Shin shikotei - Shintaro Katsu, best known for playing Zatoichi, plays the first Chinese Emperor, Qin.
This is essentially the story of Qin from the founding of "China" in 221 BC, his unifying the various provinces, the building of the Great Wall on to close to his death. Its a huge epic production thats been compared to western films like Ten Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia, and Ben Hur.
As a epic films go this is one of the most beautiful. Its amazing to look at. The sense of scale and place has been rarely equaled. The battle scenes are wonderful and on a scale that few films have ever matched.
In 221 BC, Qin Shihuangdi conquered the rest of China. Qin's great accomplishments and also his serious faults are showed in this film. Qin adopted autocratic dictatorship and led a luxurious life: abolition of feudalism and the centralization of power in the form of a now-hereditary bureaucracy loyal to himself; burning books and burying scholars; the construction of a sumptuous palace for his concubines and also the Great Wall.
STARRING: KATSU SHINTARO, ICHIKAWA RAIZO
1962 - JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES - COLOR
WIDESCREEN - 5.1 SURROUND SOUND - 160 MINUTES
