Heaven and Earth (1990)

I happened to get a chance to see Ten To Chi To or Heaven And Earth, as we knew it here, on the big screen when it debuted in Calgary in the spring of 1990. After having worked many long hours on the movie for a good part of the late summer in 1989 as one of the 2000 Samurai infantry extras, it was amazing to see the finished product on the big screen. As mentioned in one of the earlier reviews, for fans of the Samurai movie genre, this is a must see. The large battle scenes are spectacular.Trivia note. Actor Ken Watanabe was originally cast as one of the lead actors in Heaven and Earth. While filming Ken was diagnosed with acute myelogenic leukemia, a life-threatening disease of the bone marrow, that put an end to his part in the movie. Ken had to return to Japan for treatment that kept him away acting for a few years. He came back in 1994 only to have a relapse, but once again battled back. Ken has been nominated for Best Actor in a supporting role at this year's Academy Awards for his outstanding performance as Katsumoto in The Last Samurai. I wish him all the best! BTW, I was one of a handful of extras who worked all through the filming from July to early Sepetebmber 1989, here in Alberta. During the last few days of filming there was only about 50 or so of us left. On the final day, final scene, a Saturday afternoon IIRC, some production people came around and handed each of us a cold beer. Director Haruki Kadokawa came out and toasted us. He smiled and said, "Very long. Very hard. Thank you!"

This is a truly great Japanese movie. If you've seen and enjoyed any of Kurosawa's films then this is a must for you also. Set in feudal Japan, the battle sequences are stunning. In trying to explain the movie to others in the past, I've called this a Japanese "Braveheart," but that doesn't really do justice to the beauty of this movie. Truly, it must be seen to be understood.

This movie was great. The cinematography, battle scenes, story line, and costumes are grade A. One of my favorite war movies of all time, without a doubt. If your looking for historical accuracy, watch the history channel or a documentary. People who put this movie down because of historical deviations are probably the same type of people who watch terminator, going "that goes against all rules of physics", through half of the movie instead of just enjoying it for what it is.If you like war movies, Japanese movies, big battle scenes, samurai movies, etc. then this is a definite must watch.

This was my very first taste of Japanese movie.I enjoyed it very much. Though I have very little understanding of the history, it helped me understand a fasanating period in Japan. I love the scenery and the visual battle scenes.-I dont hold the movie in contempt to history as much as I hold Braveheart to it. So what if it meanders from the hostorical facts, so does a lot of movies and myths we know of.-If you like this period and computer games, I suggest you check out Shogun Total War on the PC gaming section.This is one of my favorite movies and battle scenes that compares to Gladiator. I also like another Japanese film, "Shall We Dance", a lighter side of Japanese filming.