Shogun Assassin (1980) with guest Jonathan Wroot

04/24/21 • 75 min

Join us for a blood-soaked discussion on this classic video nasty, an American remix of two equally classic Japanese films Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (both 1972, Kenji Misumi).

Our guest this month is Dr Jonathan Wroot, an expert in Japanese cinema, and he gives us a fascinating overview of the history of this film, the original Lone Wolf series and its brother-in-arms, Zatōichi. Along the way we talk hip hop, blood pressure, Andy Warhol and killer penises. Just a regular episode of Second Features.

You can contact us by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @secondfeatures

Please remember to leave us a review or rate the podcast on your app of choice!

Reading List (generously supplied by Jonathan):

A review (Jasper Sharp, 2001) of Sword of Vengeance, scenes of which appear in Shogun Assassin

A feature article (Robin Gatto and Tom Mes, 2005) on Kenji Misumi, who directed the footage that appears in Shogun Assassin

FrameRated review of the Lone Wolf and Cub film series by Remy Dean (2020) including the different DVD releases

Derek Johnston’s research paper on the transcultural impact of Lone Wolf and Cub

And so you can hear RZA talk about Wu-Tang Clan far more eloquently than Adrian can:

Wu-Tang’s RZA Breaks Down 10 Kung Fu Films He’s Sampled

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can contact us by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @secondfeatures

Please remember to leave us a review or rate the podcast on your app of choice!

Reading List (generously supplied by Jonathan):

A review (Jasper Sharp, 2001) of Sword of Vengeance, scenes of which appear in Shogun Assassin

A feature article (Robin Gatto and Tom Mes, 2005) on Kenji Misumi, who directed the footage that appears in Shogun Assassin

FrameRated review of the Lone Wolf and Cub film series by Remy Dean (2020) including the different DVD releases

Derek Johnston’s research paper on the transcultural impact of Lone Wolf and Cub

And so you can hear RZA talk about Wu-Tang Clan far more eloquently than Adrian can:

Wu-Tang’s RZA Breaks Down 10 Kung Fu Films He’s Sampled

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) with guest Caz Rickards

This month we discuss the Roger Moore-starring The Man Who Haunted Himself, which leads to us talking about eyebrow acting, James Bond (naturally), safari suits and knitwear modelling. We also welcome Dr Carolyn Rickards to tell us about her involvement in the AHRC-funded project 'The Eastmancolor Revolution and British Cinema, 1955-1985)', and the striking use of colour in this month's film.

You can read Dr Rickard's excellent chapter "The Rise and Fall of the Colourful Corporate Fantasy in 1960s British Cinema" in the book Sixties British Cinema Reconsidered

You can find out what Dr Rickards is up to currently by following her on Twitter: @caz_rickards

The Eastmancolor Revolution and British Cinema, 1955-1985 also has an excellent blog: eastmancolor.info

You can email us at [email protected] with any feedback on this episode, or with suggestions for future shows.

You can also contact us on Twitter:

Dr Laura Mayne - @LauraJaneMayne

Dr Adrian Smith - @retroramblings

The Man Who Haunted Himself is available on blu ray from Network

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Slumber Party Massacre (1982) & Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987) with guest Dr Alice Haylett Bryan

Just what exactly is a feminist slasher film, and do these two fit the bill? Get your pyjamas on, order yourself a pizza, lock all the windows and doors and then join us and our guest Dr Alice Haylett Bryan as we dissect Slumber Party Massacre and Slumber Party Massacre 2 and try to figure this out!

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.