Reviews (135)

A rich experience worth viewing over and over again
This is a magnificent movie. It is visually beautiful - the colors and the way the shots are framed are stunning. The visuals are controlled in ways that add to the poetic power of the story. I do not speak Japanese, but the sound of the language combined with the musical score also adds to the intensity of this movie. The subtitles are good, but I am sure that those who understand Japanese get even more from this story.

This is not a film of Shakespeare's "King Lear". Rather, it is an adaptation and is based on the underlying themes of the play. It is not important for me to list the differences between the play and the movie, it is just important that a first time viewer not expect the Shakespearian story. If you know the play you will recognize aspects of the movie and enjoy the ways in which Kurosawa adapted the story to his own and Japanese sensibilities. It may nod to Shakespeare, but Kurosawa makes this his story.

The costumes, music, and acting are superlative. For me, the trademark Kurosawa battle scenes are more wonderful here than usual. This is a masterpiece by a filmmaking virtuoso who is also a sensitive enough artist to make a spectacular movie that is also poetic, humorous and heart breaking, tender and brutal as well images that are beautiful and others that are hideous.

This isn't light viewing or mind candy, but it has so much to offer that it is worth watching and learning from over and over again.

The Greatest Adaptation of Shakespeare to Film
"Ran" (Chaos) is the greatest cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare and a masterpiece in its own right. In adapting the broad scenario of "King Lear" to a setting in Sixteenth Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa felt free to manipulate it to his own purposes, leading to a film that is perhaps even more bleak than the play.

First and foremost "Ran" is a visually stunning film, unencumbered by the received tradition of Shakespearean language, which never translates well onto the cinema screen, he has allowed the scenario to develop into images that are beautiful and horrific. Filmed on the slopes of Mount Fuji there is a sense of unreality, or nightmare about the whole epic, as though it is taking place in a mythic space, at once recognisable and alien. For a director best known for his black and white movies ("Seven Samurai", "Rashomon"), Kurosawa surprisingly uses color to breathtaking virtuoso effect. The scenes of soldiers flooding in waves across the volcanic wasteland of Mount Fuji carrying vivid blue, red or yellow flags are amongst the most extraordinary ever filmed. The battle scenes shock and astonish, not least because Kurosawa's use of sound is so exquisite and original; many of the most horrendous images of battle are shown without sound effects with only an elegiac musical accompaniment. Far from sanitising them, the effect is to shock you out of the viewing habits formed watching so many other "war" movies.

Yet "Ran" is so much more than a broad epic, or war movie. The more intimate scenes are carried off with understated conviction, the sly hypocrisy hidden behind formality and convention is conveyed in highly poised and stylised interior shots. This film can be both visceral (prepare yourself for the beheading of Lady Kaede: as visually explosive as anything by Tarantino, and set within a film that is more than mere surface) and restrained, depending on the nature of the scene. There are moments of quiet and tenderness that resonate long after the film had ended.

It is odd that so few successful films have been made from Shakespeare. The pre-eminent playwright of the western canon has translated beautifully into opera and stage directors can continually find fresh things to say about the plays themselves, yet in general film had been hopelessly incapable of doing anything of note with Shakespeare. Think of the ghastly declamatory rhetoric of Laurence Olivier in "Henry V", or the inane pop video that Baz Lurmann made from "Romeo and Juliet", not to mention Kenneth Brannagh's tediously self-important "Hamlet". Somehow Kurosawa succeeds where all these others fail. His earlier "Throne of Blood" was a beautifully realised adaptation of "Macbeth" to the Samurai period in Japan: "Ran" builds on that achievement and surpasses it. Perhaps the fact that Kurosawa was Japanese allowed him more creative license to work with Shakespeare, able to approach it simply as valid material for film making, and not as the shibboleth that it is to western artists.

In Ran we have the late masterpiece of one of the greatest and most important film makers. It is a distilled and precise work, powerful, visceral, contemplative, epic and intimate. In short this is film making on a par with the greatest art. Ran shows us what mainstream film making can achieve, but so rarely does.

WHO WILL ENJOY THIS SENSATIONAL MASTERPIECE:
People who care about grandiloquent visuals yet a controlled palette accentuated by the immemorable use of sound -- or, in one major battle scene, the absence of the sounds of the battle, the horrors of war somehow magnified by the silent screams and the unheard bullets, only the quietly mournful dissonance of the haunting background score to be heard.

Castle gates close with resounding, hollow booms, shutting people out, shutting people in. A crescendo of cicadas. And the final anguished shriek of a flute lending a much more effective voice to the great tragedy that has been played out than closing words might have done.

If you're expecting flaming Gladiator-type fight scenes or Samurai action, you may be disappointed. That said, the battle scenes are magnum opus if you know how to appreciate visual splendor. The screenplay may be relaxed overall, sure, it takes a while to unfold a tale of filial destruction ("King Lear" adaptation) but when the forts crumble and arrows fly asunder, the pace of the film is unbridled.

Whether you're a film philistine or a major Kurosawa buff or simply someone who relishes tastefully done cinema, this is absolutely worth the ride. I highly recommend this as a rental, but the discerning types may also want to add it to their collections. It's among Kurosawa's best.

Not as good as all you people are making it out to be
This movie is terrible. I bought it expecting a good action epic with lots of battles and sword fights. There are no battles there are 2 massacres where all that happens is "samurai" with guns? shoot each other and women. samurai dont have guns. The story was good but they ruined it with 2 hours and 30 mins of talking on and on about the same topic over and over, yak yak yak. There is no drama the characters dont develope except for the old guy who just walks around starring and goes crazy. The perfomances are the same in everyone, yelling even when there happy, and they all sound the same even the women. No action, no drama, nothing except talk and fake blood from the stupid shooting, not swords, guns, What? Very bad movie, I was dissapointed, greatly. I would give 0 stars but they dont let me.

William Akira Shakespeare Kurosawa
This film is undeniable the most notable adaptation of any work of William Shakespeare to the movie. The insights in every detail, the superb cast, the overwheelming photography, the camera's handle makes us inevitably to remind that happy sentence of Orson Welles who said once:
"One film is really extraordinary , when the camera is an eye in the mind of a poet".
Casually this film is made in 1985, the same year of Welles'death.
Kurosawa was a truly master. Once upon a time a critical compared to Kenji Mizoguchi with Bach. If this methaphor is assumed valid, then Kurosawa would have his musical image in Ludwig van Beethoven.
The amazing scene of the castle in flames, with a remarkable red that invites us to reflect about the human condition, his hunger for power, the horror generated by that unthirsty ambition. The multiple readings that concern with the violence and the passion carrying the devasting facts that appear all along this film.
The opening sequences in which the three brothers are together with their father is filmed with such kind of perfection that I wouldn't wonder to know that this an obligated reference for all those students of direction. In this sense, this multiple exchange of points of view reveal us without affections of any kind,the essencial nature of the human being inmersed in the purest spirit shakesperian.
Kurosawa, like the great giants of th cinema handles the camera like Gods, includes the color and the nature's elements like adittional actors (Dreams). Just remember that Akira was the first filma maker who dared film against the sun in that glorius film Rashoman from 1950. His achievements all along his brilliant career are too many and certainly, would be beyond the reach of this shorts analysis.
This is one of these gems that you must see over and over, just when you admire this eternal masterpiece.
To be true the others Shakespeare's versions that deseve to be carried to the desert island would be in my opinion Titus 2000 (Julie Taymor), Othelo 1953 (Welles) , Richard III 1955 (Olivier), and Throne of blood 1957(Kurosawa).
But this movie is just several steps ahead all the titles above mentioned. ... Read more

Description

In his late color masterpiece Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) director Akira Kurosawa returned to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his celebrated career—the play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal Japan and pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a soaring historical epic that is also a somber meditation on the nature of power. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Kagemusha for the first time in its full-length version. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Fine precursor to the classic "Ran"
Just before "Ran," Kurosawa got American funding for this movie about a "shadow warrior" who was assigned to impersonate Takeda Shingen should he die. This was to keep the Takeda clan's border secure and prevent enemies (of which Takeda had many) from invading. It is a wonderful film, and has two very strong points: the visuals, and the characters.

