Samurai Films
Page 14
This moving plot is greatly assisted by performances from a well-chosen cast. Takuya Kimura is utterly convincing in his role, and flawlessly ranges the gamut of emotions that Shinnojo goes through during his painful journey. Rei Dan is charming as Kayo, presenting a touching impression of a woman who cares deeply for her husband. The two share some beautiful scenes together, for example when Kayo lovingly nurses Shinnojo out of a fever. Takashi Sasano puts in a fine performance as Tokuhei, who functions as a source of gentle comedy throughout the film. Sasano perfectly captures the humorous aspects of Tokuhei’s character, when he practises fencing with a samurai child for instance, and skilfully conveys his dedication to Shinnojo and Kayo.
As in his other samurai films, Yamada creates an extremely realistic impression of Tokugawa-era Japan, showing us the daily routines of his characters. Shinnojo’s job as a food taster for his daimyo, a seemingly exciting role, is portrayed instead as a mundane job; the food tasters sit in a row, eat a single mouthful of a dish, and then the food is rushed away to the daimyo’s luxurious chambers. The domestic scenes involving Kayo and Tokuhei are similarly realistic, not only giving an interesting insight into times past, but also helping us to grow closer to Yamada’s characters.
The duel between Shinnojo and Shimada is particularly well handled. Yamada treats the idea of a blind swordsman more practically than the Zatoichi films; Shinnojo’s movements are entirely consistent with someone who has lost his sight; each time he attempts to strike his opponent he swings his sword multiple times, hoping to reach his mark. The duel’s conclusion is sudden and surprising.
THE VERDICT
Another strong film from Yamada, who should be applauded for making samurai films of such a consistently high quality. The genre will survive long into the future if more films of this calibre are made.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Galloway, Patrick, Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook, Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2005.
Kure, Mitsuo, Samurai: An Illustrated History, Massachusetts: Tuttle Publishing, 2002.
Ratti, Oscar and Westbrook, Adele, Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan, Massachusetts: Tuttle Publishing, 1973.
Silver, Alain, The Samurai Film, Woodstock: The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2005.
Wilson, William Scott, The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi, Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2004.
Yoshimoto, Mitsuhiro, Kurosawa: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2000.
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Copyright
First published in 2008 by Kamera Books,
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A promotional poster for Seven Samurai. Seven Samurai directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Sojiro Motoki for Toho Studios. Image provided by Toho Company Ltd. and Photofest. © Toho Company Ltd.
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Musashi (Toshiro Mifune) and Kojiro (Koji Tsuruta) during their epic duel. Duel on Ganryu Island directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and produced by Kazuo Takimura for Toho Studios.
Two icons of the samurai film finally meet in combat: the Yojimbo (Toshiro Mifune) and Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu). Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo directed by Kihachi Okamoto and produced by Shintaro Katsu and Hiroyoshi Nishioka for Toho Studios.
Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama), Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) and their deadly baby cart. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart on the River Styx directed by Kenji Misumi and produced by Shintaro Katsu and Hisaharu Matsubara for Toho Studios.
Yuki (Meiko Kaji) is an instrument of vengeance. Lady Snowblood directed by Toshiya Fujita and produced by Kikumaru Okuda for Toho Studios.
A promotional poster for Kagemusha. Kagemusha directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Akira Kurosawa, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas for Kurosawa Production Co., Toho Studios and 20th Century Fox. Image provided by 20th Century Fox and Photofest. © 20th Century Fox.
Tatsuya Nakadai as Hidetora. Ran directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Katsumi Furukawa, Masato Hara, Hisao Kurosawa and Serge Silberman for Greenwich Film Productions, Herald Ace Inc. and Nippon Herald Films.
Jiro’s army on the move. This beautiful image from Ran gives a good impression of the film’s large-scale battle scenes. Ran directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Katsumi Furukawa, Masato Hara, Hisao Kurosawa and Serge Silberman for Greenwich Film Productions, Herald Ace Inc. and Nippon Herald Films. Image provided by Orion Classics and Photofest. © Orion Classics.
Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada) is both a caring father… The Twilight Samurai directed by Yoji Yamada and produced by Hiroshi Fukazawa, Shigehiro Nakagawa and Ichiro Yamamoto for Hakuhodo, Nippon Television Network Corporation and the Sumitomo Corporation.
…and a skilled warrior. The Twilight Samurai directed by Yoji Yamada and produced by Hiroshi Fukazawa, Shigehiro Nakagawa, and Ichiro Yamamoto for Hakuhodo, Nippon Television Network Corporation and the Sumitomo Corporation.
Takeshi Kitano as Zatoichi. Zatoichi (2003) directed by Takeshi Kitano and produced by Masayuki Mori and Tsunehisa Saito for Bandai Visual Co., Saito Entertainment and Office Kitano Productions.
Tadanobu Asano as Hattori and Takeshi Kitano as Zatoichi. Zatoichi (2003) directed by Takeshi Kitano and produced by Masayuki Mori and Tsunehisa Saito for Bandai Visual Co., Saito Entertainment and Office Kitano Productions. Image provided by Miramax and Photofest. © Miramax.
An unusual duel in an unusual temple. Aragami directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and produced by Yuuji Ishida, Shinya Kawai and Haruo Umekawa for Napalm Films, Amuse, Micott and DUEL film partners.
Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Yaichiro and Masatoshi Nagase as Munezo. The Hidden Blade directed by Yoji Yamada and produced by Hiroshi Fukazawa for Shochiku Co. Image provided by Shochiku, Tartan and Photofest. © Shochiku.
Masatoshi Nagase as Munezo and Takako Matsu as Kie. The Hidden Blade directed by Yoji Yamada and produced by Hiroshi Fukazawa for Shochiku Co. Image provided by Shochiku, Tartan and Photofest. © Shochiku.