La Légende de Musashi

The importance of the Miyamo Musashi saga has been lost somewhat today, even in Japan. These were not just early high-quality color samurai movies, not just great films-- they were a nationwide event, and a milestone in Japanese social evolution. The early 50s were a time of postwar healing, and there were unsettled questions about the national character. The Miyamo Musashi saga used the past to dramatize issues of morality-- and, even more important at the time, morale. Japan had no problem westernizing and living under the rule of law under terms imposed by victors in war-- the knotty issue was, how much of the past do we keep alive in our daily thoughts and actions, and just how much of the real Japan, the one we remember, will our children and grandchildren inherit, once the aftermath of global war has subsided? Watch these films with such then-important issues in mind, and your experience will be deepened and enriched. All three episodes are directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and star Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto-san, in a performance that is perfection. Miyamoto Musashi shows the young samurai aspirant as a hot-headed, imperfect man, neither hero nor monster-- but possessed of a fierce dark force that could impel him toward either outcome. The question of women looms large in this trilogy-- how to treat them, what kind of woman to honor and what kind to avoid, and just how the diametrically-opposite traits of women work in the world, whether at odds or in harmony with those of men. All these issues are played out without preachiness, in the actions of real people, well-drawn characters whom we meet and get to know before the episode ends in a series of parting of ways. (continued on the page for Ichijoji no Ketto)

Toshiro Mifune stars as a foolish young man who longs to run off to war to make his fortune and prove he is a man. When a battle looms, he runs off to volunteer and his friend, showing some initial reluctance, follows. Instead of glory, they barely escape with their lives. Their paths leads them to two women--an incredibly evil sociopathic mother and her daughter who is not yet as jaded and selfish as the mother. Mifune resists temptation and runs from them, while his friend succumbs to their pleas to stay--and in essence throws away his life and honor. Where Mifune's path takes him I'll leave for you to discover when you watch the film.

Despite having Mifune in the lead, this is NOT an Akira Kurasawa film and some may be disappointed that it is a little more stodgy than one of his films. Instead, I just see it as different but certainly worthwhile. The movie does have tremendous scope and is a very effective opening film to the Samurai Trilogy.

It is important to note that these movies were made nearly 50 years ago and existing copies on DVD are in poor condition--with fading and sepia tones instead of the vibrant original. This became VERY apparent when I saw the beginning of the 3rd film. The color was nearly perfect for the initial scene and that is great, as it's a beautiful and extremely artistic shot. At times throughout the movie, some of the scenes are once again vivid while others are faded and lose their impact. You can't blame the film for that, but you wish Criterion would try to digitally enhance the prints they've got to improve the colors and get rid of some scratchy cels.

The first of a trilogy that really should be viewed as a whole. This elegant film tells of the very humble beginnings of Miyamoto Mushashi, who has become a paragon of Bushido and Giri. A Samurai's Samurai.

However, you have no inkling of this at the beginning of the movie. What we see is dirt and squalor and a desperate chance to get out from beneath the mud. It all goes wrong and things look desperate.

As the movie progresses in the slow, methodical, often obtuse, Japanese fashion we become engrossed in the plot and the lives of our protagonists. Toshiro Mifune shows a vast range of emotion, power and character growth in these this movie. To get the full flavour of the story you must also watch the next two movies in this trilogy (2) "Duel at Ichijoji Temple"(1955) (USA)and (3) "Duel on Ganryu Island" (1956)(USA.

The first film in directory Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy may seem a little workmanlike at times, but it's enlivened by the brisk pace he sets, a great cast, and the messages lying underneath the melodrama. Any discussion of the film should of course start with the immortal Toshiro Mifune, who is in great form here, whether riding a horse, brandishing a sword, or tied and hung up in a tree, kicking his legs furiously. He plays Takezo, young man who goes off to war with a buddy for the glory of it, but after their unit is routed, finds himself hunted and on the run from then on.

The film is brightened considerably by a widow (Mitsuko Miko) and her daughter (Mariko Okasa), who the pair stumble across in the country. We find out that they make their living stripping dead samurai of their belongings, and soon both of them try to seduce Mifune's character. The daughter looks up at him with adoring eyes and lips parted after they fall from a horse together, and the mother, flush with excitement after seeing him in battle, tells him "Take me ... do whatever you want with me." Takezo demurs, and the pair then run off with his friend, but not before smearing his name.

One of the interesting aspects of the film was its theme of needing to have faith and trust in a loved one's character when they're away. We see this break down when Takezo's friend believes the widow's false accusations and runs off without him, and when Takezo in turn believes that his friend has abandoned him (and the man's fiancée) out of cowardice. The villagers are ready to believe the worst about the pair, and are soon marshalled into a manhunt. Meanwhile, the fiancée character (Kaoru Yachigusa) becomes attached to Takezo, and we see her faith tested over years while he is imprisoned. It's only a pure, enlightened soul who can pass such tests, but sometimes, ironically, life can still be bitter, and the film's ending is certainly poignant.

There is also something wonderful about the transformation of this character from an unruly guy dubbed "The Lawless," to someone on the samurai path, with the discipline to know that sometimes self-restraint is necessary in life. The way to enlightenment is not to try to make a name for oneself by blindly throwing oneself into battle, it's through calmness and the harnessing of one's natural strengths. It's the priest (Kuroemon Onoe) who is actually the hero here. He's always relaxed, feeling no shame when partially clad in front of a young woman ("Human beings are born naked"), nor fear while capturing the renegade. He smiles beatifically in all situations, even when the bandit threatens him, fearless of having his head lopped off.

There is an education that thus happens in this first episode, but I liked how Inagaki did not belabor the details. In the beginning the two men leave their village and quickly we see them being routed in battle, without the filler scenes of them being assimilated into the army or its preparations. Similarly, when Takezo is imprisoned, we see him exhorted to read spiritual texts to improve his mind, but we don't see long-drawn out scenes of this happening, only the result in Mifune's demeanor a few years later. He wisely kept the film to 93 minutes, and with fewer brush strokes, painted a great picture here.

The Samurai Trilogy is a very good work, very well worth watching. No, they aren't as great as Kurosawa's samurai masterpieces, The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, or Sanjuro, but they are no much less worthy. My only major complaint is that they were filmed in color, which is a lot less good looking and elegant than the black and white of the Kurosawa films. In some scenes, especially those at night, it is very difficult to determine which character is which.

The Samurai Trilogy excels in several aspects. First and foremost, Toshiro Mifune may be the single best actor who ever lived. Sure, he was typecast, but he was great in his roles. There is a huge difference in his acting jobs in these films and Rashomon or The Seven Samurai or Yojimbo and Sanjuro. His character here is very complex. The second reason to watch is for the great secondary characters. They are all quite complex. There will be characters you'll love and long for, and other characters whom you will hope will be killed by Toshiro. These secondary characters are extraordinarily complex at times. Third, watch it for the novelistic unfoldings of the story. Well, it should be novelistic, since all three films were based on a single novel. Don't worry about the three movies repeating in any way. Also, it is a good idea to watch all three in a row (I watched the first two tonight, and plan to watch the third one tomorrow night; hey, it's late!). The story is constantly developing, and you don't want to forget anything. I give each segment of the samurai trilogy a solid 8/10 (unless the third installment is particularly great or awful; i will most likely post a comment for that film by itself).