The strong visuals should be obvious - an Akira Kurosawa film with no strong visuals is like a Monet painting with poor use of color. The battle scenes are stunning and seem to come out of a nightmare, with rifleman shooting down on soldiers with a bright light flashing behind them. The colored armor of Takeda's men were also nicely picked and, as Kurosawa would later do with "Ran", give their presense a hauntingly beautiful yet horrifying tone. The final scene at the Battle of Nagashino (which was wrongfully nitpicked in Stephen Turnbull's Osprey book of the battle) chooses to show us only the aftermath of the battle, with shots of cavalry charging to the gunners and then cutting to the horrified expressions of those who watch the unfolding massacre of Japan's greatest army. The shot of the fields of dead is some thing that could only have come out of the nightmare of war.

I think the strongest part of the film, though, were the characters. The film has a slew of fascinating characters, from Takeda's generals (each with their own personality) right down to the rifleman who shot Takeda. Even the spies from Oda and Tokugawa interact and talk like real people, and I can't think of any one in this film I easily forget. I especially liked Oda Nobunaga, and I think this film has the best portrayal I've ever seen of him. He can be seen walking out with his army and stopping briefly to listen to a Christian priest give a prayer. There is another part where he rides around on an Arab horse, followed by a scene where he offers Tokugawa Ieyasu a glass of Western wine (poor Tokugawa chokes on it!).

The best character is, of course, the shadow warrior himself. The actor did a wonderful job of playing Takeda and the imposter, and even though being a common thief that nearly quits his job in the beginning, you find yourself growing to like him. The scene where he confesses to the concubines he is an imposter, knowing they'll take it as a joke, and then winks at a general was hilarious! Also, notice in the scene where a retainer describes to Takeda's nephew what the meaning of the clan flag is...the imposter is listening just as intently as the boy is! He also comes out strong in the second-to-last battle sequence, where he watches as men fight and die for a man they strongly admire. The final Kurosawa metaphor at the end (which I won't describe because its a serious spoiler) also gives the whole point of the story. The man tried to undertake a role that was perhaps too big for him, a role only one man could really play.

Overall, I was very impressed with this movie, and I would definately recommend it as viewing for those fans of the master of film himself. I hope soon a DVD will be released of it and I will be able to add it to my growing Akira Kurosawa DVD set. In the meantime, I happily own a video copy for viewing.

The shadow warrior
Kagemusha is another entry in Kurosawa's decades-long string of Samurai movies and is replet with rank-n-file anti-war themes: empires are fleeting, stubborn pride proves costly, and human life is cheap. Although not without its problems in pacing and stiffness, it is better than some of his more famous films, though no where near as good as Ran. The plot: The warlord Shingen is mortally wounded whilst besieging a fortress. His dying wish is that his dynasty continue. This is accomplished by using an impersonator, Kagemusha (Tatsuya Nakadai), who is a thief with humble ancestry. Kagemusha serves as Shingen's stand-in for three years, improving morale and even helping to win battles. The most impressive feature in Kagemush is the photography along with the splendid costumes. Indeed, outstanding cinematography and convincing sets are a familiar hallmark for Kurosawa. While one can hardly fault the films character development, for a war film, the pace is slow -- very slooow. Kagemusha was an expensive film by Japanese standards, and Kurosawa had alienated himself from Japanese studios with his cutting comments about their uncompromising attitude towards fimmaking. So unfortunatley (and ironically), he turned to the crass commerical master himself, George Lucas (as well as Francis Ford Coppola). Both are credited as executive producers for the "international" version of Kagemusha. Kagemusha was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Art Direction.

Better than Ran
Comparing Kagemusha with Ran is a thread that runs through many of the reviews. Both are dramas centered around warlords during Japan's feudal era, and were directed by Kurosawa late in his career. Both films are visually stunning, but there are differences in how the stories are presented. Ran seems affected by its self-conscious adaptation of King Lear, and has a more theatrical (and less cinematic) feel about it. The acting is very stylized, as if in adapting Shakespeare's play Kurosawa also wanted to reaffirm the Japanese qualities through similarities to traditional ritualistic Noh dramas.

The story of Kagemusha seems more of a natural portrayal in comparison. The loyalty of the thief to the warlord is perhaps a quintessentially Japanese story, and is beautifully evoked in many small scenes throughout the film. It is the battle scenes which are highly stylized in this film, as they serve to illustrate the changing fortunes of the clans, and are not centerpieces. They are a part of the amazing beauty of the film's images. One of my favorite images of all the films I have seen is that of the warlord's unhappy son plotting in a traditional room, while in the background we can see the blue of a lake being whipped up by a storm.

Some people will prefer Ran, and others will like best Kurosawa's earlier and more earthy films, such as Yojimbo. They are all wonderful, but for myself Kagemusha is his crowning achievement.

Great movie
I actually prefer Kagemusha to Ran. My Japanese language University teacher used to gripe that Kurosawa represented a "western" style of cinema, as opposed to Ozu, for instance. Ran is basically King Lear set in medieval Japan, whereas Kagemusha is more original in many ways, and less anachronistic. The themes of the Kagemusha's futile fight aganst destiny and his doppelganger-like identification with Shingen are also magnificently played. Finally, the very Japanese emphasis on passive control (Shingen's strategy is always to act as an umovable mountain on which to shatter his enemies) resonates in interesting ways.

I Want My DVD!!!!!!!
Why, oh why, is Kagemusha not available on DVD? I have seen probably a dozen of Kurosawa's movies, and Kagemusha is my favorite of them all. For the wonderful cinematography and score alone, it is deserving of a better format than VHS. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

Immaculate, Quiet Comedy.
Although it's not a popular opinion I actually prefer Yojimbo to Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai. It is funnier, it is smaller scale, and the music is some of the best you will hear - one part John Barry James Bond, to one part Japanese. The plot is so good, they remade it twice. Once as Fistful of Dollars, and once as Last Man Standing, but neither of those later films capture the story as well as Kurosawa.

With gentle humour and a gradual building of tension, Kurosawa really gets you into the movie. Mifune (a regular in Kurosawa films) is wonderful, very understated, very comical and quietly moving.

Although not as widely known as Seven Samurai, or Rashomon, this represents some of Kurosawa's greatest work. The attention to detail is incredible.

It is entirely accessible to Western audiences. Kurosawa's films travel extremely well. The picture on the DVD could be better, but that's a minor quibble. This film is immaculate. You need this.

Stunning
Oh, in the first 3 minutes I knew this was going to be great. From the gloomy intro with the wonderful music playing, to the suspenseful finale, this film never lets up. Masterful directing and a clever plot is what this piece of cinema offers you. This type of film is known as a Jidaigeki western. Oh, and the swordfights don't happen until the last 45 minutes of the movie, just so you know. I recommend watching this before watching Seven Samurai. This film is known as "The Bodyguard" in Japan.

The movie Fistful of Dollars was a good remake of this film, so you might want to check that out after you've watched Yojimbo. But be warned - Last Man Standing was a very bad remake of Yojimbo so stay away from it. Unosuke has got to be one of the coolest villains ever. This was much better than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai's performances are unforgettable. And in case you're wondering, Ryo means "Gold coin" in Japanese. And so, with a mix of action, suspense and dark comedy, Yojimbo is hands down, the best film of the '60's.

save for a few scratches in the print, this is a great DVD
I myself am one with those who wonder how on earth this Criterion version of Yojimbo ended up having that huge, ugly scratch mark on the print. It just stops me from giving it a full 5-star mark.

