The Burmese Harp (1956 film)

Based on the novel by Michio Takeyama, The Burmese Harp is the story of a Japanese soldier who is wounded during the final days of World War II where he disguises himself as a Buddhist monk where he would find enlightenment. Directed by Kon Ichikawa and screenplay by Natto Wada, the film is the story of a man whose encounter with war forces him to find some idea of hope and meaning in his life. Starring Rentaro Mikuni, Shoji Yasui, Taniye Kitabayashi, Tatsuya Mihashi, and Yunosuke Ito. The Burmese Harp is an evocative yet devastating film from Kon Ichikawa.

Set during the summer of 1945 in Burma during the final days of World War II, the film follows a Japanese regiment who are captured by the British as one of them volunteers to tell another regiment that the war is over and Japan has surrendered. What happens instead becomes a traumatic moment where he is later saved by a monk only to become one as his regiment wonders what had happened to him. It’s a film that explores not just the horrors of war but also the sense of loss he would encounter as it’s not just seeing these bodies of fellow Japanese soldiers he would see. It’s also in the fact that they would never return home to a country that’s been torn apart by war and will never get some form of redemption. Natto Wada’s script is told mainly from the perspective of another soldier who recalls the events from their capture to being one of the regiments to accept the news over their country’s surrender as they’re taken to a prison camp where they’re treated fairly by the British.

During the course of the film such as the first act where the regiment led by Captain Inoyue (Rentaro Mikuni) who trying to maintain morale amongst his troops as he knows they’re tired, they’re hungry, and worn-out from fighting as the one thing he can to help them is have them sing with PFC Mizushima (Shoji Yasui) playing a Burmese harp. The second act revolves around Captain Inouye and the regiment wondering to Mizushima during his mission to tell another regiment about news on the war as they believe he’s dead until they see a monk who looks like him when they’re passing by a bridge they’re building. Though it is clear who the monk is, it shows the things that he would encounter that forces him to go into a vow of silence but also deal with the monstrosity of war.

Kon Ichikawa’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way he would capture a time of war as it’s about to end. Though it is shot mainly in Japan, Ichikawa would maintain a look and feel through the forest and rural locations that it is shot in Burma as there would be a few exterior shots of the temples in Burma. While Ichikawa would create some amazing wide shots to capture the scope of the locations as well as a look of the prison camp which feels more of a camp than a prison. He would infuse some close-ups and medium shots to capture the look of the cabins from the interiors where the soldiers would trade with an old woman who would walk into the camp occasionally. The scenes relating to Mizushima and his own encounter with the horrors of war from the bodies he would find during his walk toward the location of the camp as well as seeing a funeral procession for unknown soldiers. It adds a lot to the tone of the film as it include a scene in the third act where Captain Inouye is leading his regiment to sing a song in front of a large Buddha statue where Mizushima is inside playing a Burmese harp as it add to some form of musical dialogue. Even in the film’s climax as it play into this sense of loss over the fallacies of war and what would it cost as these men would have to go home knowing they lost a war which they feel is unimportant. Overall, Ichikawa crafts a somber yet intoxicating anti-war film about a soldier’s encounter with death and chaos that forces him to find some sort of spiritual meaning.

Cinematographer Minoru Yokoyama does brilliant work with the black-and-white photography as it has a very natural look to the scenes in the day with some low-key lighting by Ko Fujibayashi for some of the interiors at the cabin at night. Editor Masanori Tsuji does excellent work as it play into the drama as well as a key sequence of a regiment trying to battle it out against the British only for everything go wrong. Production designer Akira Nakai and art director Takashi Matsuyama do fantastic work with the look of the prison camp and the cabins the prisoners live in as well as some of the interior of the temples. The sound work of Masakazu Kayima is amazing for the way some of the music is presented as well as the few moments of gunfire and such that occur in the lone battle scene. The film’s music by Akira Ifukube is incredible for its mixture of lush orchestral music, broad choir music, and somber harp music that is performed by Yoshie Abe.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Jun Hamamura as Private Ito, Taketoshi Naito as Private Kobayashi, Ko Nishimura as the soldier Baba, Yunosuke Ito as a village head that would help the soldiers try and trick the British, Tatsuya Mihashi as a defense commander refusing to surrender, and Taniye Kitabayashi as an old lady who would trade with the Japanese prisoners at the camp as well as show kindness to them. Shoji Yasui is remarkable as Private Mizushima as a young soldier who volunteers to appeal to a fighting regiment to surrender that nearly dies from the battle as he becomes traumatized where he pretends to be a monk only to become one to cope with the loss he is carrying. Finally, there’s Rentaro Mikuni in a phenomenal performance as Captain Inouye as a man dealing with the chaos of war as he would accept the reality of what happened to Japan where he also raises morale for his regiment and see what Mizushima had become.

