An Autumn Afternoon

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda, Sanma no aji (An Autumn Afternoon) is the story of a family patriarch who is aware that his time is coming as he devotes his final moments by arranging a marriage for his daughter in the hope she can have a future. Ozu’s final film of his illustrious career is an exploration of modernism and a man keeping hold on tradition as he is aware that he has to let his daughter go and have a life of her own while hoping she retains his values. Starring Chishu Ryu, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada, Teruo Yoshida, Shinichiro Mikami, and Eijiro Tono. Sanma no aji is a ravishing and touching film from Yasujiro Ozu.

The film follows a widower who is aware that he’s in the final years of his life where he decides that it is time for his daughter to find a husband after seeing a mentor of his drunkenly reveal his own regrets in life. It’s a film with a simple premise by writers Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda as it’s also about a family growing and adjusting to the changes in their lives. Notably in Shuhei Hirayama (Chishu Ryu) who works at a nearby factory in an office while he shares his home with his youngest son Kazuo (Shinichiro Mikami) and his 24-year old daughter Michiko (Shima Iwashita). His eldest son Koichi (Keiji Sada) is already married to Akiko (Mariko Okada) as they’re living their own lives while they endure a few problems of their own as Koichi is given some used golf clubs at a bargain price that Akiko disapproves of. Yet, Shuhei is concerned about trying to find a husband for Michiko during a night out with friends along with their old teacher of Chinese classics in Sakuma (Eijiro Tono) that would spur Shuhei to make plans for the future after seeing Sakuma extremely drunk as well as how his daughter Tomoko (Haruko Sugimura) reacts to her father.

Ozu’s direction which doesn’t aim for anything stylized or flashy does play into the simplicity of the story. Notably with his stationary static shot where he never moves the camera at all just to get enough coverage of what is happening during the course of the film. Shot on location in Tokyo, Ozu does use some wide shots of the location but also some precise compositions of the factories as well as certain locations including a bar that Shuhei goes to often as well as sushi restaurants. Ozu doesn’t use any close-ups in favor of just simplistic medium shots where the camera is often in front of the actor to talk to another actor or in a shot where there’s more than one character in a frame. Ozu would also play into this sense of loss but also acceptance of a new world in a scene at a bar that Shuhei goes to where he meets a sailor from his past in Yoshitaro Sakamoto (Daisuke Kato) who reminisces with him about the war and muse about what happened if Japan had won.

While there are elements of humor in the film, there is also this air of melancholia that Ozu would use throughout the film as it relates to what is the end of something. Notably as Shuhei saw what happened to Sakuma and how far he’s fallen with little to show for in the end just as he and a couple of his friends have done well. Shuhei realizes what he must do for Michiko as it’s not just about the acceptance that he’ll have to do things by himself once Michiko and Kazuo leave for their own lives. It’s also about Michiko needing to let go of taking care of her father though she admits to be unsure about wanting to get married. The film’s final images is about that acceptance but also the end of something as it relates to Shuhei yet Ozu manages to maintain a semblance of dignity knowing that even though a man’s life is to end. It at least has created a new beginning for those who are important to him. Overall, Ozu crafts a rapturous and intoxicating film about a man trying to find a suitable husband for his daughter.

Cinematographer Yuharu Atsuta does incredible work with the film’s colorful cinematography with its emphasis on naturalistic lighting for many of the daytime scenes while using low-key lights from Kenzo Ishiwatari for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night including the bar that Shuhei goes to. Editor Yoshiyasu Hamamura does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the conversation scenes. Art directors Tatsuo Hamada and Shigeo Ogiwara do brilliant work with the look of the sushi restaurant and the bar that Shuhei goes to as well as the noodle shop that Sakuma runs and Shuhei’s home.