But that aside, this DVD is still a great DVD. It's actually my favorite among the Kurosawa-Mifune movies, simply because it is so much fun. the Mifune swagger, perfectly timed with the catchy beat of the soundtrack, is unforgettable. his huge confidence, his arms still drawn in, his shirt sleeves hanging limp and empty while his enemies menacingly surround him, is almost too funny. The lines I like the most come from the "coffins" chapter, where Mifune tells the wannabes "you have such cute faces", then proceeds to tear through them with ease, then with typical panache, tells the cooper (coffin maker) to make two coffins, no, make that three. I don't think I have seen any Hollywood actor, except perhaps the young Paul Newman, act so cool under stress. Even Clint Eastwood's turn in "A Fistful of Dollars" pales in comparison.

Then of course, the twists and turns as he manipulates both gangs. Even the way he mocks the boss' wife by calling himself a "nobody", taking the name of some vegetable he saw in the garden through the window.

Then his low moments. The way he recovers his strength, the way he prepares to neutralize the enemy's pistol by mastering knife-throwing. You'd think he doesn't stand a chance, until it happens. Those harrowing death scenes. And finally, the sight of Yojimbo leaving town, arms drawn in, sleeves empty and limp on his sides, swaggering to the beat of the soundtrack as the movie ends.

It's worth it. And you can always trade-in that crappy "Last Man Standing" to pay off some of the cost of "Yojimbo". It's a trade I would make anytime.

Criterion does it again!
This edition of Yojimbo is the best out there. Just as they do with all digital transfers, Criterion takes only the best transfers from the original films and polishes them to make them look much much better. For a single layered DVD, though, this disc should've been a little cheaper. Great disk!

Do You Feel Lucky Kurosawa?
Toshiro Mifune's silk clothes must stink, but don't mess with this guy. He's a killer with a bad hair-do. I loved the hired killers of the village with their brag and weird swordplay stances. There's a 19th Century Japan feel to a village that might as well have been Dodge City in the American West. Kurosawa is a funny guy. How he adapted Dashel Hammet's California gangster story of waring gangs is Asian alchemy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Boasting some of the most impressive swordplay in the history of samuraiepics, Sword of Doom is a visceral masterpiece of violent style andpowerful substance. Illustrating the timeless adage that "an evil soul wields anevil sword," this highly stylized classic is driven by the fierce and fearsomeperformance of Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke, a sociopathic samurai whosesoul--and sword--are vicious instruments of evil. Having mastered a highlyunconventional style of fencing, Ryunosuke welcomes an exhibition match at afencing school run by master swordsman Shimada (Toshirô Mifune, in a small butpivotal role), where he kills his opponent after promising not to. Flagrantlyviolating all codes of honor, Ryunosuke eventually finds himself challenged fromall sides; even his own henchmen rally against him, and director Kihachi Okamotostages confrontations that are as beautiful as they are graphically violent. AsRyunosuke descends into pure, bloodthirsty insanity, Sword of Doom endswith a freeze-frame that's unforgettably intense. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Hack and Slash
"The Sword of Doom" ("Dai-bosatsu Toge" or "Pass of the Great Bodhisattva ") is entirely unlike most films in the Samurai genre. Harder than most, crueler than most, and certainly more bloody than any other Samurai film from this time period, it is a difficult film to define and for some impossible to enjoy.

At first, the plot seems straight forward.An outcast Samurai,Ryunosuke enters into a match with Bunnojo Utsuki, upstanding member of the fencing school where Ryunosuke was expelled from.Defending himself from an illegal attack, Ryunosuke kills Bunnojo.Bunnojo's brother, Hyoma, vows revenge and begins to train himself to be strong enough to kill the powerful Ryunosuke.Into this revenge-motif there are added elements of the Shinsengumi army of Kyoto, and the Shogun loyalists, as well as a pair of women seeking to find their place in a dangerous world.

However, nothing else of "The Sword of Doom" is straight forward.Ryunosuke is a sociopath, an emotionless killer of almost-supernatural skills with his sword.His motivations are cloudy, and sheer momentum seems to be his driving force.It is easy to label him a villain, yet it cannot be denied that each of his kills are justified, and he himself does not seek death.Hyoma's vendetta against Ryunosuke is almost pathetic, as it is obvious he would only die in the challenge.He struggles to gain an advantage, but the outcome is never in doubt.Fencing school master Toranosuke Shimada (Mifune Toshiro) is a bridge between the two men, being the only one skillful enough to give Ryunosuke pause, he trains Hyoma.In the background are the political motivations of the Shogun-loyalists, whom hire Ryunoske to kill for them.

Tatsuya Nakadai is incredible as Ryunoske, a driven, intense performance.Nakadai is a veteren of many famous Samurai films, being the gunslinger in "Yojimbo" and the honorable Hanshiro Tsugumo in "Seppuku." Mifune is a stand-out as well, although his role is small.He exudes the necessary charisma to challenge Ryunoske.

An action film, a psychology play, an art film..."The Sword of Doom" could be considered any of these.Definitely a "Love it or Hate it" movie, with emphatic opinions on both sides, it is an important entry in the Samurai genre, and everyone should give themselves a chance to see in what camp they fall.As for me, I love it.

stunning
The cinematography of this film is breathtaking and very effective. I am not familiar with Okamoto as a director, but this film deeply impresses me. The sword fighting scenes in particular are all shot very much in the moment and bring the film to a state of very high art. The freeze at the end is shocking and thought provoking. There is also a kind of metaphoric joke in the mill scene which was quite entertaining. I would strongly recommend this film.

good film, bad DVD, no bonus material
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"The Sword of Doom" known in Japan as "Dai-bosatsu tôge" is a depiction of a samurai swordsman who is inherently evil and kills an opponent during a fencing match. The dead man's family pursues the killer.

The film is very good and has some great scenes but the DVD has no special features at all except for the essay in the liner notes which I don't think count.

This is the first Criterion DVD without special features for a long time and think it was a mistake for them to release a film without special features.

Read what I have to say before buying this movie.
I saw this movie a few years ago. I loved it till the end when there was a cliffhanger ending.

I was really angry with the ending but I did a little research and I found out that this movie was part 1 of a trillogy. The other 2 films were never made!

So I can only give this a partial recommendation. With a movie this great, its a shame the others were not made...

A BOLD, UNFORGETTABLE CLASSIC
Tatsuya Nakadai is wandering samurai Ryunosuke in Kihachi Okamoto's fiercely visceral SWORD OF DOOM (Criterion).

Filmed in black and white 40 years ago, this is one of the greatest samurai films because it not only has a great, original story with a moral center but superbly choreographed sword play (without relying on CGI or wires).

Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai whose soul is as cold as his steel blade. Using his singular style of fencing, he kills without remorse.He's a liar.His word means nothing. Soon we realize that this killing machine has no code of honor except to kill and survive to kill again.

This film pulls no punches and goes all the way with its premise.Evil is as evil does. It may be irrational but it has an ultimate end and Ryunasuke finally finds himself in the eye of a hurricane of insane, imploding violence. I loved this extraordinarily beautiful and violent film about the nature of evil.

