L'ultimo samurai

Musaki Kobayashi may be one of the lesser known names in Japanese film making, but this is no minor movie (I haven't seen his better known movies, Hari-Kiri or Kwaidan yet). For those seeing it without knowing a little about it, it will be a very surprising samurai flick - no action until the end, no real sub-plots - a script that is more like a domestic drama in its entire focus on a small group of people - a noble (if relatively low born) Samurai, his son and his daughter in law, formerly the mistress of the Clan Lord. The family are pushed to destruction as the pride of the three refuse to allow them to accept the unreasonable demands of their Lord and his scheming right hand men.

While the movie doesn't have quite the flawless pacing, flowing editing and perfect black and white photography of some of the very best movies of the period, this is more than made up by the fantastic acting and gripping story. As always, Toshiro Mifune is magnetic in the lead, but all the parts are well filled. Kobayashi keeps a firm focus on the key story and admirably avoided the temptation to add the sort of sentimental sub plot that so many of this type of movie uses. The final scenes are magnificent.

Kobayashi was something of a rebel himself - he refused promotion when a soldier in the war, and continually fought his studios so he could make movies on his favored theme - the injustice of the feudal system of Japan and the corruption of modern japan. The Japanese studio system has frequently been criticized for the way it tried to turn great film makers into hacks - but when so many great movies how can we complain? The sad thing is that this movie seems to have been one of the last of the great samurai films - after this the genre degenerated to simplistic chop-em-ups, with only a brief recent revival in movies like Twilight Samurai (which I suspect may have been influenced by this movie).

Masaki Kobayashi more than proves his worth as a filmmaker here (though he more than proved his worth with The Human Condition and Harakiri, this is the one most seen abroad), in this tragic, technically amazing film Samurai Rebellion. It's got a misleading cover, however, with Toshirio Mifune's face mad as hell all covered in blood. True, the last quarter of the picture does have a kind of cathartic release of swordplay action and (more than usual for the period) bloodshed. But for the most part this is really a film squarely about its characters, and an incredibly interesting one on both thematic and pure cinematic scales.

It's got an excellent, subtle screenplay by Kurosawa regular Hashimoto, and it could be said that that last quarter, of which is one of the most violent I have seen from various 60s black & white samurai movies, is 2nd only to Kurosawa in this regard. Samurai Rebellion stands on its own as a great film in that it gives Mifune, as well as actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Takeshi Kato, and especially Yoko Tsukasa as Ichi, very memorable parts. It's got even an existential side to it that reminds one of Kurosawa as well, though it fits into a mode that is both formal, but also breaking a mold as well. By the time Samurai Rebellion came out, films like this in black and white were on their way out.

With this Kobayashi and his DP Kazuo Yamada create countlessly indelible images in the jidai-geki genre (or Chambara film). One I still remember is when Ichi is describing what happened for her to have to leave the Lord at the start, when she had her fight with another mistress and even slapped around the Lord. The close-ups close in with a true intensity, and the editing adds a kind of uniqueness in a flashback that adds to it being such a rotten memory. Overall, it is both Kobayashi's skills with the lens, that lending itself to his gifts as a storyteller, and allowing people like Mifune and Nakadai to really give it all to these characters that makes it stand apart from the countless other films.

Mifune in-particular here is at the top of his game; here is a character that isn't as immediately humorous or wild as in some of Kurosawa's films. Here is more reserved at first, more in line with someone in his position at his middle age. But the character of Isaburo Sasahara also speaks to his real gifts at hitting the nerves of the one he's inhabiting, and with this one it's a character who's been too stuffed away, too "henpecked" as some characters observe. It's not too surprising then that his sort of eruption late in the film (not only the inspiration for the cover, but also for Paul Schrader's climax for Taxi Driver) after other tragedies have occurred adds to it all. It's really one of his very best performances.

Samurai Rebellion also tries to look deeper into something that must have been common as day in Japan, though here in America it seems like its so unnerving. The power of the Lord over the vassals, and how the powerless seem to stay so until there's something to push them over the edge. It's theme of love's strengths and real connection over dominant rule- and really deeper choice over un-wavering rule- guides through the film as it seems to start out fairly simply. This might all sound a little preachy for a film that should just be, to some, a spectacle of swords being brandished for terms of loyalty and revenge and such.

It's that, too, but it's more if you get into the psychology of this assorted lot of characters, and the style compliments that completely. It's not a color film, but it still feels incredibly contemporary in a way, and as someone watching the film almost forty years after it was released it doesn't feel hokey or stilted like some other older samurai movies. It's touching, creative, and quite the excellent show if you know what you're getting.