Costume designer Yuji Nagashima does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largey straightforward with the suits the men wear and the modern clothes of the time that the women wear along with traditional Japanese robes. Sound editor Ichiro Ishii does superb work with the sound as it is largely straightforward as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of television showing baseball games. The film’s music by Kojun Saito is amazing for its lush and somber orchestral score with its usage of strings that sweep into its arrangements to play up the melancholic tone of the film while music coordinator Takanobu Saito provide a few traditional pieces as well as a war march piece that play into Shuhei’s fondness for his military past.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Fujio Suga and Zen’ichi Inagawa as a couple of drunks that Shuhei talks to at the bar, Shinobu Asaji as Shuhei’s secretary, Toyo Takahashi as the waitress at the sushi restaurant, Daisuke Kato as a former sailor in Yoshitaro Sakamoto that Shuhei remembered and chatted with at the bar, Ryuji Kita as an old friend of Shuhei in Shin Horie, Michiyo Kan as Horie’s young wife Tamako, Nobuo Nakamura and Kuniko Miyake in their respective roles as family friends Shuzo and Nobuko Kawai, and Kyoko Kushida as the bar proprietor whom Shuhei believes looks like his late wife. Eijiro Tono is superb as Shuhei’s former Naval mentor Seitaro Sukuma as a man who has fallen on hard times and is coping with his own failures while Haruko Sugimura is terrific as his daughter Tomoko as a middle-aged woman running a low-level noodle shop that is struggling as she copes with missed opportunities for herself. Shinichiro Mikami is fantastic as Shuhei’s 21-year old son Kazuo who works nearby at a factory as he is more concerned about what is for dinner rather than do something for himself. Teruo Yoshida is excellent as Yukata Miura as a friend of Koichi who gives Koichi some golf clubs while also having interest towards Michiko despite being attached to another woman.

Mariko Okada is brilliant as Koichi’s wife Akiko who is concerned with the money that Koichi spends knowing that they need it for more important things while Keiji Sada is amazing as Koichi as a man trying to live his own life and help his father find a husband for Michiko despite his own shortcomings in spending money he doesn’t have. Shima Iwashita is incredible as Michiko as a young woman in her 20s who is reluctant about getting married as she runs the household but also worries about what her father will do when she leaves and he’s on his own. Finally, there’s Chishu Ryu in a phenomenal performance as Shuhei Hirayama as a man knowing that he is facing the final years of his life as he also thinks about his past and his daughter’s future knowing what will happen to her if she stays home where it is a performance of grace and sensitivity as a man who has accepted his fate but also thinks about the incredible life he’s had.

Sanma no aji is an outstanding film from Yasujiro Ozu that features a tremendous performance from Chishu Ryu. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous images, a potent music score, and touching themes of life and family. It is a film that is a family drama that is told with such restraint and tenderness as well as being a great final film from one of cinema’s great storytellers. In the end, Sanma no aji is a magnificent film from Yasujiro Ozu.

Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) – (Days of Youth) – Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) – Passing Fancy - (A Mother Should Be Loved) – A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) – (The Only Son) – (What Did the Lady Forget?) – (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) – (There Was a Father) – Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) – Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) – Tokyo Story - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) – Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer

© thevoid99 2019

Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

Based on the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island is the third and final film of a trilogy of films chronicling the life of Musashi Miyamoto. Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and screenplay by Inagaki and Tokuhei Wakao, the film is an exploration into Miyamoto’s search for peace and meaning just as he goes into a final duel with a man who had been seeking to defeat him. With Toshiro Mifune playing the role of Miyamoto, the film also stars Koji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yaschigusa, Mariko Okada, and Takashi Shimura. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island is a magnificent film from Hiroshi Inagaki.

In the course of three films that explores the life and evolution of Musashi Miyamoto, here’s a man who is on the search for something bigger than himself as he goes into a journey as he seeks to find answers on identity and spirituality. Meanwhile, another samurai warrior in Sasaki Kojiro (Koji Tsuruta) is also seeking the same things as the years passed since their first meeting as they meet again. This time around, the circumstances have changed as two men are being pursued by people wanting them to represent their houses. Of course, it only troubles the two men as Miyamoto decides to leave the samurai life to become a farmer at a village while Kojiro has become a ronin warrior as they chose to postpone their duel for a year. Eventually, the two men do meet with men of prestige watching this duel yet it would be a duel set into their own terms.

