Samurai Films (4 page)

The characterisation in
Seven Samurai
is exceptional, as we have come to expect from Kurosawa. Each of the seven samurai is shown to have different motivations for joining the group, and they have widely varying character traits. While all seven performances are of a very high standard, special mention must go to Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune. Shimura is well cast as Kambei, the wise samurai who brings the seven together. Shimura’s sensitive performance shows a balance of warmth, intelligence and martial prowess in Kambei, making it clear to the audience that he is ideally suited to hold the seven together. Kikuchiyo, a wild, uncontrollable ronin, is played by Mifune, whose expressive features and blustering manner are perfect for the overblown character he plays. Kurosawa and his writers allegedly worked out detailed past histories for each of the seven, which pays off in a script full of realistic dialogue and convincing motivations. As we watch the seven prepare the village against the oncoming assault by the bandits, we grow attached to them, as we would to real people.

The seven enjoy a light-hearted moment.
Seven Samurai
directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Sojiro Motoki for Toho Studios.

 

Kurosawa uses the samurai’s interaction with the peasants as a device for examining class issues. As with all of Kurosawa’s films this is not executed in a heavy-handed way, but instead integrated seamlessly into the film. There is a constant interplay of trust and mistrust between the samurai and the peasants, most of which arises from the class gulf between the two groups, which ultimately the characters in the film fail to bridge. Not even the potential relationship between young samurai Katsushiro and peasant girl Shino is able to form a solid bond between the two classes. This relationship fails the test set out by the film, just as the alliance between samurai and peasant does; when the unusual conditions that necessitated the two groups living and working together have passed, they both fall back into their old (separate) ways. The film’s ending, which highlights the inevitability of this revelation, is sad and moving to watch. The final scenes of Kambei and the survivors, surveying the graves of their fallen comrades, while the peasants ignore them and continue to work as they have done for centuries, makes clear the ultimate fragility of the samurai class, stripping any sense of victory from Kambei and his men.

Perhaps the greatest feature of
Seven Samurai
is the lengthy battle scenes which take place towards its end. After we have come to know Kurosawa’s carefully drawn characters we watch them fight, and in some cases die, in some of the finest battle scenes of the era. The action between the samurai and the bandits is choreographed carefully to give a realistic impression of combat. The combatants strike wildly and as often as they can, doing whatever possible to fell their enemy and, more importantly, survive. The screams of the dying are intercut with shots of their bodies in the muddy village, showing the true results of violence. Kurosawa also makes good use of the bandits’ guns. The gun shots are always surprising, catching the audience off guard, and are sometimes, but not always, followed by death, creating an uneasy sense of uncertainty throughout the film.

Seven Samurai
was remade as a western in 1960,
The Magnificent
Seven
, directed by John Sturges and starring Yul Brynner, along with a cast of legends from the western genre such as Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and James Coburn. Kurosawa’s plot translated well into the genre, and the film was immensely successful, spawning three sequels, all with basically the same story as the original.

An undisputed classic of the samurai genre,
Seven Samurai
is compulsory viewing which satisfies on all levels.

When they fight on the losing side at the Battle of Sekigahara, Takezo and Matahachi, two glory-hungry young men, are forced to hide from the enemy in a house occupied by two women: Oko and her daughter, Akemi. A fierce warrior, Takezo protects them from some bandits, but is driven away by the unwanted advances of both women. Oko lies to Matahachi, telling him that Musashi attempted to rape her, and convincing him to leave with her and Akemi. Takezo, meanwhile, has become a wanted fugitive, after a dispute with some border guards. Despite several attempts, including a trap set by Osugi, Matahachi’s bitter mother, the authorities are unable to capture Takezo. The wise priest, Takuan, and Otsu, the fiancée Matahachi left behind, are finally able to subdue him. Takuan suspends Takezo from a tree, hoping to tame the wild young man with harsh discipline, but Otsu shows pity and releases him. Takezo is touched that someone would actually help him and begins to see the selfish nature of his wild ways. Otsu is captured by the authorities, and Takezo journeys to Himeji castle to rescue her. There he is tricked by Takuan into beginning a rigorous moral education, and eventually becoming a samurai, renaming himself Musashi. Musashi is ordered to travel and train himself. He visits Otsu before he leaves, but decides he cannot take her with him, asking her to wait for him a little longer.

Miyamoto Musashi
is a strong start to Hiroshi Inagaki’s
Samurai Trilogy
, a series of films that tell the famous story of the historical figure who many consider to be Japan’s greatest swordsman. A captivating story, told in a simple yet entertaining way,
Miyamoto Musashi
was well deserving of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film that it won in 1955.

Miyamoto Musashi
is perhaps the best example of director Hiroshi Inagaki’s unique style. Along with cinematographer Jun Yasumoto, Inagaki uses a storytelling technique that is elegant in its simplicity. Taking advantage of the film’s magnificent landscapes, Inagaki utilises slow pans across muddy battlefields, daunting mountains and beautiful meadows. Much more than pretty pictures (although, it must be noted, many of Inagaki and Yasumoto’s shots would look fantastic framed on a wall), these shots also reveal important information. The shot of Takezo, running through a picturesque meadow, wooden sword in hand, violently chopping flowers off their stalks, perfectly captures his wild nature. Similarly, the priest Takuan, when attempting to capture Takezo, is clearly separated from the other would-be captors; in a shot taken from high in the mountains, he is in the foreground and the others in the background, far below him in a valley. Similarly, the beginning of the Battle of Sekigahara is signified by an atmospheric shot of lightning striking, illuminating a skeletal tree. Inagaki is a master of using simple images to convey information, one of the hallmarks of a great filmmaker.