The nice looking print is a newly-restored high-definition transfer. An interesting extra is an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

One of the greatest fims of all time.
This film is so utterly magnificent, it's on eof the greatest films of all time. It has the most gorgeous art work, dream-like visuals, color photography I've ever seen in film. This is based on tales by Lafcadio Hearn. A bizzare, eerie and horrifying musical score by Toru Takemitsu works exellently with the beautiful visuals. This video also has a gorgeous color Cinemascope widescreen presentation. The first tale Black Hair, is a bit slow, but's it's so worth it in the unbelievable horror climax. The second tale, Woman in the Snow, is one of the best and most beautiful in the whole film. Masaki Kobayashi uses just all white during the blizzard sequinces with some blood reds, lush greens, dream like blues, and odd purples. The third story, Hoichi, the Earless, begins with one of the most beautiful scenes in the film. An epic sea battle between the Heikie and Genji clans. This scene feautures all kinds of bizzare and beautiful colors including a firey red sky. The rest of the film concerns a young blind man's horrifying ordeal with ghosts. I can see some references to this segment in Akira Kurosawa's Ran. The final segment is called In a Cup of Tea and is the weakest. It's too short, and too fast moving. It does feature lots of gorgeous visuals to make up for it. I recommend this film to anyone, if you haven't seen this film. CLICK BUY RIGHT NOW!

The Greatest "Art House" Horror Film
"Kwaidan" is a cinematic masterpiece of the horror genre which, unfortunately, is not nearly as well known to genre fans as it should be. In my view it ranks with Werner Herzog's 1979 re-make of "Nosferatu" as the finest horror film ever made in color. Part of the reason for "Kwaidan"'s obscurity is its national origin (though, strangely enough, the Japanese folktales which form its basis were written by an American expatriate, Lafcadio Hearn). Yet even in Japan, the film was a commercial flop, despite superlatives from critics. More likely, the obscurity of "Kwaidan" derives from its artistry; viewers who come to it for the first time will probably be only marginally aware that they're seeing horror at all. Search in vain for gore and special effects; the film almost recalls Val Lewton's old classics in its reliance on suggestion. As an anthology, moreover, "Kwaidan" is in the same league as the 1946 British film, "Dead of Night," except that it has no over-arching "frame" device to tie the stories together. All four films which make it up are essentially revenge plots: simple and straightforward, like most folktales, though I would like to mention a personal favorite: "Yuki-Onna," whose surrealist account of a female vampire awed me with its weird snow-scapes and eerie soundtrack. By all means, see "Kwaidan" if you have any curiosity at all about horror as viewed through the lens of an artistic master; I only wish American directors had a comparable interest in quality.

Masterful work!
Anthology of ghost stories adapted from Lafcadio Hearn , American writer who lived in Japan .
Visually stunning.
The third chapter is the best. It turns around a poet who must create a epic poem about an ancient battle dictated for the leader of this dead regiment, killed in action, who emerges from the ashes to find out someone who reminds always the echoes of that bloody combat.
Extraordinary!

Ok, I always get sucked into these ghost stories
Lesson 1, always look at the date of the movie and then read the premise. I always read the premise, get the movie and then once it's in, realize that it's more of a Sinbad Saturday Afternoon movie then the Sixth Sense. The last story was cool about the boy who is on the cover but the rest are boring.
Rent-Maybe
Buy-No

Four Japanese Ghost Stories
Kwaidan, though it has some flaws in regard to pacing (it moves just too slowly sometimes) is a visually striking, very colorful film that is a pleasure to look at. This print is crystal clear and very sharp; Criterion usually does a good job in that sense.
Surprisingly, these traditional Japanese ghost tales very much resemble the classic English ghost stories of writers like J.S. Le Fanu or M.R. James--more subtlety, less bombast, working by suggestion and atmosphere. Don't expect a whiz-bang, fast-paced film with a lot of shocks. It's a slow, quiet film.
In my opinion, the two best stories are the first two, "The Black Hair" (reminiscent of Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily") and "The Woman in the Snow" (something like Algernon Blackwood's "The Wendigo"). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Akira Kurosawa's sequel to Yojimbo is more lighthearted and less cynical, a rousing adventure with Toshirô Mifune reprising his role as the scruffy mercenary who becomes an unlikely big brother to a troupe of nine naive samurai. Shuffling into a secret meeting where the proud young men discuss the graft choking their clan, Mifune's Sanjuro scratches his scraggly beard and distractedly rubs his neck like some common peasant while giving them advice on appearances and truths: "People aren't what they seem," he warns the dubious lads. "Be careful." Naturally they aren't, and Sanjuro grudgingly adopts the well-meaning but hopelessly ill-equipped heroes, giving the starry-eyed youths a series of lessons in real-world honor and respect while saving their skins from reckless attacks and impulsive plans. It isn't the subtlest of Kurosawa's films--the repetitious lessons and speeches delivered to the thickheaded samurai are rather obvious--but it's one of his most entertaining. Mifune, gruffly at ease with the boys, is hilariously discomforted in the presence of a cultured lady, who sees through his shaggy exterior and imparts a little wisdom of her own. Mifune bounds into action in a number of impressive sword fights--wonderfully choreographed lightning-quick battles in which Mifune leaps all over the widescreen image--but an increasing sense of waste, of futility, hangs over the action scenes, culminating in a tense but meaningless duel of honor. The accompanying trailer on the DVD features brief behind-the-scenes glimpses of Kurosawa directing Mifune through an action sequence. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Sanguine samurai.
Companion piece to 1961's nihilist comedy *Yojimbo*. Not so much a sequel or prequel but rather a redux sort of thing. *Yojimbo* was a boffo hit in Japan (and drew raves from all over the world), and Kurosawa, whose quest for cinematic art never precluded showmanship, gave the audience more of what it wanted: even more action, more comedy, more Toshiro Mifune than in the previous movie. A legitimate criticism of *Sanjuro* is that it somewhat lacks the originality of *Yojimbo*, in particular the End-Of-The-World rancidity in tone, atmosphere, and characters. The liner notes in Criterion's DVD even go so far as to call this movie "sunny" (what an insult! Mifune's samurai would cut your head off if he heard you call him that). "Sunny" is not the apt adjective to describe the sudden, explosive violence in the film; the body-count is too appallingly high to laugh off. The violence here still hurts, and there's a lot more of it here than in *Yojimbo*. Kurosawa may have become weary of the whole samurai genre: a very nice patrician lady admonishes Sanjuro with "good swords stay in their sheaths"; he remembers this advice following the satirically bloody, over-the-top climax. The slice-and-dice duel between Sanjuro and his enemy is, I think, Kurosawa's way of saying, "You want violent action? I'LL give you violent action!!" Though it's designed to elicit shocked guffaws, the evident disgust with the whole samurai mindset leaves the larger impression. For that matter, the old "code of honor" is represented by 9 good-hearted samurai who also happen to be idiots. Just because there might be something worth fighting for here, unlike in *Yojimbo*, the bloody work required to ensure the victory of Good still leaves a bloody stain on the psyche. (Significantly, there was no "three-peat" in the Sanjuro series.) Considering all that, the amazing thing is how entertaining and funny *Sanjuro* remains. Of particular note is how discommoded Mifune appears whenever a pair of very civilized ladies (i.e., the antithesis of himself) show up. When the 9 good samurai keep waking Mifune up with their excited gibbering is also a classic. *Sanjuro* is a minor masterpiece fully deserving of standing alongside *Yojimbo* on your shelf.

A Great Adventure
I love Toshiro Mifune. It's so wonderful to see him play this character. He cracks me up every time he does his little shoulder-twitch character trait. Brilliant!

SANJURO delves a little deeper into his samurai character. There's some themes about killing and comparisons of his character to a good sword that should be sheathed. Other than that, it is flat-out adventure on the menu!

Again, Kurosawa is a wonderful story teller. I find his work (the three films I've seen so far -- HIDDEN FORTRESS, YOJIMBO, and this one) to be so economical. He can add a wrinkle to the story with one word; one look. He truly transcends the language barrier because the storytelling is so good.