The screenplay is much more structured than in previous stories as the first act is about these two men preparing to duel as they both go on different paths but circumstances beyond their control involving those betting on the men and other issues forced the two to postpone it. The second act is about Musashi leaving the samurai life to find something with more meaning as he stays at a village ravaged by bandits as he becomes their savior while he is also being pursued by the two women in his life in Otsu (Kaoru Yaschigusa) and Akemi (Mariko Okada). The former is still anguished over Miyamoto’s abrupt departure as she goes on a journey to find him as she ponders if he really does lover. The latter, who was also with Kojiro early in the film, wants Miyamoto for herself but comes across bandits where one of them is her mother’s former lover Toji Gion (Daisuke Kato) who had become a bandit to stay alive. Yet, Akemi is conflicted over what to do as she is torn over her feelings for Miyamoto and her hatred towards Otsu.

The second act also has a sense of irony about the role that Miyamoto has chosen where he is able to find peace in this new role but the presence of bandits and the specter of this duel with Kojiro still looms. By the time he decides to get ready for his duel with Kojiro, Miyamoto tries to come to terms with everything he’s learned as well as everything he’s sacrificed along the way. The third act unveils how far these two men have come from their different journeys in life while both seeking for an element of peace before they embark on this duel.

The direction of Hiroshi Inagaki is a mixture of the two elements of the first films from the naturalist tone of the first with some of the more stylized approach in the second film. In this film, the two styles finally come together for a much richer look that mixes a bit of naturalism with an element of style. While still presented in its full-frame format, there is more scope to the presentation as it features scenes set in a world outside of cities while being mixed with a world that is changing where things are in conflict over what is right and what is wrong. For these two men, they just want to do things with honor as both Kojiro and Miyamoto do face opponents but show compassion towards them. There is also an air of melodrama as it concerns the women in their lives as Kojiro is in love with a young woman in Omitsu (Michiko Saga) as she along with Otsu and Akemi all struggle with men’s roles as samurais.

While there are action scenes that occur, it’s not as violent as the previous film while it does involve some horrifying moments that would test both Miyamoto and Kojiro. Even as they get involved in unwanted conflicts as there’s also the eventually conflict between Akemi and Otsu. The second act ends on a somber note over what Miyamoto encounters as well as the fact that the ending also features an element of redemption in a key character. Still, the film is about this duel between Miyamoto and Kojiro as it does finally come to ahead in the film’s climax. It is a moment in the film where everything comes together as it’s presented with such great beauty and intensity as these two men are aware of what they have to do. There’s no fear in either one as they both accept the fact that either one of them could die. It is truly one of the most unforgettable scenes in film as Inagaki presents it in such an understated manner. Overall, Inagaki creates a truly mesmerizing and intoxicating film about acceptance and what it takes to be a man of honor.

Cinematographer Kazuo Yamada does amazing work with the film‘s lush and colorful cinematography from the gorgeous exteriors in the day to the more low-key look of the scenes at night that includes some wonderful lighting schemes by Tsuruzo Nishikawa while the climatic duel is presented with such beauty that it‘s impossible to describe it in detail. Editor Koichi Iwashita does superb work with the editing to create some nice cuts in some of the dramatic moments while using dissolves to help display a few flashback scenes. Art directors Hiroshi Ueda and Kisaku Ito do wonderful work with the set pieces from the homes some of the characters live in to the decayed inn that Miyamoto stays in the first act.

The sound work of Masanobu Miyazaki is terrific for the calm atmosphere it creates in some of the film‘s meeting as well as the scenes involving nature. The film’s music by Ikuma Dan is brilliant for its understated orchestral music to play out the melodrama as well as some bombastic moments in the scenes involving the bandits.

The film’s cast is just outstanding as it features some notable small roles that include Kokuten Kodo as an old priest Miyamoto met in the second film who is amazed at how much progress Miyamoto has made, Haruo Tanaka as a horse thief who tries to challenge Miyamoto, Kenjin Iida as Miyamoto’s young disciple Jotaro, Minoru Chiaki as a boatman who takes Miyamoto to Ganryu Island for the final duel, Daisuke Kato as Akemi’s mother’s old lover who has turned into a selfish bandit, and Takashi Shimura in a small yet memorable role as a court official who looks over the terms of the duel that is to happen. Michiko Saga is wonderful as Kojiro’s lover Omitsu who struggles to deal with his role as well as the fact that he’s finding peace over what might happen to him. Mariko Okada is terrific as the troubled Akemi who tries to pursue Miyamoto while feeling neglected by Kojiro as she seeks to find meaning in her life.

