Shogun (2024)

Logan Selmes said:
I hope this reignites public interest in the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga. I'd love to see a new series version of Noble House, even though Hong Kong has changed so much since the 60s and 80s.
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I agree. Tai-Pan (1986) with Bryan Brown was disappointing and while Pierce Brosnan's Noble House was better, I'd also love to see them both remade.
 
Logan Selmes said:
I hope this reignites public interest in the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga. I'd love to see a new series version of Noble House, even though Hong Kong has changed so much since the 60s and 80s.
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He also cowrite the screenplay for the 1958 film The Fly .
 
The first big production of year for TV and it is going to take a lot to top it. A brilliant cast brings Clavell's characters to life, top notch cinematography. On episode 4 at the moment.
 
svalbard said:
The first big production of year for TV and it is going to take a lot to top it. A brilliant cast brings Clavell's characters to life, top notch cinematography. On episode 4 at the moment.
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How do you find it compares to the original 1970's version? I have to admit to being a bit concerned that the sets will all look like cheap CGI, and end up looking far inferior to the actual sets used in the original TV series.

EDIT: Will move this to the existing Shogun (2024) thread.
 
I think it superior to original series.(And I loved the old series) It is closer to the book, if memory serves me right. Sanada makes for a brilliant Toranaga. The actor playing Blackthorne is also more believable. The fight scenes are well choreographed. There is more from the Japanese POV. All in all it is close to perfect.
 
Brian G Turner said:
How do you find it compares to the original 1970's version? I have to admit to being a bit concerned that the sets will all look like cheap CGI, and end up looking far inferior to the actual sets used in the original TV series.
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I can't remember the 1980s series very well, but most of the sets here look very good. There are a few wide-scape city shots that are clearly CGI (because what else could they be?) but they are still decent; everything else is either a real set or indistinguishable (to my eyes). The only change I'm not sure is for the better is that the colour palette is a bit dour.

The writing and acting are top-notch. I've also watched a YouTube video by a very picky historian, who teaches Japanese, and he could find almost nothing to criticise at all in terms of historical accuracy.
 
The original had such a good cast and the closing narration by Orson Welles was particularly haunting.

In 1980, Shogun was aimed mainly at North American audiences. Mini-series were the big new rage. Japan was not on the radar for most Americans beyond WW 2 and Godzilla. It was much more mysterious and exotic.
Toshiro Mifune was the type of actor who could communicate a lot without saying anything--there was much intensity and gravitas in his face--but John-Rhys Davies is particularly big shoes to fill.
The cast seems milder but that's the currency of the times--mildness.
So much more emphasis is placed on technological factors--it is a big change from old-fashioned theater where the actor had to command attention without any help from props or set FX.

The best moments in the 1980 series were bits like where Blackthorne teaches Toranaga to dance. I don't think that would have the same impact today. Not without Michael Bay camera moves and Zimmer scoring.
 
I did too but I remember almost nothing of it. (sigh)
 
We had some posts on the last TV episode thread.
Very good show in the first 4 episodes I have seen. Excellent atmosphere.A bit more upbeat than I was expecting with joking around from the Europeans, which is fun, but along with the heroic’s side successes makes it less believable.
Good actors though doesn’t seem to be any who are Portuguese.
 
I read the book back in the mid-70's. Have no interest in a movie. Clavell at his worst.
 
I watched the last episode and it wasn't my favorite but the series ends in a reasonable way. I think that the thing I liked best about the series was the way that it illustrated that power welded subtly was every bit as effective as brute force and that subtle power is the only option for success in some circumstances.
 
James Clavell did write a direct sequel . They're going to have a tough time doing a follow up.
 
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