I thought Criterion did another good job with the transfer. The trailer does, indeed, feature Kurosawa directing Mifune in an action sequence, which is interesting. I wish Criterion would use pictures on its chapter lists. When I want to access a certain scene and am unfamiliar with the movie it is hard to do based on chapter names that make no sense to me. Other than that, no qualms about the rest of the DVD.

Next, I'd love to see HIDDEN FORTRESS on DVD. Criterion, are you listening ?

One of Kurosawa's best samurai films
In my own opinion, I find Sanjuro to be one of my favorite films by the Kurosawa. Unlike Yojimbo, which mainly showed the violent side of humans, Sanjuro shows a much deeper meaning. A woman in the film comments that he should not use too much violence. At first, he ignores her and thinks that she's completely stupid. In the end, he ends up killing a man in order to save his own life. He understands that "Good swords are kept in their sheaths." Another translation of this would be that violence is bad. This is a continuing theme for Kurosawa, especially in his samurai period movies. I highly recommend it.

a cool follow up to yojimbo
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film released shortly after the release of Yojimbo, has the same main character. In this film, Sanjuro withthe help of some friends eliminate corruption in his town and rescue his uncle was was jailed on trumped up charges. The film has a famous 'splatter' scene in the climax which is almost Hitchcockian because of the filmmakers use of chocloate syrup for the stage blood. (in B&W films, one cannot tell the difference anyway)

The DVD only has a theatrical trailer for a special feature, but it is still worth getting for those interested in films like this.

"A good sword is best kept sheathed."
I've never been fond of sequels, and when I found out Akira Kurosawa, a film maker I respect and admire more than any other, had done a sequel to his classic "Yojimbo," I had to wonder just how it was. I saw it and needless to say I was very impressed. This is with out a doubt probably one of the best sequels I've ever seen.

Sequels are commonly one of two things: 1) a rehash of the first movie, or 2) a continuation of a story that should have ended with the first film. "Sanjuro" is none of the two - instead, its just another adventure for our ronin friend Sanjuro in his quest for money. This time he finds himself accidentally nearby where some clueless samurai retainers are trying to figure out who in their clan is plotting to take over while their lord is away. Sanjuro steps in to help them out (almost out of aggravation at just how incompetant his new acquaintances are). He guesses correctly that it is the Super-Intendant and not the Chamberlain (as originally guessed) who is the traitor, and the story continues from there.

"Sanjuro" has all the right doses, and even more, of what you got in "Yojimbo." There are more fight scenes - or perhaps I should say there are more chances for Toshiro Mifune to slash through a crowd of hapless enemies. There are also more chances for our hero to figure out traps and plan ways out of sticky situations. With out a doubt, I think Sanjuro ranks as one of the most clever heroes I've ever seen on film, and you just get a joy at his wit and quick-thinking (I especially like how he got the villains to throw petals into the stream).

I would suggest any one who loved "Yojimbo" to give this film a good chance. It's just as enjoyable as its predecessor, and hey - if it has the name Akira Kurosawa on it, it can't be the least bit bad. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Although best known for his samurai classics, Japanese master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa proved himself equally adept at contemporary dramas and thrillers, and 1962's High and Low offers a powerful showcase for Kurosawa's versatile skill. The great Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy industrialist who has just raised a large sum of money to execute his planned takeover of a successful shoe manufacturer. Fate intervenes when he receives a phone call informing him that his son has been kidnapped, and by unfortunate coincidence the ransom demand is nearly equivalent to the amount Mifune has raised for his corporate coup. A philosophical dilemma emerges when it is revealed that the executive's son is safe, and that it is actually his chauffeur's son who has been taken. What follows is both a tense detective thriller, as the police attempt to track down the kidnapper, and a compelling illustration of class division in Japan--the "high and low" of the title. Far be it from Kurosawa to make a mere thriller, however; this loose adaptation of the Ed McBain novel King's Ransom provides the director with ample opportunity to develop a visual strategy that perfectly enhances the story's sociological themes. The Criterion Collection DVD of this extraordinary film is presented in the original "Tohoscope" aspect ratio of 2.35:1. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Decisions, decisions.
Does a wealthy Japanese industrialist care enough about his chauffer's son to pay the kidnapper's ransom? Could he live with himself if he didn't? I found this to be a rather interesting film. I first saw it in a philosophy class I was taking at my local community college a couple of years ago. It captured my interest. Toshiro Mifune hardly smiles throughout the whole film but can you blame him? If he pays, he's out of a large sum of cash. If he doesn't pay, the kidnappers will kill the boy hostage and Mifune will be the scourge of society. Everyone will detest him for his selfish act. And what would his son think? It's been awhile since I saw the movie but if my memory serves me correctly, were not Mifune's boy and the chauffer's son friends? That's another dilemma. It was a nice experience seeing something like this come out of Japan. It's clear that the Japanese film industry is more than competent enough to go beyond Godzilla movies and anime. Akira Kurosawa has proven that for years.

GRAND-DADDY OF THE COP MOVIE GENRE
And I thought Kurosawa was big on Samurai movies. This is a stunning cop thriller grounded in real-life Japan of the 60s.

Toshiro Mifune is an honest and hugely successful businessman who loves his job as a shoe factory exec and is in a battle for corporate control against a pack of hyenas. He has mortgaged and borrowed and scraped to raise the money for a surprise coup to takeover the firm. Until his son is kidnapped.

But then there is a major plot twist: it is not his own son who was taken but his son's friend, the chauffeur's kid, and the ransom demanded is atrocious. If he forks the dough, he stands to lose everything he has worked so hard for, but can he simply sacrifice the chauffeur's child because it is not his? From here on High and Low (perhaps better translated as Heaven and Hell) is a riveting "police procedural."

Watching Kurosawa's maestro camerawork is a rare, almost unique experience, he is a man in complete control of his visuals and his subject matter. The DVD is letterboxed and the print B&W. This not only lends beautifully to a cinematically compelling human drama, but it also draws you into the theme emotionally.

A superb film, captivating from start to finish. Highly recommended!

This Is An Extraordinarily Good Film
Watched this a few days ago for about the fifth time and have been thinking about it ever since. I think it probably is my favorite Kurosawa film.

Toshiro Mifune plays a top executive in a shoe company who is secretly planning to take over the company. He wants to keep making quality shoes and gradually expand the market. The other executives want to make cheaper shoes and take advantage of the company's reputation. Mifune has raised every yen he can, including using his house, for the buyout, but his son is kidnapped. For the ransome he'll need all the money he's raised. He's prepared to do this for the sake of his son.

Then he finds out that the kidnappers made a mistake. They kidnapped his driver's son, who is the same age as his own. What a terrible moral dilemma. Would you or I give up every dime we had to save a neighbor's or an employee's son? Mifune does, and this act has a great effect on the police and the public.

The first half of the movie takes place in his house on a hill while all this unfolds. The second half is the chase to find the boy before he's killed and to capture the kidnapper. We move from the intensity of the dilemma unfolding in Mifune's home to the gritty business of the search which takes us into some of the lowest parts of the Japanese underworld.

Mifune is powerful in the role of the father, at first torn by the decision he has to make, then commited to finding his driver's son. Tatsuya Nakadai plays the detective, handsome, smooth, professional, and ultimately deeply touched by Mifune's integrity. Years later Nakadai played the leads in Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Ran. And it was good to see Mifune out of samurai costume.

High and Low is the work of a master. The DVD has the quality and extras one has come to expect from Criterion

Delivers the excellence we expect from Kurasawa
Those from high and low positions in modern industrial Japanese society clash in this drama. While I don't easily commit to watch a long subtitled movie, this one kept my eyes glued to the screen through an effective suspense that grabs early and never lets go. The main story line comprises related subplots that are realistic and gripping without overwhelming. The acting is consistently excellent in portraying a full gamut of human emotions and difficult situations. Select this when you're ready for real entertainment from masters of their craft.

a great movie and one of Kurosawa's best.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD version of the film.