Kaoru Yaschigusa is superb as the anguished Otsu who struggles to deal with Miyamoto’s role while goes onto her own pursuit for him where she eventually has to accept the role that she is set to play for Miyamoto. Koji Tsuruta is brilliant as Sasaki Kojiro as a man who sees Miyamoto as his equal as he tries to deal with the expectations of being a samurai as well as going into his own journey to find inner peace. Finally, there’s Toshiro Mifune in a towering performance as Musashi Miyamoto as a man who is still trying to find his role in life as both a man and as a samurai as he struggles with this duality while being aware of the mistakes he’s made as he eventually finds acceptance as well as the attributes to be a great samurai.

Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island is a phenomenal film from Hiroshi Inagaki that features another spellbinding performance from Toshiro Mifune. It’s a film that is definitely one of the great films of the samurai genre while elevating its predecessors in the trilogy to form one of the great trilogies in film. Notably as it this film reveals how far Musashi Miyamoto has gone from a lost man into a man who finds inner peace and reason as a samurai. In the end, Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island is an incredible film from Hiroshi Inagaki.

Hiroshi Inagaki Films: (Sword for Hire) - Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto - Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple - (The Lone Journey) - (Arashi) - (Yagyu Secret Scrolls) - (Yagyu Secret Scrolls Pt. 2) - (Rickshaw Man) - (The Birth of Japan) - (Life of an Expert Swordsman) - (Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki) - (Samurai Banners)

© thevoid99 2013

Ran

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/25/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on William Shakespeare's classic play King Lear, Ran tells the story set in the 16th Century about a king who abdicates his throne to his three sons that would lead to tragedy and war as two of his sons betray him while his youngest is banished as the king descends into madness. Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Hideo Oguni and Masato Ide, Ran is Kurosawa's most ambitious and epic film yet with a budget for $12 million. With an all-star cast that included Kurosawa regulars Tatsuya Nakadai, Hisashi Igawa, Masayuki Yui, Daisuke Ryu, Jinpachi Nezu, Akira Terao, and Mieko Harada. Ran is a superbly grand yet phenomenal film from Akira Kurosawa.

After many years of ruling his land, Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) holds a council meeting that consists of his three sons, his general Tango Hirayama (Masayuki Yui), his court jester Kyoami (Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata), and two rival warlords in Seiji Ayabe (Jun Tazaki) and Nobuhiro Fujimaki (Hitoshi Ueki) during a hunt. He decides to abdicate the throne to his eldest son Taro (Akira Terao) while retaining his title and some authority as he also has his three sons run each castle. The youngest Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) doesn't like the news believing that Taro nor his older brother Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) are trustworthy after disproving a logic that three arrows together can't be broken. Hidetora banishes Saburo for his words while Taro and Jiro claim to be grateful for their father's gifts through Tango admits that Saburo is right as Hidetora banishes him. After the meeting, Saburo and Tango run into Fujimaki who makes an offer to Saburo to marry one of his daughters to ensure a union as Saburo decides to join the warlords while Tango decides to go on his own out of respect for Hidetora.

Returing to the main castle with Hidetora, Taro reveals to his wife Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada) the news about his new role as the celebration becomes brief following an incident involving Koyami has Hidetora kill one of Taro's guards with an arrow. Taro banishes his father as he and Kyoami go to Jiro with their escort including guards and concubines only to be rejected by Jiro despite a meeting with Jiro's Buddhist wife Lady Sue` (Yoshiko Miyazaki) whom he's admitted to some wrongdoing towards her family. When Hidetora runs into Tango with some news about what Taro and Jiro are doing, Hidetora travels to the third castle for shelter while Taro, Jiro, and Jiro's general Kurogene make plans to raid the castle. The raid becomes bloody leaving Hidetora trapped as Tango and Kyoami watch in horror as something terrible happens in the battle leaving Hidetora deranged as he walks out of the castle in a state of shock with Kyoami and Tango later finding him.

