Double Bill:
The first two films Daibosatsu Pass and The Dragon God of Daibosatsu Pass are shown one after the other and are on the same ticket.
The third film in the trilogy, Daibosatsu Pass: The Final Chapter, is shown on Tuesday, November 18th at 8:00 PM.

Daibosatsu tôge (Kenji Misumi, Japan 1960)
1h 45m - Japanese voice, English subtitles - Age limit 15 years

Some may know Kenji Misumi for his four (of six) films based on the legendary manga Lone Wolf and Cub (cut together into Shogun Assassin in 1980), but he has had many other significant contributions to the samurai genre, with parts of film series such as Sleepy Eyes of Death, Zatôichi, Jirökichi and a long list of stand-alone titles. He also directed Buddha, the very first Japanese 70mm film, which was a huge commercial success in his home country.

Like all film adaptations of Nakazato's books, this one starts with the opening chapter of the first book, where Ryonosuke Tsukue's fatal actions set things in motion. The film naturally ends on a high note, so you absolutely have to see the next part.

The Dragon God of Daibosatsu Pass
Daibosatsu toge: Ryujin no maki (Kenji Misumi, Japan 1960)
1h 30m - Japanese voice, English subtitles - Age limit 15 years

Here Ryonosuke Tsukue develops further. From the extremely unsympathetic and unempathetic person we meet in the first part of the trilogy, we now see a man who, on his restless flight through Japan and his encounters with various characters from all walks of life, is now struggling with himself and his karma. A deeper understanding of how the whims of fate can be changed through one's own actions begins to take root in him.

To an even greater extent than in part one, Misumi develops choreographic elements and camerawork here that have been widely copied in later samurai films (and for that matter in other types of action films as well). As in the first part, the film ends with a dramatic climax. It is quite clear that the audience is to be hooked, and The Dragon God of Daibosatsu Pass was also released in cinemas only nine weeks after Daibosatsu Pass.