| Shōgun | |
|---|---|
Shōgun titles |
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| Directed by | Jerry London |
| Produced by | Eric Bercovici Ben Chapman James Clavell Kerry Feltham |
| Written by | James Clavell (novel) Eric Bercovici |
| Starring | Richard Chamberlain Toshirô Mifune Yôko Shimada Damien Thomas John Rhys-Davies |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre Richard Bowden arranger |
| Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
| Editing by | James T. Heckert Bill Luciano Donald R. Rode Benjamin A. Weissman Jerry S. Young |
| Release date(s) | 1980 (USA) |
| Running time | 547 min. 125 minutes (theatrical version) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English/Japanese |
Shōgun is an American television miniseries based on the namesake novel by James Clavell. As with the novel, the title is often shown as Shōgun in order to conform to Hepburn romanization. The miniseries was broadcast over five nights, between September 15 and September 19, 1980 on NBC in the United States. To date[update], it is the only USA-based TV show/miniseries to be filmed entirely on location in Japan. Even the studio shots were done in Japanese studios.
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The story is based on the adventures of English navigator William Adams. The series follows Pilot John Blackthorne's experiences in Japan in the early 17th century. After his ship, the "Erasmus" is wrecked along the coast of Japan, Blackthorne must juggle his identity as an Englishman associated with other Europeans, namely Portuguese traders and Jesuit priests, and the Japanese culture into which he is thrust. As an Englishman, Blackthorne is at odds with the Portuguese and the Jesuits. The powerful Catholic foothold in Japan puts Blackthorne - a Protestant - at a disadvantage, but it also brings him to the attention of Lord Toranaga. Already a powerful warlord, Toranaga competes with others for the position of Shogun.
Blackthorne and the warlord forge a tenuous alliance. To help the Englishman assimilate, Toranaga assigns him an interpreter, the beautiful Lady Mariko. Blackthorne soon becomes infatuated with Mariko, but she is already married, and their romance is doomed. Ultimately, Mariko is killed saving Blackthorne during an attack by Toranaga's enemies, and Blackthorne's ship under guard is lost (secretly) to arson. In the end, Toranaga prevails and earns the Shogunate.
Shogun concludes with Blackthorne supervising the construction of yet another new ship, determined to return home. He is observed by the soon-to-be triumphant Toranaga. A voiceover reveals the Shogun's thoughts - it was Toranaga who destroyed the Erasmus, as he will destroy the ship Blackthorne is now building, and any more he attempts to create, as well as Mariko's vital, but fateful, role in his triumph. The warlord is convinced that Blackthorne's karma brought him to Japan, and that he is destined never to leave.
In the conclusion of the miniseries, it is revealed that Toranaga is triumphant at the Battle of Sekigahara, captures and executes his rival Lord Ishido, and takes 40,000 enemy heads.
| Episode | Original US Air Date | Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 15 September 1980 | 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern | (3 hr opener) |
| 02 | 16 September 1980 | 8 pm - 10 pm Eastern | |
| 03 | 17 September 1980 | 9 pm - 11 pm Eastern | |
| 04 | 18 September 1980 | 9 pm - 11 pm Eastern | |
| 05 | 19 September 1980 | 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern | (3 hr finale) |
It was also broadcast in repeats as six two-hour parts and sometimes edited for content (particularly the omission of the beheading and urinating scenes in episode 1).
As an effort to increase awareness and publicity for the series, weeks before the episodes aired on network television, a replica of the Erasmus was docked in New York City, while hired actors dressed up as samurai roamed the streets near the harbor to promote the tv show.
A 125-minute edit of the miniseries was released to theatrical film markets in Europe in 1980. This version was also the first version of the miniseries to be released to the home video market in North America (a release of the full miniseries did not occur until later). The film version contains additional violence and nudity that had been removed from the NBC version.
The DVD release has no episode breaks. It is divided over 4 discs with bonus features on disc 5.
The miniseries, with narration by Orson Welles, starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne (Anjin-san), Toshirō Mifune as Lord Toranaga, Yoko Shimada as Lady Toda Mariko, John Rhys-Davies in one of his first major roles as Portuguese Pilot Vasco Rodrigues, Vladek Sheybal as Captain Ferreira, and Michael Hordern as Friar Domingo.
Out of all the Japanese actors hired to be part of the cast, only three spoke English in the entire production: Mariko (Yoko Shimada), Brother Michael (Masumi Okada) and Urano (Takeshi Ôbayashi). At the time the miniseries was made, Shimada knew very little English, and relied on a dialogue coach to correctly deliver her lines phonetically.
Originally, according to the documentary The Making of Shōgun, featured on the North American DVD release, James Clavell wanted Sean Connery to play Blackthorne, but Connery balked at doing television. Other actors considered for the role included Roger Moore and Albert Finney.
The mini-series was one of the highest-rated programs in NBC history and sparked a wave of historical-based miniseries over the next few years (such as North and South and The Thorn Birds) as networks clamoured to capitalise on the format's success.
The success of the miniseries was credited with increasing awareness of Japanese culture in America. In the documentary The Making of Shōgun, it is stated that the rise of Japanese food establishments in the US (particularly sushi houses) is attributed to Shōgun. It was also noted that during the week of broadcast, many restaurants and movie houses saw a decrease in business. The documentary states many stayed home to watch Shōgun — unprecedented for a television broadcast. (The home VCR was not yet ubiquitous.)
The Japanese characters speak in Japanese throughout, except when translating for Blackthorne. The original broadcast did not use subtitles for the Japanese portions. As the movie was presented from Blackthorne's point of view, the producers felt that "what he doesn't understand, we [shouldn't] understand."[2]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the series a critic rating of 80%.[3]
It was first broadcast in Japan in April, 1981, where it was dubbed into Japanese throughout. Its ratings on TV Asahi were similar to those of Roots (TV miniseries).[4]
Shōgun broke several taboos and contained several firsts for American broadcast TV.
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