With Jiro now in full control with his men including Kurogene, Lady Kaede seduces him into power as he is unaware of her true motives. Seeking shelter at the home of Lady Sue`'s blind brother Tsurumaru (Mansai Nomura), Hidetora, Tango, and Kyoami figure what to do next as Tango suggests to reach out to Saburo for help much to Hidetora's troubled state of mind. Back at the main castle, Kaede plans an assassination on Lady Sue` for Kurogene to carry the order to his reluctance while Tango learns from the banished old generals what Jiro is doing as he leaves to find Saburo. With Kyoami having to take care of the mad Hidetora, Saburo eventually arrives with Ayabe and Fujimaki to battle Jiro while things become more tragic and darker leaving all of those questioning about the way the world works.

The story of a father who gives his three children new properties and such only to be betrayed by two of them with other being banished for being honest is really a study of character and morals from the viewpoint of its original writer, William Shakespeare. Kurosawa, a fan of Shakespeare's work who also adapted Macbeth for his 1957 classic Throne of Blood, found a lot of themes and discussions that Kurosawa seemed to thrive on for King Lear. In the case of Ran, instead of having three daughters like in the original play, he went for three sons. Also using the legend of Mori Motonari, a lord who ruled Japan during the 16th Century, the film is really a study of sin, morality, vengeance, and regrets all centered around this aging warlord. In some respect, there is claim that Ran is also one of Kurosawa's most personal films since there's references to his own life following the latter part of filmmaking career after 1965's Red Beard.

The script by Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, and Masato Ide is about a lord's pride and how it leads to the downfall of his own clan. When his youngest son Saburo reminds him of how he became powerful through means of evil, treachery, and such. He is banished for his honesty while his two elder sons would falsely praise him only to betray him later on. It's the pride of Hidetora that would lead to his own downfall as he realized he is suddenly forced to face his own sins. This includes the killing of families and such of people including Lady Kaede and Lady Sue`. The latter of whom had embraced Buddhism and is willing to forgive her father-in-law for his sins but he couldn't accept her forgiveness. In the former, there is something far more sinister planned as the other character revolving that includes Tango and Kyoami represent the audience and moral conscience of sorts in the film.

The film's ending is suddenly, more about spirituality and existentialism. It's in the view of the two supporting characters of Tango and Kyoami who wonder about the way the world works. Kyoami, angry over the outcome of tragedy while Tango is the one who realizes the cynicism of the world and how something like peace is really just a dream. It's men who is willing to destroy themselves with God forced to watch with amusement that really upsets Kyoami. This reinterpretation of King Lear is truly astounding thanks in large part to a very complex, character-driven, and thematic script that is heightened more by Akira Kurosawa's direction.

Kurosawa's eye-wielding, observant, and eerie direction is really the highlight of the film itself. On location in the plains and mountains of Mount Aso, Mount Fuji, and two real castles, Kurosawa goes for a visual approach that is stimulating to watch in every frame. With shots of clouds and the plains, the film is overall presented in a theatrical style that isn't just similar to Shakespeare but also Noh theater. The film's first sequences in the plains of Mount Aso are colorful and rich but as the film progresses, the film becomes less colorful and more eerie. Kurosawa's approach to staging from the meetings and to the more individual sequences involving Hidetora's madness are done in an intimate, theatrical style.

The battle sequences in the film are nothing short of brilliant but it's more than that. The epic scale of the battle scenes are brilliant to convey the horrors and such in the film's second act while the third is to convey the sense of tragedy. The intensity of the battle scenes that is a wonderful mixture of Kurosawa's staging and editing plus the camera-work, special effects, and use of blood is amazing for its sense of chaos. Yet, there's a sense of nihilism to the violence that's far more aggressive than in Kurosawa’s previous films with no sense of pride and such for these deaths. Instead, with a few exceptions, there's characters who don’t get a chance for atonement but rather die in ways to exemplify God's cruelty on sin.