This film is well written and based on the Novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain. Having not read the novel, I cannot determine how faithful the film is to the book.

In the film a wealthy man's son is the target of a kidnapping and ransom. The ransom is ¥30 million (Yen) which in those days was a lot of money, but today is little over a quarter million US dollars.

The movie itself has some cinematography that has been imitated or is an imitation of. Most of the first 30 minutes of the film take place exclusively in a single house, similar to the film "12 angry men" and it having taken place almost exclusively inside a jury room.

The film is in black and white with a single scene in where part of the film is hand colored. I would go into further details, but it might be considered a spoiler. This scene immediately reminded me of the scenes in Schindler's list involving the girl in the red coat.

The film has some well photographed scenes and is impressive.

The Criterion DVD has no special features which is a bit dissappointing. ... Read more

Reviews (135)

A rich experience worth viewing over and over again
This is a magnificent movie. It is visually beautiful - the colors and the way the shots are framed are stunning. The visuals are controlled in ways that add to the poetic power of the story. I do not speak Japanese, but the sound of the language combined with the musical score also adds to the intensity of this movie. The subtitles are good, but I am sure that those who understand Japanese get even more from this story.

This is not a film of Shakespeare's "King Lear". Rather, it is an adaptation and is based on the underlying themes of the play. It is not important for me to list the differences between the play and the movie, it is just important that a first time viewer not expect the Shakespearian story. If you know the play you will recognize aspects of the movie and enjoy the ways in which Kurosawa adapted the story to his own and Japanese sensibilities. It may nod to Shakespeare, but Kurosawa makes this his story.

The costumes, music, and acting are superlative. For me, the trademark Kurosawa battle scenes are more wonderful here than usual. This is a masterpiece by a filmmaking virtuoso who is also a sensitive enough artist to make a spectacular movie that is also poetic, humorous and heart breaking, tender and brutal as well images that are beautiful and others that are hideous.

This isn't light viewing or mind candy, but it has so much to offer that it is worth watching and learning from over and over again.

The Greatest Adaptation of Shakespeare to Film
"Ran" (Chaos) is the greatest cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare and a masterpiece in its own right. In adapting the broad scenario of "King Lear" to a setting in Sixteenth Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa felt free to manipulate it to his own purposes, leading to a film that is perhaps even more bleak than the play.

First and foremost "Ran" is a visually stunning film, unencumbered by the received tradition of Shakespearean language, which never translates well onto the cinema screen, he has allowed the scenario to develop into images that are beautiful and horrific. Filmed on the slopes of Mount Fuji there is a sense of unreality, or nightmare about the whole epic, as though it is taking place in a mythic space, at once recognisable and alien. For a director best known for his black and white movies ("Seven Samurai", "Rashomon"), Kurosawa surprisingly uses color to breathtaking virtuoso effect. The scenes of soldiers flooding in waves across the volcanic wasteland of Mount Fuji carrying vivid blue, red or yellow flags are amongst the most extraordinary ever filmed. The battle scenes shock and astonish, not least because Kurosawa's use of sound is so exquisite and original; many of the most horrendous images of battle are shown without sound effects with only an elegiac musical accompaniment. Far from sanitising them, the effect is to shock you out of the viewing habits formed watching so many other "war" movies.

Yet "Ran" is so much more than a broad epic, or war movie. The more intimate scenes are carried off with understated conviction, the sly hypocrisy hidden behind formality and convention is conveyed in highly poised and stylised interior shots. This film can be both visceral (prepare yourself for the beheading of Lady Kaede: as visually explosive as anything by Tarantino, and set within a film that is more than mere surface) and restrained, depending on the nature of the scene. There are moments of quiet and tenderness that resonate long after the film had ended.

It is odd that so few successful films have been made from Shakespeare. The pre-eminent playwright of the western canon has translated beautifully into opera and stage directors can continually find fresh things to say about the plays themselves, yet in general film had been hopelessly incapable of doing anything of note with Shakespeare. Think of the ghastly declamatory rhetoric of Laurence Olivier in "Henry V", or the inane pop video that Baz Lurmann made from "Romeo and Juliet", not to mention Kenneth Brannagh's tediously self-important "Hamlet". Somehow Kurosawa succeeds where all these others fail. His earlier "Throne of Blood" was a beautifully realised adaptation of "Macbeth" to the Samurai period in Japan: "Ran" builds on that achievement and surpasses it. Perhaps the fact that Kurosawa was Japanese allowed him more creative license to work with Shakespeare, able to approach it simply as valid material for film making, and not as the shibboleth that it is to western artists.

In Ran we have the late masterpiece of one of the greatest and most important film makers. It is a distilled and precise work, powerful, visceral, contemplative, epic and intimate. In short this is film making on a par with the greatest art. Ran shows us what mainstream film making can achieve, but so rarely does.

WHO WILL ENJOY THIS SENSATIONAL MASTERPIECE:
People who care about grandiloquent visuals yet a controlled palette accentuated by the immemorable use of sound -- or, in one major battle scene, the absence of the sounds of the battle, the horrors of war somehow magnified by the silent screams and the unheard bullets, only the quietly mournful dissonance of the haunting background score to be heard.

Castle gates close with resounding, hollow booms, shutting people out, shutting people in. A crescendo of cicadas. And the final anguished shriek of a flute lending a much more effective voice to the great tragedy that has been played out than closing words might have done.

If you're expecting flaming Gladiator-type fight scenes or Samurai action, you may be disappointed. That said, the battle scenes are magnum opus if you know how to appreciate visual splendor. The screenplay may be relaxed overall, sure, it takes a while to unfold a tale of filial destruction ("King Lear" adaptation) but when the forts crumble and arrows fly asunder, the pace of the film is unbridled.

Whether you're a film philistine or a major Kurosawa buff or simply someone who relishes tastefully done cinema, this is absolutely worth the ride. I highly recommend this as a rental, but the discerning types may also want to add it to their collections. It's among Kurosawa's best.

Not as good as all you people are making it out to be
This movie is terrible. I bought it expecting a good action epic with lots of battles and sword fights. There are no battles there are 2 massacres where all that happens is "samurai" with guns? shoot each other and women. samurai dont have guns. The story was good but they ruined it with 2 hours and 30 mins of talking on and on about the same topic over and over, yak yak yak. There is no drama the characters dont develope except for the old guy who just walks around starring and goes crazy. The perfomances are the same in everyone, yelling even when there happy, and they all sound the same even the women. No action, no drama, nothing except talk and fake blood from the stupid shooting, not swords, guns, What? Very bad movie, I was dissapointed, greatly. I would give 0 stars but they dont let me.