The Burmese Harp is a tremendous film from Kon Ichikawa. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a fantastic score, and themes on war and the loss that it would bring war. It is an anti-war film that showcases the horrors of war and how it would affect a man to withdraw into some idea of spiritual fulfillment. In the end, The Burmese Harp is a spectacular film from Kon Ichikawa.

Kon Ichikawa Films: (A Thousand and One Nights with Toho) – (The Hole (1957 film)) – (Enjo) – (Odd Obsession) – (Fires on the Plain) – (Jokyo) – (Her Brother) – (Ten Dark Women) – (Being Two Isn’t Easy) – (An Actor’s Revenge) – (Alone Across the Pacific) – (Tokyo Olympiad) – (Topo Gigio and the Missile War) – (To Love Again) – (Visions of Eight) – (The Inugamis (1976 film)) – (Koto) – (Kofuku) – (The Makioka Sisters) – (Ohan) – (The Burmese Harp (1985 film)) – (Princess from the Moon) – (Kaettekita Kogarashi Monjiro) – (The 47 Ronin (1994 film)) – (Dora-heita) – (The Inugamis (2006 film))

© thevoid99 2017

Sanjuro

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/8/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Ryuzo Kikushima and Hideo Oguni, Sanjuro is the story of a samurai warrior who helps a group of young, hapless samurai warriors rescue their master from a rival. The film is a continuing exploration of the character's anti-hero status from Yojimbo while teaching young men about honor and such as well as the role of samurai as he's once again played by Toshiro Mifune. Also starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, and Yuzo Kayama with appearances from Takashi Shimura and Yunosuke Ito. Sanjuro is an entertaining film from Akira Kurosawa and company.

When a Chamberlain (Yunosuke Ito) has been kidnapped in a feud against a superintendent over a false crime, a group of young, hapless samurai warriors led by Iori (Yuzo Kayama) try to figure out what to do where they find a samurai named Sanjuro sleeping in their home. The old, grizzled warrior hears their plans and is convinced that it won't work at all. When the superintendent known as Kikui (Masao Shizmu) arrives with his army, the young warriors are scared only until Sanjuro managed to defeat some in front of the Kikui. With the superintendent's army now retreating as they take care of the Chamberlain at the home of friend Kurofuji (Takashi Shimura), the young warriors try to plan to retrieve the Chamberlain, who is at Kurofuji's home along with his wife (Takako Irie) and daughter (Reiko Dan).

Realizing that Kikui has a smart warrior named Muroto (Tatsuya Nakadai) who is leading the army, Sanjuro is aware that plans has to be made to save the Chamberlain's wife and daughter. When the plan succeeds along with a hostage (Keiju Kobayashi), they learn about the superintendent's plan to make the Chamberlain sign a confession. With Sanjuro's patience at the incompetence of Iori and his men, he decides to join Kikui, where his real intention is to become a spy. With Iori and a few of his men tried to find out what's going on, they got captured as Sanjuro plays a game of wits against Muroto. After killing some more samurai and pretending to have been attacked, he finds where the Chamberlain is but the plan is too risky. With a suggestion from the Chamberlain's wife about camellias, Sanjuro concocts a plan that could make or break everything he and his young warriors work for.

While the character of Sanjuro is essentially an anti-hero with no moral justification, in this film, there is a bit of moral justification when he's dealing with the idea of killing as he is confronted somewhat by the Chamberlain's wife. It's noteworthy in the film's ending that is probably the most memorable scene of the entire film. While it's no doubt Sanjuro is a fine film, it lacks the psychological tone of its predecessor Yojimbo and is replaced more with humor. While the humor works, it does make the film a bit disjointed with its script. Particularly in the lack of development in Iori and his warriors who seem eager to fight but don't have a gift of strategy or the idea of honor that Sanjuro has. Even in the end, they still don't understand Sanjuro's role following the climatic event involving the Chamberlain.

While the script is excellent for the most part, Kurosawa's direction is still intoxicating from his presentation of tension and theatrical-like feel in the acting. While some of the humor works to convey the young samurai's immaturity, it's the drama and action that really gets exciting. The film in some ways is a bit more accessible than Yojimbo in its fight scenes and humor. Yet, it lacks the cohesiveness of Yojimbo. Still, with Kurosawa's stylish editing and intense direction with a look that's darker and eerie, Kurosawa definitely has a tone that is dark and more in the tradition of samurai films. Overall, despite the film's flaws, Kurosawa's solid direction keeps it from being boring.