The direction of Kurosawa is overall brilliant while his work as an editor is as potent as ever. The use of jump-cuts and transitions to convey the film's emotions and Hidetora's madness also works to give the film a pacing that at first, might start off slow. Yet as the story progresses, it is more invested in the situations and characters as they play a part of what is to come in the moments of battle and tragedy. Yet, it all comes down to Kurosawa and his direction as he creates a film that has the intimacy of a play while maintaining its epic, visual style that is very cinematic. The result is truly Kurosawa at the top of his game.

The film's cinematography by Asakazu Nakai, Takao Saito, and Masaharu Ueda is extremely hypnotic from its colorful look to the film's first act to the darker look in the second and third. The camera-work is exquisite with intimate lighting schemes for some of the film's interior sequences in the two castles to lovely exterior shots including Hidetora's meeting with Lady Sue`. The use of colors and black sand for several of the exterior scenes is brilliantly shot as its trio of cinematographers capture a look and feel into the mind of Hidetora.

Production designers Shinobu Muraki and Yoshiro Muraki do amazing work with the film's color schemes from the black-yellow banner of the film's opening scene to the traditional look of Japanese palaces along with the decayed look of castles to show the world of Hidetora through his madness. Costume designer Emi Wada does amazing work to the film's costumes from the differing colors for the three sons, Taro in yellow, Jiro in red, and Saburo in blue. Wada's costumes are exquisite for the period with Lady Kaeda's shiny-white look is wonderful to convey her icy persona as Wada's Oscar-winning work is worth noting.

The sound work of Fumio Yanoguchi and Shotaro Yoshida is brilliant for its design and momentum, notably the battle scene as if it sounds like the real thing. The gunshots sound like hammers as it represents the full chaos and nihilism of these battle scenes. The location shots are also wonderfully recorded to convey the deteriorating mind of Hidetora. The music of Toru Takemitsu that is inspired by Gustav Mahler is a wonderful mix of traditional, Japanese percussion music and huge, orchestral pieces that captures both the sense of chaos and tragedy of the battle scenes with the Japanese percussion to heighten the film’s drama. The use of a flute in the scenes with Tsurumaru is also brilliant for its drama as it would only bring horror to Hidetora. The music overall is brilliant and truly one of the film's highlights.

The film's cast is overall brilliant for its many varied performances from every actor involved. In the role of Saburo's general Mondo Naganuma, Toshiya Ito is great as the loyal general and strategist who manages to outwit Jiro with help from Ayabe and Fujimaki. In the respective roles of warlords Ayabe and Fujimaki, Jun Tazaki and Hitoshi Ueki are excellent as the two men who respect Hidetora while finding a much larger respect for Saburo as they help him in this chaotic conflict. Hisashi Igawa is also excellent as Jiro's general Kurogene who finds his loyalty to Jiro shaky when Lady Kaede is involved that includes the attempted murder of Lady Sue`. Kazuo Kato and Norio Matsui in the respective roles of Ikoma and Ogura, are superb as the two generals of Hidetora who unwittingly betray him only to pay the price for their betrayal.

Mansai Nomura is great as the blind Tsurumaru, the younger brother of Lady Sue` who is still grieving over the loss of his parents and sight with contempt towards Hidetora. Yoshiko Miyazaki is radiant as Lady Sue`, the wife of Jiro who is trying to find some peace through spirituality as she represents the rare sense of good through a film that is very cynical. Mieko Harada is brilliant as the conniving, vengeful Lady Kaede, a woman who hopes to gain power and more by seducing Jiro into power and is the epitome of evil as she plays part in the downfall of a clan.

In the role of Taro, Akira Terao is great as the eldest son who hopes to have his own moment of glory and power as he would end up blinded by his own cruelty. Jinpachi Nezu is also great as the scheming Jiro, the middle son who wants power all of his own and with Saburo out of the way, his planning works only to find himself falling for the conniving Kaede. Daisuke Ryu is even greater as the more honesty, loving Saburo, the son who may be disrespectful but also opinionated but is the one who really loved his father is trying to do what a great son must do as Ryu's performance is amazing.

Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata is phenomenal as the court jester/fool Kyoami, the comic relief in the film who is a cross dresser as he tries to figure out his master's madness and the way the world works. Ikehata's performance is brilliant as he kind of represents the Greek chorus who voices the concerns and frustrations about Hidetora's state of mind. The film's best supporting performance easily goes to Masayuki Yui as the loyal general Tango, who is also the film's moral conscience of sorts. Here's a general who has a loyalty to his lord while trying to tell him what is right and wrong as does all he can to help him while in the film's ending, he's the one who reveals about the way the world works in all of his cruelty. His performance is noteworthy for being the voice of cynicism that is a reflection of the world itself.

Finally, there's Tatsuya Nakadai in what has to be the performance of his career as Hidetora. Putting on make-up and a presence that is in the tradition of Noh theater, Nakadai's performance is just nothing short of brilliant and superb as he channels all of the complex behaviors of Hidetora from his ignorant sense of pride to his own fall into madness as a man who's become broken only to seek redemption. Nakadai's performance following the fall of the third castle in the way he walks is just filled with a sense of command that is very regal as he just owns the film in every way. This is truly one of the greatest performances captured on film from one of Kurosawa's great actors.

Ran is a brilliant yet provocative film from Akira Kurosawa and company helmed by Tatsuya Nakadai's theatrical performance. Fans of war films, epic films, period films, or any kind of film should see this movie while it isn't just one of Kurosawa's great masterpieces but also one of the best films ever made. Fans of Shakespeare will no doubt enjoy Kurosawa's reinterpretation of King Lear as it's a film that even those studying Shakespeare will enjoy. The film overall has great morals and a great message though its cynicism might be hard to take. Yet, in the end, Ran is a must-see for anyone who loves a great movie and who better to come from than the Emperor himself, Akira Kurosawa.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012

Kagemusha

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/15/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Masato Ide, Kagemusha is about a poor-class criminal who becomes a double for a dying warlord during a troubled period in 16th Century Japan. With help from Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, the epic film shows Kurosawa leaning towards his ambitions and study of character in a broad setting. With a cast that includes longtime regular Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara, Daisuke Ryu, Hideo Murota, and in his final appearance (in the full, uncut Japanese version), Takashi Shimura. Kagemusha is a superb yet provocative film from Akira Kurosawa & co.

A civil war is brewing between three warlords where Takeda clan leader Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai) is facing Oda Nobunaga (Daisuke Ryu) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (Masayuki Yui) as the war is reaching its bloodiest. Aiding Shingen is his brother Nobukado (Tsutomu Yamazaki) who has just found a petty thief who looks exactly like Shingen as he convinces the thief to be his brother. The thief reluctantly takes the job with Nobukado helping out as Shingen's son Katsuyori (Kenichi Hagiwara) and General Yamagata Masakage (Hideji Otaki) are planning a siege on Ieyasu's castle. During the siege, Shingen is wounded by a gunshot wound after hearing a mysterious flute where his opposing warlords each have a different reaction to Shingen's assassination. Though Shingen nears death, he calls in his double to ensure that his enemies don't attack in order to buy some time for the next few years. After Shingen's death, Nobukado calls in the reluctant double to fill in his position as spies believe that Shingen is alive.

The news of Shingen's recovery disturbs his enemies where they each believe he's using a double while the double learns about Shingen's death as he becomes unsure about his role. Still, Nobukado helps him be more convincing despite not convincing Shingen's horse as he does manage to convince Shingen's grandson as the double finds comfort in the role of being a grandfather. Katsuyori is unhappy about the situation as he's forced to call this man his father in front of colleagues while Yamagata figures out what to do next following Ieyasu's attack on one of the Takeda castles. Katsuyori becomes frustrated with the double as he asks questions in an attempt to reveal the double's true identity only for the double to charm his way in front of the people at a meeting. Katsuyori decides to lead the battle against Ieyasu as things go out of control prompting Nobukado to make a move for the double to make his presence as Shingen.

Feeling overshadowed by the double and the presence of his late father, Katsuyori realizes that he'll never attain any kind of respect that he hopes for. With the three years closing by, a simple act of love and joy would destroy everything for the double. Even as he is forced to watch in horror on how Nobukado has been trying to risk everything for his clan.

