Yoko Shimada plays Mariko with a captivating beauty and ethereal grace. Toranaga is a man who's mind is always trying to figure three steps ahead and we see this aspect of Toranaga's personality in Mifune's work- a considerable feat considering his dialog is exclusively in Japanese and without subtitles. Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga, a Japanese nobleman with grand political designs, possesses great power and yet Mifune's performance is also very nuanced.
In addition to Chamberlain, SHOGUN is replete with glorious performances. It's a device which works wonderfully well, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on through context and character. The filmmakers were trying to tell the story through Blackthorne's eyes and save for a few moments of narration explaining the dialog, we are left to slowly comprehend the action at the same pace as Blackthorne. One of the great triumphs of SHOGUN is to ensnare the viewer despite long segments in Japanese with no subtitles.
Through John Blackthorne's eyes (Richard Chamberlain in a now iconic performance, blending moments of delightful scenery chewing with moments of genuine emotion and subtlety), we become ever more involved in the political dealings of the Japanese nobility and the mixed motives of the Jesuits. Based on James Clavell's sweeping epic novel of the same name, it succeeds fully in transporting the viewer to another time and place. SHOGUN may be the ultimate expression of this neglected TV format. They were great prestige products for the networks who, risking immense financial expenditure, hoped to create a cinematic masterpiece on a small screen. There was a time in TV when the mini-series was king.
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