Cinematographers Fukuzo Koizumi and Takao Saito do amazing work in the film's black-and-white presentation, notably the night-time exterior sequences with very little light in those scenes to convey the sense of tension and action in the Kurofuji's home that is extremely intoxicating in every frame. The interior sequences are also brilliant for its compositions and set-ups where it plays up to the film's theatrical style. Longtime production designer Yoshiro Muraki does great work in the film's look, notably the homes of the Chamberlain that is in traditional, 19th Century Japanese homes as well as the exterior sequences that includes wonderful camellias in those exterior settings. Sound recordists Wataru Konuma and Hisashi Shimonaga do great work in capturing the film's tension and fight sequences to convey the sense of action.

Longtime music composer Masaru Sato does an amazing job with the film's score filled with layers of percussions and traditional Japanese string instruments undercut with a great orchestral score. Sato's score also has a great theme that is comical in some aspects to the film's title character while some of the music is played to convey the sense of action and tension as Sato's score is amazingly brilliant.

The film's cast is excellent in a lot of respects with performances from Akira Kubo, Kenzo Matsui, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kunie Tanaka, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, and Tatsushiko Hari as the samurai warriors who try and plan to rescue the Chamberlain though they're not entirely memorable individually. The smaller performances of Kurosawa regulars Takashi Shimura as Kurofuji and Yunosuke Ito as the Chamberlain are great in their respective roles. Takako Irie is excellent as the Chamberlain's sympathetic, moralistic wife who might not be very intelligent but has a good heart while Reiko Dan is good as the daughter who has a love for camellias. Masao Shizmu is superb as the corrupt Kikui while Keiju Kobayashi is funny as the hostage who tries to help the samurai warriors while unwittingly joins in their little celebrations. Yuzo Kayama is excellent as the naive Iori, a young samurai who thinks he knows what to do but his immaturity and inexperience shows his flaws as he is a memorable and interesting character in the film.

Kurosawa mainstay Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant as the dark but intelligent Muroto who is an equal to Sanjuro in many respects as a samurai who has a gift for strategy while often telling his superiors what they should do and such. Nakadai's performance is very memorable that is almost as good as his previous role in Yojimbo as another equal of Sanjuro. Toshiro Mifune gives another magnificent performance as the grizzled Sanjuro with his cynical viewpoint and his skills as a warrior. Unlike his previous performance in Yojimbo as the same character, there's a bit of morality to his role when he deals with killing as if he seems tired of being a samurai while trying to teach the young men about honor and such. Mifune's performance is just brilliant through and through as he carries the film with such ease and humor while showing that he is one of cinema's quintessential badasses.

While Sanjuro doesn't quite rank with several of Akira Kurosawa's films including Yojimbo, it's still a must-see film from the legendary auteur with another winning performance from Toshiro Mifune in the title role. This film is no doubt a more entertaining feature than its predecessor while it's one of the director's more accessible films. It's definitely one of the director's essential films among his fans yet with Yojimbo, it would make a very interesting double-feature from the revered auteur. In the end, for a film that has lots of violence, humor, and entertaining values, Sanjuro is the film 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 - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012

Ikiru

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/14/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on Leo Tolsoy's short story The Death of Ivan Ilynch, Ikiru is the story of a middle-aged bureaucrat whose lonely life is hit with devastating news that would make him change his life. In his remaining days, he would learn about what to do while his family and colleagues would come to terms over these changes. Directed by Akira Kurosawa and screenplay by Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni, the film is an exploration on life and death set in a modern world. Starring Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe. Ikiru is a powerful and heartbreaking drama from Akira Kurosawa.

Kanji Watanabe has worked as a section chief of public affairs for 30 years where he's never done much in his life. Though he lives with his son Mitsuo (Nobuo Kaneko) and daughter-in-law Kazue (Kyoko Seki) in a traditional Japanese-style home, Kanji feels nothing has changed. Feeling ill from a stomach pain where he's forced to miss work for the first time in 30 years, he gets some grim news about his condition as he is suffering from stomach cancer with a chance to live for six months to a year. Shocked by the news, Kanji returns home to accidentally overhear Mitsuo and Kazue talking about getting a modern home of their own forcing Kanji to recall the life he had with his wife some years ago. Upset over what is to come, Kanji realizes that his life isn't any good with little to show for as he returns to work dealing with chaos in his officer over a group of women complaining about a mosquito-infested cesspool in their neighborhood.

After talking to a novelist (Yunosuke Ito) at a bar who sympathizes with Kanji, the two decide to go out on a night of a town where the fun doesn't last very long. Returning to work the next day, he meets one of his former employees in a young woman named Toyo (Miki Odagiri) who had just quit her job at the section office. The two become friends where he brings her to his home to the bafflement of Mitsuo and Kazue where they spend the day having fun where Kanji has a revelation about his life. After a lecture from his son over some money he spent, Kanji decides to go to Toyo for comfort where he reveals to her what is happening to him. Learning that the issue over the cesspool wasn't resolved by his office, Kanji decides to take matters into his own hands by turning the troubled cesspool into a park. Following it completion that led to his death, Kanji's friends and family try to come to terms with his behavior in his final days.

