Loosely adapted from Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura's manga series, Lady Snowblood is a chanbara film centering on a young lady (Meiko Kaji) striving to enact vengeance for the murder of her father and rape of her mother. Filled with stylized melodrama, bold storytelling choices, and gallons of cartoonish gore, Lady Snowblood struck enough of a chord to result in a sequel, at least two remakes, a slot in the Criterion Collection, and a loving homage in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl and Sylvan for a closer look at this mesmerizing action movie. Discussion topics include Meiko Kaji's thousand yard stare, the story's interpretation of the Meiji period, how Lady Snowblood reflects the 1970's more often than its period setting, and how the story's use of Buddhist principles stand in contrast to the dictates of the chanbara genre.
