30th Anniversary Collector`s Edition Available in July Source: AnimEigo, Inc. press release Special Thanks to Aaron Cavazos
AnimEigo proudly celebrates the 30th anniversary of the legendary samurai cult classic, SHOGUN ASSASSIN, by announcing the first ever high-definition version of the film! The most famous samurai film in the Western World is finally coming to North America in the clearest and most pristine version ever seen by man, woman, or ninja. Directed by Academy Award-winner Robert Houston, the English dubbed SHOGUN ASSASSIN was created by editing together footage from the first two Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Ookami) films, SWORD OF VENGEANCE (Kozure Okami: Kowokashi Udekashi Tsukamatsuru, 1972) and BABY CART ON THE RIVER STYX (Kozure Okami: Sanzu no Kawa no Ubaguruma, 1972). It uses about 11 minutes of footage from the first film and 70 minutes of footage from the second. The Lone Wolf and Cub films are based on the original manga (story by Koike Kazuo, illustrations by Kojima Goseki), a 142-episode epic, which ran in Manga Action between September 10, 1970, and April 1, 1976. In 2006, AnimEigo`s first official release of SHOGUN ASSASSIN set the bar for high quality with its crystal-clear DVD picture. This time around, they once again reconstructed the film, this time using uncompressed 1080p 24p source materials. But that`s not all! For this special edition of samurai slaughter, they`ve compiled some incredible exclusive extras, only available on this disc. For starters, there`s a must-see 10+ minute interview with Samuel L. Jackson about his fondness of SHOGUN ASSASSIN and other samurai films, shot exclusively for this release in 2009. And to top it all off, AnimEigo gathered three of the original American cast and crew for a brand new, highly-informative, feature-length audio commentary. This new commentary features never-before-heard insider perspectives of the 1980 film`s creation from some of the key players who made it all happen: producer David Weisman, poster illustrator Jim Evans, and Gibran Evans, who provided the epic voice narration of Daigoro! And the best part of the disc is… the price! AnimEigo has set the suggested retail price at $24.98, so expect great deals on this groundbreaking release. See the most famous Samurai movie of all time–that the Japanese have still never heard of! See the movie that you`ve watched a million times, but never really seen–because you`ve never seen it in 1080p! It`s the one... the only... SHOGUN ASSASSIN… in High Definition! Because the best color for blood… is Blu!
About AnimEigo, Inc.
AnimEigo, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, is a leading releaser of Japanese films on DVD in North America. AnimEigo’s catalogue comprises a variety of genres, including several quintessential samurai films, such as SHOGUN ASSASSIN, LONE WOLF AND CUB, ZATOICHI, and SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH as well as award-winning art films such as THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (Palme d’Or winner). As the oldest surviving releaser of anime in North America, AnimEigo has released such classic titles as URUSEI YATSURA, MACROSS, RUPAN III, OH MY GODDESS!, and many more.