed the original three decades ago will be anxious to hear the new dialogue that was not previous translated. I'm not really sure if translating the parts that are already translated by one of the characters (Mariko, Father Alvito for example) would work. Maybe just subtitle other parts.Thirty three years is a long time. Shogun begs for a re-release.

Based on a real life English pilot William Adam's (Japanese name Miura Anjin) life, Shogun is a fictional account of John Blackthorn's adventure in the feudal era (Azuchi Momoyama period) Japan. Some other characters are also based on actual historic figure (Like Kagetora is caricature of Iyeyasu ), but their names are changed in this story. Tossed by a storm, John Blackthorn's (Richard Chamberlain) ship Erathmus reaches the shore of Japan. He's met with Lord Yabu's (Franky Sakai) soldiers. Blackthorn is initially shocked at the barbaric deeds of the samurai but gradually leans the ropes to live in this foreign country.Cultural depiction of Japan of the era is not entirely accurate, and behavior is exaggerated to bring the point to the viewers. This was in the early '80s when the Americans were still getting acquainted with sushi, and knew lot less about the Japanese culture. But it was bold move on NBC's part to broadcast such epic story for 5 nights in a row when this series first aired. Japanese actress Yoko Shimada won the Emmy for best actress that year.It's not an authentic portrayal of samurai culture which is bit unfortunate, but the series deserves an A+ for putting the period drama of Japan in the early '80s. 20 years later, Hollywood does a much better job with the likes of "The Last Samurai" that impressed even the Japanese with its accurate depiction of Japanese towns and villages.The show should be viewed with couple of grains of salt, but the adventure of John Blackthorn is an intriguing and exciting tale to watch.

There was a time in TV when the mini-series was king. They were great prestige products for the networks who, risking immense financial expenditure, hoped to create a cinematic masterpiece on a small screen.SHOGUN may be the ultimate expression of this neglected TV format. Based on James Clavell's sweeping epic novel of the same name, it succeeds fully in transporting the viewer to another time and place. Through John Blackthorne's eyes (Richard Chamberlain in a now iconic performance, blending moments of delightful scenery chewing with moments of genuine emotion and subtlety), we become ever more involved in the political dealings of the Japanese nobility and the mixed motives of the Jesuits.One of the great triumphs of SHOGUN is to ensnare the viewer despite long segments in Japanese with no subtitles. The filmmakers were trying to tell the story through Blackthorne's eyes and save for a few moments of narration explaining the dialog, we are left to slowly comprehend the action at the same pace as Blackthorne. It's a device which works wonderfully well, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on through context and character.In addition to Chamberlain, SHOGUN is replete with glorious performances. Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga, a Japanese nobleman with grand political designs, possesses great power and yet Mifune's performance is also very nuanced. Toranaga is a man who's mind is always trying to figure three steps ahead and we see this aspect of Toranaga's personality in Mifune's work- a considerable feat considering his dialog is exclusively in Japanese and without subtitles.Yoko Shimada plays Mariko with a captivating beauty and ethereal grace. Becoming Blackthorne's interpreter and love interest, we cannot take our eyes off of her. Her performance is made doubly impressive by the fact that Ms. Shimada spoke no English and had to be told what her lines met with great care.Additionally, John-Rhys Davies gives a wonderfully bravura turn as Rodrigues and Damien Thomas gives his Father Alvito real depth and dignity.SHOGUN does show its age. The quality of the video image does have a bit of that TV glow to it and Maurice Jarre's score, seeming so lush back in 1980, sounds as if it were recorded by a very small third-rate band in a backwater recording studio- it reeks of TV. Still, these are comparatively minor quibbles to an otherwise completely engrossing epic. SHOGUN succeeds mightily in taking the viewer into a strange land filled with wonder and intrigue. By the end, it's a land you aren't ready to leave- perhaps the ultimate compliment for any film.