SAMURAI REBELLION is not one of the best known Japanese films, although it deserves to be. It is very in theme to the masterful HARAKIRI from the same director, and with this film he matches that film's raw emotional power. It's a must for Toshiro Mifune fans.... he delivers one of his finest performances as a jaded elder samurai. He once again gets to share screen time with Tatsuya Nakadai, who has a small but memorable supporting role. The always reliable Toru Takemitsu delivers a fine score made up mostly of Japanese instruments, and Kobayashi's direction is flawless.... this film is filled with memorable set pieces, and it's just the sword fight scenes, although those are pretty incredible too. This is one of about six Kobayashi films available in the west (HARAKIRI, KWAIDAN, and the HUMAN CONDITION trilogy make up the rest)... that's a shame because, based on the quality of these works, he clearly stands among the greats of Japanese cinema.

"During the powerful Tokugano Regime in Edo (presently Tokyo), there were 264 lords or "daimyo". These feudal lords ruled their clan and the people under them".

In 1725, the henpecked samurai Isaburo Sasahara (Toshirô Mifune) and his friend Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai) are the best swordsmen of their clan. Isaburo regrets his arranged marriage with the dominator Suga (Michiko Otsuka) and expects to give a good marriage to his son Yogoro (Go Kato). However, their Lord Masakata Matsudaira (Tatsuo Matsumura) orders Yogoro to marry his mistress Ichi (Yôko Tsukasa), who has a bad fame in the clan since she slapped the lord's face and torn his clothes apart. The Sasahara family objects but Yogoro accepts to marry Ichi for the good of his family. Instead of a pampered woman, Ichi proves to be a good wife and discloses the reason of her reaction to Yogoro, when she surprised him with a mistress after bearing their son. Ichi delivers the baby girl Tomi and is loved by Yogoro. When the lord's son dies, he orders Ichi to return to the castle to legitimate their son and successor of his clan. Yogoro does not accept the order under the protest of his family, and his brother Bunzo (Tatsuyoshi Ehara) lures and kidnaps Ichi, bringing her back to the castle. Isaburo and Yogoro decide to request the return of Ichi and have to face the wraith of their lord and clan.

"Samurai Rebellion" is another Japanese masterpiece, with a beautiful and engaging romance in the period of Tokugano Regime in Edo and comparable to Romeo and Juliette. Further, this is also a cruel story of attitude against tyrannical governments and I loved the line "We All Have Our Own Way of Living". I am fascinated by the rich Japanese history, despite my knowledge be limited to the movies I see, and I found "Samurai Rebellion" wonderful also in this regard. The direction and acting are awesome, and the stunning Toshirô Mifune has another fantastic performance. The black and white cinematography associated to the magnificent camera work, settings and scenarios gives an intense reconstitution of Japan lifestyle in the Eighteenth Century. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 18 April 2024, I saw this film again.

"Samurai Rebellion" is a feminist action movie. I find that almost unbelievable, since feminism and macho sensibilities usually don't go hand-in-hand, but here they blend together perfectly. That's what makes this film such a rewarding and unique viewing experience.

I won't delve too much into the plot details, but suffice to say that the film concerns some rebellious samurai (as if you couldn't tell!) who are dedicated to protecting a wronged woman, the Lady Ichi. Thankfully, Lady Ichi is no cardboard character - she's as intelligent and passionate as she is beautiful, and her interactions with the samurai are fascinating. So, as the samurai fall in love with her and line up to protect her, the audience falls for her, too. I have to give a lot of credit to actress Yôko Tsukasa for making her character so sympathetic.

The samurai are a strong point, too. The younger one, Yogoro, is played with sincerity and charisma by Takeshi Katô. And the older samurai, Isaburo, is played by that incomparable icon of Japanese cinema, Toshirô Mifune. When he's acting in Kurosawa films, I sometimes find Mifune a little hammy, but in this film he gives an extremely dignified and simply wonderful performance. (I particularly like his little laugh of disdain, which he unleashes when his superiors make unreasonable requests - "ho ho ho!")

Of course, even the best actors in the world need the support of a strong director, and they've got that support here. Unlike Kurosawa, director Masaki Kobayashi doesn't add much Western-style "flair" to his movies; instead, his films (so far as I can tell) are more starkly beautiful and gradually paced. Some might argue that Kobayashi's style is actually a little dull, but I've been conditioned to slowly paced foreign films and I don't mind it a bit. In fact, I appreciate the way that Kobayashi builds up tension and then hits the audience with a really satisfying payoff.

In short, everything about this movie works - the script, the actors, the design, the direction. It features a lovely romance, some cool (if stylized) action, and genuinely surprising plot twists. There's some explicit violence towards the end, too, but unlike most American films, "Samurai Rebellion" doesn't glorify combat. Fighting is depicted as a destructive last resort.

I was perhaps being a little glib when I described the movie as feminist - a Western viewer might not recognize it as such - but it certainly does feature one of the strongest and most compelling female characters that I've encountered in a long time. For that reason alone, this is worth seeing. But the film's many other virtues are impressive, too, and have helped to propel "Samurai Rebellion" right to the top of my list of favorite movies.