Like
Seven Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi
not only contains some beautiful scenic shots, but also some very well-directed and atmospheric battle scenes. Like Kurosawa, Inagaki was an innovator when it came to presenting violence, and the battle scenes have a greater sense of realism than many of the 1950s samurai films. The Battle of Sekigahara scenes, although quite short, effectively convey the sense of confusion and brutality in warfare, through the use of a series of quick cuts, each shot filled with moving bodies, flailing wildly at each other. We find it difficult to pick out Takezo and Matahachi in these frenetic images, and just as we locate them, Inagaki cuts to another shot. The location – a muddy field with the occasional gnarled tree – complements the action.

The elegance and simplicity of Inagaki’s direction is also present in the plot itself. An uncomplicated story about a powerful young man who learns the error of his wild ways,
Miyamoto Musashi
has a mythic and parabolic feel about it. Contained within the story are a number of beautiful moments between the characters, played with just the right amount of emotion. The scene when Takezo bandages Otsu’s hands, injured when she freed him, is particularly touching, and shows him beginning to understand the needs of others. Similarly, Otsu’s sad realisation that Musashi has left her behind is handled very well, and Toshiro Mifune and Kaoru Yachigusa should be commended for their skilful performances.

An excellent film in its own right,
Miyamoto Musashi
sets the tone of Hiroshi Inagaki’s acclaimed
Samurai Trilogy
. Inagaki’s beautiful direction, along with an entertaining story and solid performances from a great cast, make this a must-see for anyone interested in samurai films.

Musashi has been travelling for a few years now, improving his swordsmanship, but he is yet to master the psychological strengths of the samurai. Arriving in Kyoto, Musashi begins a rivalry with the Yoshioka school of swordsmanship. He wants to challenge the master of the school, Seijuro, but is continually betrayed by the Yoshioka, who make two attempts to kill him with their superior numbers. Musashi visits a sword polisher, Koetsu, and begins to learn from him the benefits of emotional detachment when duelling. He also sees Otsu for the first time in years, but now desires the perfection of his art more than her. A sinister warrior, Kojiro Sasaki, witnesses Musashi’s battle against the Yoshioka, and is impressed. Otsu is heartbroken, and returns to Takuan’s monastery, where she considers becoming a nun. To avoid further confrontations with the Yoshioka, Musashi stays at a Geisha house, where Lady Yoshino teaches him the value of a gentle nature. After Musashi defeats Denshichiro, Seijuro’s brother, the Yoshioka finally agree to a duel with Seijuro, at Ichijoji temple. The Yoshioka ambush him with 80 men, and Musashi fights bravely, killing many of his opponents before escaping. He sees Seijuro, who he defeats easily, but decides to spare him, considering the teachings of Koetsu and Yoshino. Wounded, Musashi is found by Otsu, who nurses him back to health. Musashi violently embraces Otsu, but she rejects him. Musashi continues on his lonely journey, watched by Kojiro, who hopes to have a match with him in the future…

Samurai 2
:
Duel at Ichijoji Temple
is an enjoyable continuation of Hiroshi Inagaki’s retelling of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, a famous swordsman from the pages of Japanese history. The film continues Musashi’s learning journey as he becomes a samurai as well as a skilled warrior.

The exact nature of this journey is one of the unique aspects of the samurai film, and may seem unusual to western audiences. After all, it’s hard to imagine the heroes of Hollywood films, such as the western or gangster genres, visiting a woman to learn etiquette and gentleness, as Musashi does. And yet, this is one of the film’s most captivating features. The idea that a warrior can be cultured and skilled at killing at the same time is an interesting juxtaposition, which is explored very effectively here. It’s not enough for Musashi to be a skilled swordsman; he must have a detachment from the world that eclipses his fear and murderous desires, one of the hallmarks of the samurai.

Director Hiroshi Inagaki uses slightly different techniques in this film than he did in
Miyamoto Musashi
. He again makes use of some spectacular scenery; the opening shots of Musashi walking along the road are particularly memorable. However, while the focus of the first film was on introducing the characters, something Inagaki uses the landscape for very effectively,
Duel at Ichijoji Temple
concerns the feud between Musashi and the Yoshioka school, and as such has a focus on battle scenes rather than picturesque landscapes. Inagaki also brings Musashi’s writings into the film in a couple of brief scenes in which we see the shaping of his philosophy. These key moments contain the actual words of Musashi’s works on screen, superimposed over the moment that Musashi chose that particular path. The best example of this is the scene in which Musashi, preparing for a major duel, goes to pray for his success. He stops himself and thinks carefully before deciding: ‘I respect deities, but I do not rely on them’. These small moments offer an insight into the formation of Musashi’s philosophy, and form a strong link between Inagaki’s films and the real Musashi.