Shogun - FX on Hulu

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121927215#Comment_121927215

I can't remember either! But it looks like 1980s mini-series retro-heaven... John Rhys Davies, Tia Carrere in supporting roles.

I'll leave it there and return the thread to Shogun now :)

Sleepy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121927197#Comment_121927197

Quite a lot of his output has been adapted, it's not surprising really though since he started out as a film/TV writer...

King Rat was made as a movie with George Segal in 1965

Shogun was first adapted to a mini-series featuring Richard Chamberlain in 1980

Tai-Pan was adapted as a movie with Bryan Brown (best known for his role in Cocktail I think?) in 1986.

Noble House was, as you mentioned, adapted to a TV miniseries in 1988 with Pierce Brosnan in the lead.

He also had writers credits for the screenplays for The Great Escape, the original 1958 version of The Fly, and not only wrote but also directed Sidney Poitier in "To Sir, With Love" amongst a dozen or so other films/TV Series:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165412/

Sleepy

(it's easy tell Clavell is one of my all-time favourite authors, eh?) 😂

Patser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925917#Comment_121925917

I adore those series of books and have read and re-read them again and again.

Shogun, Tai Pan and Noble house by far and away the best, King Rat very good, Whirlwind a bit too long and too many threads, Gai Jin as close to a direct sequel (to Tai Pan) as any of them but now without any of the interesting characters that Tai Pan had.

Books have been around since 70s and 80s, were massive sellers at the time - so every decent 2nd hand book store probably has copies available for cheap

BailMeOut

Apologies is answered already but when I google everything says that Shogun is being steamed on Disney+ in Ireland since the end of February but I do not see it there. Where are you all watching it?

Dont be at yourself

It's on Disney+, you may need to enable mature content or whatever

Flinty997

Disney

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121932377#Comment_121932377

Yup it's on Disney, front and centre too (probably cos it's a show that blew up and isn't Star Wars or Marvel).

BailMeOut

This is what I get and I am in Ireland.

BailMeOut

Yikes, nevermind. Changed content restrictions and can now see it! Thank you.

pixelburp

Caught up on Episode 4 and that had the most distinct Game of Thrones pulse so far: must have been the mixture of sex(position), plus a clear moment of "oh shít, things just got worse" 'cos a character decided to throw a grenade into the status quo.

expectationlost

did the earthquake landslide kill a load of their troops?

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948173#Comment_121948173

yup

fritzelly

This show is just excellent, totally hooked - just watched episode 6.

Get the feelings around the Blackthorne accent but think it goes away after a few episodes and makes this awkward character in a strange setting more real. All the other actors are just amazing - some amazingly gorgeous Japanese women

Pentecost

That scene in the Willow House was incredibly charged, without any actual sex or nudity. I love the subtlety of the acting from so many of the actors. Great show.

pixelburp

Here's a really interesting little essay on the show's choice of conflict through translation, and the 1980 miniseries; mild spoilers up to Episode 5 (I'm only on Episode 4 but wasn't especially spoiled)

https://youtu.be/QGh1JRJXehg

cdgalwegian

Imperial court intrigue tends to have all the strategic shenanigans of modern spy thrillers and business back-stabbing, and Shogun is a great example of this. Three episodes in and its all there, with the added complexity of an alien barbaric civilization being used as a monetary conduit resource, as well as the means to play one group off against another. Just like any corporate environment. Ideas (especially ones like religion) can be dangerous in any society, but especially so when manifested in a wily character such as Blackthorne, who is the pawn in the potentially dangerous strategy of Toranaga.

Cosmo Jarvis' speech mannerisms are slightly off-putting - previous posters have mentioned the likes of it as Tom Hardy knock-off, and others. I'd throw in Marlon Brando attempts, but also as non-actor channeling - in that of Winston Churchill, with the 'all japes and high jinks' attitude of Eton chums.

The first bout of solid action, when it finally came approaching the end of episode 3, was all in the dark, and might as well have been just audio.

Great stuff all-in-all so far though.

expectationlost

what a tense ep, and we still don't how what will happen

pixelburp

Quick episode 5 question, cos it has bothered me: what on Earth was Balckthorn hoping to do with that pheasant that it needed to be left rot for days on end? I was bewildered as to what he was doing. He obviously wasn't smoking it, and not sure how decomposition was gonna add flavour lol 🥴

Pentecost

Yeah I was wondering about that myself. I was thinking he was putting it on display to demonstrate how much of an honour he considered the gift to be. But I'm probably wrong on that.

squonk

it’s a thing that you hang birds for a few days to allow the meat to tenderise and, I think, lose some of the game taste. I’m guessing though this would have been done in a cool, dry place in England. I’m guessing the bird may have started to decompose more rapidly in what looks like a hot, humid climate and he hadn’t accounted for that. He might have expected it to smell and draw flies anyway. It’s just that it seemed more horrific to the Japanese. I was left wondering did it start to decompose more quickly because if the climate or are we actually looking at the world through the lense of a Japanese eye, so therefore the birds condition was made to look worse than maybe it was.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121972750#Comment_121972750

Right, that makes sense then. And yeah IIRC Japan is a warmer and more humid climate so perhaps it wasn't properly conveyed to the viewer what exactly Blackthorn was intending here. Not sure how you got across the problem of climate mind you; maybe just a little more dialogue to the confused household. As even I was watching going yeah, I'd probably take it down too.

Quiet Achiever

They're mad into the aul death

Patser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121972643#Comment_121972643

Just because I've read the book so much, Blackthorn asks for it to be left hang til it falls away from the head, to know that is properly tenderised and tasty, thinking he'll show them all proper food.

It's one of his biggest 'shock' introductions to Japanese culture, especially that back then they didn't eat meat really, and it was considered really barbaric and taboo

druss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121977872#Comment_121977872

I also recall from the book that Blackthorn completely forgot about the pheasant being there. Toranaga has thrown him into full-time training the samurai division with weapons and intense language training. He is physically and mentally exhausted and basically just comes home for sleep. Nobody even has the opportunity to politely hint to him that the bird might be a bit on the ripe side.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963708#Comment_121963708

The Willow House politics and motivations are a lot easier to explain in the book. So I agree that the show is doing a good job - but Kiku is a much deeper and more complicated character in the book.

Fuji is my favourite "rediscovered" character in the show, I'd forgotten a lot about her.

Pentecost

Thanks druss. I've actually bought the book but haven't had a chance to get stuck into it as yet. But looking forward to doing so.

Dave_The_Sheep

I was on board with many of the changes up to this point from the book. It's not perfect but it's been generally excellent. The last episode, however, they really did take a different route. It's going to change things a lot, and it also potentially ruins one of the scenes I was looking forward to so much (which should be in next episode).

"I am liege lord here."

siblers

Only a couple of episodes in but dear God, Cosmo Jarvis is terrible. That accent he's putting on is really jarring.

Enjoying it outside of that so far

Quiet Achiever

I don't understand why they went beefcake for a time when they were no beefcakes

PhiloCypher

Just watched the most recent episode there . Anybody else feel they're dragging their heels a bit for the last 3 episodes . I mean it's still a beautiful crafted and acted show but the pacing has been somewhat lacking of late .

Spoiler Warning

Did we really need 3 episodes hinged around whether Toranaga is really gonna give up or had a secret plan ??