While death was a subject Kurosawa has often tackled, for the film's theme of Ikiru which means in Japanese, "to live". It's a film that is a mix of both optimism and cynicism. The film is about a man that is trying to deal with his impending death and eventually, finds redemption, inspiration, and fulfillment. That what goes on throughout the film's first two acts for about 100 minutes. Though it's presented in a slow, careful manner to describe the man's life in the first two acts through his meditative direction. Kurosawa's attention to this man and his journey becomes fascinating while recalling the events of his life that involved his already ungrateful, self-centered son. With Watanabe dealing with loneliness, he tries to find new life in both a second-rate novelist and a free-spirited young woman. He finds both its flaws and its beauty realizing that there is still time to do something.

Those 100 minutes that included opening narration definitely let the audience get into the mind and heart of Watanabe. Then, the film suddenly shifts for the next forty where suddenly, it changes. This is where the third act begins and it starts to feel like a different film. It involves Watanabe's wake and how his colleagues, family, and politicians deal with his final months. Watanabe appears in flashbacks as colleagues try to figure out why the sudden change and it becomes a mix of both cynicism and hope. The cynical part involves politicians including a deputy mayor wanting to put a political spin on Watanabe's contribution while his colleagues drunkenly deal with his motivations. While the shift might be abrupt, it works to convey the message that Kurosawa is trying to say. Even through his stylish yet meditative editing that included his trademark side-wipe cuts. The result is a solid yet entrancing film from Akira Kurosawa.

Cinematographer Asakazu Nakai brings some stirring images to the black-and-white photography that includes some wonderful shading shots of Shimura in his despair as well as wonderful close-ups and grayish colors to convey one of the film's bleakest sequences. Nakai's photography is exquisite, notably for one of the film's final scene where a tracking shot unveils the final moments of Watanabe's life. Production designer So Matsuyama does great work in creating the crowded look of Watanabe's office that is filled with loads and loads of paperwork as well as the traditional, Japanese home that he lived in that is done better in the third act.

Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi does some fantastic work in capturing the world of modern Japan during the scene of Watanabe going out with the novelist to unveil Japan in its post-war era. Music composer Fumio Hayasaka creates a very melodic, melancholic score to convey the sadness and redemption of Watanabe with flowing arrangements and notes that is very dream-like with the soundtrack including a song sung by Shimura himself.

The film's cast is brilliant with performances from Minosuke Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Toranosuke Ogawa as Watanabe's colleagues while Nobuo Nakamura is great as the slimy deputy mayor who had hoped to gain credit for Watanabe's work. Makoto Kobori is good as Watanabe's brother and Kumeko Urabe as Watanabe's sister-in-law who had hoped he would find a new woman in his life. Masao Shimizu is excellent as the doctor who tells Watanabe of his fate while reveling in the cynicism of the man's fate. Yunosuke Ito is great as the novelist who takes Watanabe on a night on the town sympathetic to his fate and failures.

Kyoko Seki is good as Mitsuo's wife who shares her husband's desire for a new home but is amazed by his attitude towards his father. Nobuo Kaneko is great as Mitsuo, the self-centered, selfish son who is unaware of his father's illness until the end as he is forced to face himself. Miki Odagiri is great as the spirited Toyo, the young woman who befriends Watanabe as she points him into the direction his life is supposed to lead while dealing with her own issues as a young woman.

Takashi Shimura, one of Kurosawa's regular actors appearing in many of his films, gives one of his most touching and powerful performances. Shimura's subtle, restrained performance as a man facing death shows that it doesn't have to be dramatized. One of Shimura's most notable features is his eyes. The eyes are a big part of the story to convey his sadness and regrets as he starts off very slow and sad only to find some happiness as he smiles and laughs. Shimura's performance is just powerful right to the end of the film as he is truly one of the most overlooked actors in cinema in comparison another Kurosawa regular, Toshiro Mifune.

Ikiru is an inspiring and mesmerizing film from Akira Kurosawa that features a magnificent performance from Takashi Shimura. The film is definitely one of Kurosawa's hallmarks for the way he explores the modern world as well as big themes about life and death itself. While it may not have the entertainment value of his samurai films, it is still a great introduction to the way Kurosawa can create a simple drama about a man changing his life and make it extraordinary. In the end, Ikiru is an intoxicating and uplifting film from 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) - 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 - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012