Hell Hath No Fury Like ...

This video is a 3-minute sample from the very end of Episode 18 of the most recent television adaptation of the Japanese classic, the Heike Monogatari.

What you need to know to appreciate this video:
1. the two rival samurai clans were the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto)
2. Kiyomori was the leader of the Heike.
3. Kiyomori just died. (I'll spare you the details so as not to spoil it.)
4. His dying words were nostalgic, regretful, peaceful.
5. His wife (now widow) lies to her sons and brothers-in-law about her deceased husband's final words.
6. Yoritomo is the leader of the Genji.
7. Yoshitsune (the young man in the final scene) is Yoritomo's brother.
8. Kiyomori raised Yoshitsune like his own son until the age of 7.

I am uploading this video file temporarily and only for private, non-commercial use. My purpose is to interest some friends in the series. As the original series is in excess of 2000 minutes, and as nobody is willing to purchase a $700 DVD set for a television show he has never even seen before, I would think that a 3-minute sample that interests prospective customers would be welcome grassroots advertising. I apologize if NHK disagrees.

This video is lo-res with hardcoded English subtitles (as opposed to the high-definition raw DVDs available for purchase). There is, as yet, no official DVD set available with English subtitles. There is a Hong Kong DVD set but this is a bootleg and you should therefore not purchase it if your intent is to support NHK for making this wonderful TV drama.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• epic