William Akira Shakespeare Kurosawa
This film is undeniable the most notable adaptation of any work of William Shakespeare to the movie. The insights in every detail, the superb cast, the overwheelming photography, the camera's handle makes us inevitably to remind that happy sentence of Orson Welles who said once:
"One film is really extraordinary , when the camera is an eye in the mind of a poet".
Casually this film is made in 1985, the same year of Welles'death.
Kurosawa was a truly master. Once upon a time a critical compared to Kenji Mizoguchi with Bach. If this methaphor is assumed valid, then Kurosawa would have his musical image in Ludwig van Beethoven.
The amazing scene of the castle in flames, with a remarkable red that invites us to reflect about the human condition, his hunger for power, the horror generated by that unthirsty ambition. The multiple readings that concern with the violence and the passion carrying the devasting facts that appear all along this film.
The opening sequences in which the three brothers are together with their father is filmed with such kind of perfection that I wouldn't wonder to know that this an obligated reference for all those students of direction. In this sense, this multiple exchange of points of view reveal us without affections of any kind,the essencial nature of the human being inmersed in the purest spirit shakesperian.
Kurosawa, like the great giants of th cinema handles the camera like Gods, includes the color and the nature's elements like adittional actors (Dreams). Just remember that Akira was the first filma maker who dared film against the sun in that glorius film Rashoman from 1950. His achievements all along his brilliant career are too many and certainly, would be beyond the reach of this shorts analysis.
This is one of these gems that you must see over and over, just when you admire this eternal masterpiece.
To be true the others Shakespeare's versions that deseve to be carried to the desert island would be in my opinion Titus 2000 (Julie Taymor), Othelo 1953 (Welles) , Richard III 1955 (Olivier), and Throne of blood 1957(Kurosawa).
But this movie is just several steps ahead all the titles above mentioned. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great 1968 Spaghetti written by Dario Argento
This title was originally released in 1968 as "Oggi a me... domani a te!" in Italy, or "Today is Me... Tomorrow You" in the US. Directed by relatively unknown Tonino Cervi (at least this seems to be his only western) it seems that the storylines of Dario Argento can never fail. Most interesting is how this movie has borrowed ideas from "The Magnificent Seven" yet still succeeds very well. There is one scene in a gunshop where Brett Halsey purchases a revolver and it is so uncannily similar to "The Good Bad and the Ugly" the viewer is left wondering who is borrowing from whom in these 60's spaghetti's! The film moves fairly well but is a bit slow in places, it is a fairly typical story of revenge where Nakadai's character borrows heavily from the character played by Gian Maria Volonte in 'For a Few Dollars More'. Nakadai plays a thoroughly weird character without the brilliance of Volonte but still a great character and to some extent makes this film. Bud Spencer fans will probably be disappointed with a rather shallow role and traditional 'John Wayne' western fans will probably dislike this rather bizaree European creation. But for Spaghetti fans highly recommended.

Tatsuya Nakadai in a Dario Argento scripted western
I saw a Variety ad for an Italian western with the ad copy is the Samurai sword faster than the six gun. Have never seen that one. This has him as a Mexican Comanchero who mostly uses a pistol but has a few scenes where he uses a machete as a Samurai sword. For Nakadai fans this is a must though he has a supporting part as the bad guy. It is no Illusion of Blood or Sword of Doom but worth a look. Montgomery Ford is really Brett Halsey who is also in the Mario Bava Roy Colt and Winchester Jack. As entertainment I enjoyed the overall story, the action was well done, ditto the direction. Give it a try. When I saw it in a cheapo theatre the print had a greenish hue. This was a clean print for the most part.

One good western!
I bought this movie because Bud Spencer was in it, and I was pleased! Its about Bill Kiowa was framed for killing his wife and sent to prison for 5 years. When hes released from jail he goes to his fathers house to see how his dad was doing and to get all of his money. After this he rounds up a few people (including Bud Spencer) and he wants to kill the buddy who killed his wife. One bad thing about this movie is Bud Spencers voice! Its very high, usually its dubbed low, and this is annoying. The best scene is where Bud is tied to the chair and he tears the arms of the chair right off! Its a good film....3 stars.

Decent Spaghetti Western
If you are buying this as a Bud Spencer fan skip it. Bud's voice is dubbed in a voice higher than his which might bother you. The story is about a man kiowa(Ford) who's framed for robbery and his wife killed. After 5 years in jail he's released he than hires Bud and some others to help him catch and kill the guy. A decent western but thats it. ... Read more

Description

In the third and final part of "The Human Condition," Kaji (Tetsuyo Nakadai) is the sole surviving member of his unit and surrenders to the advancing Soviet Army. Hoping for better treatment than he received from his own army, Kaji is accused of murder and threatened with execution. Once again he must escape his captors, this time across a desolate field in the midst of a blizzard. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally broadcast on PBS, the superlative Kurosawa is likely to remain the definitive documentary on the life and work of Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa. The film follows the conventional documentary approach of a chronology of Kurosawa's career, with requisite film clips and interviews with many of Kurosawa's surviving collaborators and family members. Western admirers like James Coburn, Clint Eastwood, and Japanese film scholar Donald Richie are also interviewed, and director Adam Low provides a more contemplative appreciation of Kurosawa's life and work. Enhanced by Sam Shepard's straightforward narration and Paul Scofeld's evocative readings from Kurosawa's elusive autobiography, the film functions as both honorable tribute and touching retrospective, especially when the surviving crewmembers of Rashomon are assembled for a 50-year reunion filled with anecdotes and insiders’ perspective. All in all, this is must-see viewing for any lover of film. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A nostaligic, brief glimpse of a genius
"Kurosawa" is a well-produced, rather easy going documentary of a master film maker. It reads like a fan letter to Kurosawa, each moment heaping praise on the director, while leading the viewer through a biographical timeline of his life. An enjoyable piece to watch.

That being said, I was disappointed in the depth of the documentary. There is little discussion of Kurosawa's impact on film, his innovations and, most importantly, what he was trying to achieve with his films and his success in achieving that goal. Kurosawa was a film maker with a definitive focus, seeking no less than to change the world for the better using films as his medium. This message is never really mentioned, which surprised me as it is so crucial to understanding his films. Few, if any, of his films are examined critically and little insight is gained as to why Kurosawa is such an important artist of the 20th century.

Even with its lack of depth, "Kurosawa" makes for a fine, nostalgic documentary. Clips of Kurosawa at work on his films are enjoyable, as is the reunion of the "Roshomon" workers and the interviews with a few former Kurosawa-film beauties. The presentation of artifacts, such as the Noh mask used for "Throne of Blood" and the Ryokan in Kyoto where Kurosawa wrote his screen plays, adds a human element to the piece.

The DVD adds to the missing depth with a good length of interviews of varying interests, each focusing on personal reminiscences of Kurosawa. The Suntory whisky easter eggs are quite charming, and a nice touch. This is why we have DVDs.

Should have been longer, should have been deeper, but still good.

5 Star biography -- 2 Star Look at his films
Kurosawa reaches for great heights with Sam Shepherd narrating the body and Paul Scofield acting as the voice of Kurosawa's autobiography. It's certainly worth watching as a compelling story of a famous man, but it fails as an examination of his work. If it weren't for the films, Kurosawa would hardly be an interesting subject, but the documentary is only interested in certain films important to his overall career. The first half-hour is an interesting but empty tribute to how important he is supposed to be. I find it interesting to hear about Kurosawa's experiences with Hiroshima and his brother's suicide, but that should be a secondary attribute, not the heart of the film. Though decent length is spent on Rashomon and Seven Samurai, the films Hidden Fortress and High and Low aren't even discussed. Many actors and writers from the films are interviewed in current times, and they even return to the locations of the films. It was also interesting to see Clint Eastwood and James Coburn discuss the films and characters that they would later play in western remakes. But I still wanted more. A look at how Kurosawa's early rearing readied him for future art is would have been more worthwhile, had the actual work been discussed for its own merits.

A look into the life and working habit of Kurosawa
There are two parts to this DVD: the main part that tells of the
life story of Kurosawa and highlights of his filmography, and the
bonus materials that consist of interviews with actors,
producers, cinematographer, sound techinicians, and others
involved in making movies with Kurosawa. I find the bonus
interviews much more interesting than the main part of the DVD.
From these interviews you get a picture of how Kurosawa works,
from competitive team writing of scripts to simultaneous filming
with *eight* cameras. It is true that as a fan one would like to
see the films discussed more, but the producer has crammed as
much as they can into a single dvd. To fully document the life
and work of Kurosawa will probably require a 3-or 4-dvd set!

