There aren’t many invisible heroes as when a person is able to lurk unseen in the world and get away with almost anything, the tendency to be bad is so very tempting. From the original Invisible Man to his 2020 counterpart (and all the Hollow Mans in between), the stereotype is that in cinema, men with the power to creep around without being detected will often do that (and only that), to nefarious ends. It’s refreshing then, to find that a whimsical, family-friendly samurai twist on these invisible tales was recently unearthed by Arrow Video in the form of Yoshiyuki Kuroda’s The Invisible Swordsman, and it’s now available for the very first time internationally in a crisp limited edition form.
Osamu Sakai is Sanshiro – the town wimp in a community terrorised by thieves and bullies, whose true calling comes to life when his father is slain. Thrust into a netherworld and given the powers of invisibility by shifty yokai Shokera (Tokio Oki), he must fulfil his status as a hero by bringing down his oppressors and cheating death at every turn, much to the chagrin of his oafish foes and even, well, Death itself.
Initially shown in Japan as a double-bill with Gamera vs. Jiger, The Invisible Swordsman boasts a similar freshness of mass appeal without playing down to anyone. While the tone may occasionally err towards silliness, the story has solid morals about self-belief, honour, standing up to bad guys, and protecting the innocent. As an unlikely superhero story, this is arguably as accessible, earnest and pleasant as any Spider-Man or Superman film, and with its outsider charm and vintage integrity it retains a practical, textural magic even today. While invisibility effects have ranged from the ground-breaking to the completely naff, the original James Whale-Claude Rains feature set an unfairly high and prescient bar for those that followed. Japan wasn’t too far behind though (a mere 17 years after Hollywood’s stab in fact), with 1949’s The Invisible Man Appears – which wasn’t too bad considering CGI was still a distant dream, and proved that their invisible legacy has always been similarly excellent.
Even with modern ideas about invisible anti-heroes, Sakai’s natural likeability ensures that there’s nothing malicious to be found in Sanshiro’s powers, and gives sweet authenticity to this breezy family-orientated endeavour.
In The Invisible Swordsman, Kuroda shoots Sanshiro’s escapades with seamless wirework, forced perspectives and ethereal overlays, creating a magically kitschy world out of duct tape and broomsticks, after two Yokai Monsters movies to hone his craft, this is a comparatively lower-key affair that’s no less energetic and warm. Arrow seem to have cornered the market with Kuroda thus far, and barring his cycle-finishing sixth instalment in the Lone Wolf and Cub series (White Heaven in Hell), which found a home at Criterion, it’s heartening to see a filmmaker with a relatively obscure back catalogue get thorough treatment after being all-but forgotten outside of Japan.
There’s something to be said for how much pathos Sakai brings to this plucky hero even when the cast play it broad and for laughs. Sanshiro’s escapades are mostly amusing and knockabout, yet Sakai supplies his character with warmth, charisma, and just a twinge of pain – the hard truths of grief and self-doubt carefully writ upon his face, making a central figure who’s easy to hang your sympathies on. Even with modern ideas about invisible anti-heroes, Sakai’s natural likeability ensures that there’s nothing malicious to be found in Sanshiro’s powers, and gives sweet authenticity to this breezy family-orientated endeavour.
Supplemented by a fun featurette with British author and movie critic Kim Newman, and a cracking interview with Japanese film critic Jasper Sharp, this is a robust edition of a fairly obscure film that was nearly lost to time that’s now presented by Arrow Video for all to see.
The Invisible Swordsman is out now on Arrow Video Blu-Ray