While the film may seem like a typical samurai epic film, the film is really about a petty thief who becomes this outside voyeur having to watch the way warlords work and such while trying to understand the man he is playing and how he treats people and such. The film is really a study of character in not just the double but also Nobukado, who was his brother's double for a while.

The film is in some respect is about these two men while a brother is having to play puppet master on what the double should do yet be one of his few friends that included General Yamagata. Then, there's Katsuyori, a son who seemed to have gained little respect from everyone and his attempts to gain his father's respect is equaled by his frustrations and lust for glory and power. His greed is also his flaw where Nobukado knows why he is trying to do these things but his father wouldn't because Shingen is doing what a father does.

Kurosawa's script is very brilliant, notably in structure with the first act being about Shingen and the introduction of the double, the second act about the double being Shingen, and the third act is about the double's big mistake and climatic battle. Kurosawa's direction is solid and more theatrical in any of his previous films. Particularly the film's opening scene that is a six-minute shot with special effects for both Nakadai's performance as Shingen and double that is a single shot without any movement.

While the film starts off slow, Kurosawa's structuring of the script and his direction to convey the sense of tension and drama that goes on in these meetings works to show this world of 16th Century Japan. Most of the scenes are done with little edits for dramatic effect to convey the emotion of these meetings while the action and battle scene are done with great style as well as the editing by Kurosawa for the film's emotional aftermath in the final battle scene. Overall, it's a brilliant work from the Japanese auteur.

Cinematographers Takao Saito and Masaharu Ueda do amazing work with film's photography, notably for the exteriors where the look of the sunlight is just beautiful while the interiors are wonderfully lit to convey the intimacy of the meetings. Art director Yoshiro Muraki also does great work in the look of traditional Japanese homes to give the film a look of authenticity and prestige. The costumes by Seiichiro Hagakusawa is exquisite for the coloring of robes and costumes to convey that sense of royalty in the characters to maintain their presence and position of power.

Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi and effects editor Ichiro Minami does fantastic work with the use of sound to capture the intensity of battle as well as the tension preceding those sequences. The music of Shinichiro Ikebe is great for its use of traditional, Japanese drum music and intense, orchestral arrangement for some of the film’s dramatic moments as well as the battle sequences for its momentum.

The film's cast is superb with small yet memorable performances from Takayuki Shiho, Koji Shimizu, Noburo Shimizu, and Sen Yamamato as Shingen's servants, Kamatari Fujiwara as a doctor, and Kota Yui as the adorable grandson of Shingen. Hideo Murota is great as Shingen's bodyguard Nobufasa Baba while Hideji Otaki is also great as Shingen's leading general who gives his master criticism while trying to do what is right for the clan's survival.

Daisuke Ryu is brilliant as the vicious, deranged Nobunaga while Masayuki Yui is more subdued yet amazing as the intelligent, powerful Ieyasu. Kenichi Hagiwara is excellent as the reckless, greedy Katsuyori whose desire for glory and power is tested when he is forced to be son to the double of his father while trying to take control of his clan to the dismay of his elders.

Tsutomu Yamzaki is magnificent in his role as Nobukado, the man who is running everything yet understands the role of the double who is playing his brother. Yamakazi's subtle, engaging performance is brilliant as he and Tatsuya Nakadai have amazing camaraderie with Nakadai providing great support as he is in some ways, the film's moral conscience who knows what kind of power his brother has and how the double should maintain it.

Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant as the ruthless, powerful Shingen who has all the makings of a great leader but is more complex as the petty thief who becomes his double. Nakadai's performance is so exquisite, having to double duty in playing two leading character is a challenge but he did rose to that challenge. Nakadai's performance not only carries the film but also maintains its engaging tone in its emphasis on character study. It's an overall, fantastic and eerie performance from one of Kurosawa's great actors.

Kagemusha is a powerful yet poignant character-driven film from Akira Kurosawa and company. Thanks in large parts to the performances of Tatsuya Nakadai and Tsutomu Yamzaki, it's a great film of character study and loyalty set to one of Japan's most historical moments. While it's one of his essential latter-day films, it's also a worthy introduction of sorts to what Kurosawa was going through at the stage of his career. In the end, for a film that is profound in its character and presentation, Kagemusha is a film that is highly recommended to see.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012