Red Peony Gambler 1-3 (1968-1969) coming from Film Movement Classics

[MifuneFan]

Film Movement Classics will be releasing the the Japanese Yakuza classic Red Peony Gambler (aka Hibotan Bakuto) (1968), and its two follow-up films, Red Peony Gambler: Gambler's Obligation (1968), and Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Match (1969) on Blu-ray as a Vinegar Syndrome Partner Label release:

Limited Edition Slipcover (Exclusive to VS)

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collecti...-gambler-i-iii



Standard Edition (also being released widely on 11/26/24)

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products...42093305659434

This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Poochamin) is limited to 2,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month Film Club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. In 2015, Film Movement launched the reissue label Film Movement Classics featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on home video, with an emphasis on films by auteur directors such as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway and Takeshi Kitano.

Produced during the heyday of ninkyo eiga (chivalrous yakuza films), the seminal Red Peony Gambler series has had a lasting influence on cult cinema. The illustrious Junko Fuji stars as the beautiful and badass Oryu, the eponymous and benevolent female gambler who uses her incredible might for right. In the series’ premiere she rambles into town searching for her father’s killer with a wallet left at the crime scene as her only clue. At a card game she meets a kindred spirit, the noble and handsome yakuza Katagiri (Ken Takakura) and soon they are a force to be reckoned with. Part 2 finds Oryu under the arm of the kind gang boss of a silk farming town. When ruthless loan sharks encroach and their treachery leads to murder, it is Oryu’s sworn duty to exact justice. Maestro of Japanese cinema Tai Kato simultaneously satiates and transcends genre tropes in his masterful direction of the celebrated third film in the series. From its classically melodramatic opening set piece involving an oncoming train, the stage is set for a visually rich tale of good versus evil.

directed by: Kosaku Yamashita, Norifumi Suzuki, Tai Kato
starring: Junko Fuji, Ken Takakura, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kyosuke Machida, Michitaro Mizushima, Kanjuro Arashi, Teruo Ishiyama, Bunta Sugawara, Koji Tsuruta
1968 - 1970 / 291 min (combined) / 2.35:1 / Japanese DTS-HD MA 1.0

Additional info:

• Region A 3-disc Blu-ray
• New video essays on Red Peony 1 & 2 by TokyoScope author Patrick Macias
• Video introduction to Red Peony 3 by director Alex Cox (Repo Man)
• New audio commentary on Red Peony 3 by Chris Poggiali These Fist Break Bricks) and John Charles (The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997)
• Booklet with new essay by Mark Schilling (The Yakuza Movie Book)
• English subtitles

Red Peony Gambler (1968)

Wandering female gambler Oryu the Red Peony (Junko Fuji), so known for the tattoo on her shoulder, rambles into town searching for her father’s killer with a wallet left at the crime scene as her only clue. At a card game she meets a kindred spirit, the noble and handsome yakuza Katagiri (Ken Takakura), when they team up to foil a cheating player. As their paths continue to cross she befriends a gang boss and other sundry denizens of the underworld who all join forces to guide her on a blood-soaked quest for vengeance. With its fantastic tropes and charismatic stars this inaugural entry in the Red Peony Gambler series proved an influential watershed of the “chivalrous gangster” genre and was so popular that it spawned multiple sequels.

Red Peony Gambler: Gambler's Obligation (1968)

The second installment of the influential Red Peony Gambler series finds the titular heroine Oryu taken under the arm of the benevolent gang boss of a silk farming town. Soon ruthless loan sharks encroach on the business determined to enslave and exploit the workers. When their treachery leads to murder, it is Oryu’s sworn duty to avenge her benefactor and exact justice. Meanwhile she must also deal with a nefarious card hustling couple who have infiltrated the local gambling scene as well as moral conflicts between her allies. Noribumi (aka Norifumi) Suzuki, the screenwriter of the first film and a genre filmmaking stalwart in his own right, takes over the directorial reins with his patented style of taut action and drama inflected with ribald humor. Yakuza genre icons Koji Tsuruta and Bunta Sugawara guest star opposite the series’ incomparable lead, Junko Fuji.

Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Match (1969)

Maestro of Japanese cinema Tai Kato simultaneously satiates and transcends genre tropes in his masterful direction of the celebrated third film in the Red Peony Gambler series. From its classically melodramatic opening set piece involving an oncoming train, the stage is set for a visually rich tale of good versus bad yakuza. While traveling in hopes of reestablishing her own clan, Oryu (Junko Fuji) finds herself in Nagoya, where she takes up residence with the noble Nishinomaru family just as they are preparing to host their traditional gambling competition. Naturally, their dishonest rival gang tries to usurp the event and sabotage its proceedings. It’s up to Oryu to step in on the side of righteousness. Meanwhile, she must also contend with a card shark who is impersonating her, rescue a pair of star-crossed lovers and other quotidian travails of a legendary wandering female yakuza. Ken Takakura returns to the series as a mysterious stranger who allies with Oryu. It is arguably, "the darkest, most complex and ultimately also the best part of the series" (Nippon Cinema).