What I like best from the DVD: Kurosawa's regret that he hasn't
done anything to resist Japan's war efforts, the frank discussion
of his suicide attempt, the discussions of his work ethics and
methods, his failed collaboration with Hollywood on ``Tora! Tora!
Tora!'', and the demonstration of the Iaido sword drawing
technique! What I wish they have covered better: the break
between Kurosawa and Mifune after Red Beard, and more
illustrations from the films when interviewees discuss various
aspects of the films.

One film that is strangely not mentioned at all in the whole DVD
is the Hidden Fortress. Interestingly, in his interview included
at the end of the Hidden Fortress Criterion Collection DVD,
George Lucas denies Hidden Fortress' influence on Star Wars. He
came across as rather annoyed by the question, actually. As for
the Seven Samurai, Michael Lesk's running commentary in the
Criterion Collection discusses in depth Kurosawa's directing
techniques. The present DVD also gives some more ``making of''
information on Seven Samurai. Kurosawa and Seven Samurai are
mentioned in perhaps two sentences in the ``making of'' special
feature of the Magnificient Seven's DVD.

Great, But Incomplete
My first exposure to a Kurosawa film was "Seven Samurai". I watched it after watching "The magnificent Seven". The thing that piqued my curiosity about Seven Samurai was the "making of" documentary that came with The Magnificent Seven. After watching Seven Samurai (3 times in less than 2 days - it litterally blew me away), I then saw the Magnificent Seven again.

So what does all of this have to do with the film Kurosawa? Plenty. Much of what was included in Kurosawa's life was never mentioned in the actual film (a major example of this is that the film itself never mentions that John Ford was a major influence on Kurosawa (and is just casually mentioned in the bonus material). Another example is that the film never mentions Kurosawa's reaction to The Magnificent Seven being made. To get all this information, you must buy The Magnificent Seven DVD (The Special Edition), and watch the "making of" feature, Guns For Hire: The Making Of The Magnificent Seven. Also, why wasn't George Lucas in this project? The movie "The Hidden Fortress" greatly influenced him to make "Star Wars". Actually, there is very little mention of The Hidden Fortress, an ingenious movie in it's own right).

It's too bad that the makers of Kurosawa couldn't incorporate Guns For Hire, and the George Lucas interview (The Hidden Fortress) with the film, and the bonus interviews. I probably would have given this documentary 5 stars. Maybe I'm making too much over Seven Samurai, but (as far as I'm concerned) Seven Samurai, and Rashomon were his greatest movies.

Still, this documentary (Kurosawa himself cringed at the idea of writing an autobiography) does pay a great deal of tribute to a great, and highly innovative director. Thus it is worth the price of purchase. (How many feature length films do you see on other great directors (Hitchcock, Lang, Ford)? The only one that I can recall is Samuel Fuller (The Typewriter, the Rifle and the Movie Camera), and from watching the still limited releases that he made, he was a great one). Anyway, this is a great bio, but (if you don't have it already) get it with The Magnificent Seven Special Edition DVD.

Oh by the way; those japaneese charactors in the menus. If you highlight them, you get comercials of Kurosawa drinking / endorsing Santori Whiskey.

A personal biography, not enough on the films
I had only seen two Kurosawa movies (Ran and Seven Samurai) before I saw this documentary, and I was interested to learn more. I learned a lot about Kurosawa's life: His family, his childhood, his brother who committed suicide, and the early years at Toho. But when documentary turned to the films that made Kurosawa famous, I was unsatisfied. The films are presented as key moments in Kurosawa's emotional and professional life --- this one was his breakout film, that one was his hardest shoot, and another re-started his floundering career.

That approach isn't too bad. I can look elsewhere (on DVD and in books) to get a closer look at the films themselves, the production histories, and the reactions from fans and critics. But still, I wish more of his movies had been covered. What about The Hidden Fortress? (I was hoping to see it juxtaposed against Star Wars, to see if they really *are* alike.) And the excerpts from the films are too short. For example, rather than show key scenes from Rashomon, the documentary revisits the spot where those scenes were filmed 50 years ago.

This documentary is a little weak, but it's worth the time. The filmmakers introduce you to Kurosawa as an artist. There brief interviews with Americans like Clint Eastwood are a nice touch. The DVD has an extra hour of interviews, as well. A better documentary on Kurosawa could be made. Until then, this is good enough. ... Read more

Description

Director Masaki Kobayashi's magnum opus on the devastation of war. "The Human Condition" is a trilogy of epic films intended to show the brutalities of World War II and their effect on the participants and on Japanese society. Part One introduces Kaji, a pacifist who is set up by his superiors, tried for treason and drafted into the army. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Addresses the same problems we are seeing in Iraq
As I write this in May 2004, we are learning of the shocking atrocities committed by American soldiers on Iraqi prisoners of war in Abu Ghaiv Prison.This film deals with the eternal issue of man's inhumanity to man. The main character is an idealist who believes that all men, even prisoners of war, have the right to be treated with basic human dignity. This is the very problem American is grappling with today. Follow the journey of the main character as he tries to implement his beliefs in a Japanese labor camp during World War II. Some psychologists believe that, given the right circumstances, we are all capable of the atrocities committed in this fictional movie or in the all to real Iraqi prison. Decide for yourself whether to despair or to believe that someday we will see the need for treating all men with humanity and dignity.

A True Masterpiece
This is a heart wrenching story of one man's effort to remain true to himself and his beliefs even in the face of adversities.Masaki Kobayashi was promised by his superiors that he would not be drafted for war and this pleased him well as he is about to marry the love of his life. Instead he was instructed to take up a position in the mines where he found himself in charge of chineses prisoners. However this posed a problem since this was taking place in Japan in the World war 2 era. However Masaki believes in treating human life with respect even if they were prisoners working in mines. In an attempt to do this he angered his peers and superiors who then plotted ways to get rid of him. Now Masaki found that in trying to please all he ended up pleasing none including his wife. He was going against the grain and found himself up against the wall. How could he remain true to his beliefs and values? Get this movie and find out.

The FilmNotes entry from the Pacific Film Archive:
It is rare when an episode of national history can be interpreted without the burden of illusions, both obsolete and nostalgic. And this is perhaps one of the great strengths of Masaki Kobayashi's The Human Condition, a nine-hour epic about Japan's occupation of China during the Second World War. The trilogy begins with an attack on the inhuman practices within the Japanese Army and ends with a bitter denunciation of Stalinism by the would-be-socialist hero, Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), a Japanese soldier who has confronted the horrid face of war and found it unyielding. In grand Dostoyevskian flourishes, Kobayashi suggests the impossibility of an individual altering the ethical standards of a social system. Kaji, driven by an idealized vision of Japan redeemed by social reform, tries to overcome injustice and exploitation during a military conquest based solely on these principles. Brutalized by the very country he defends, Kaji refuses to desert, for desertion implies relinquishing responsibility for his own homeland. Kaji's heroism lies in this exacting refusal to abandon Japan or his humanity. Part One finds Kaji working as a supervisor in a forced labor camp in southern Manchuria where he and his wife (Michiyo Aratama) attempt to better the dreadful lot of the enslaved Chinese workers. Kaji is accused of dissent, tortured, then inducted into the army. In Part Two, Kaji is equally appalled by the horrendous treatment afforded recruits. Given the rank of officer, he tries to install more humane procedures but only succeeds in attracting the ire of his fellow officers. By Part Three, the Japanese army is being routed by superior Russian troops. Fleeing to the south, Kaji is captured by the Soviet army and imprisoned. Here, he learns the bitter truth of the Red Army as liberators. Kobayashi's The Human Condition can be viewed as a single aesthetic entity, complete in its sweep of historical events and visual stylizations. The gargantuan undertaking to dramatize the wilful ironies of the Manchurian campaign never compromises Kobayashi's ability to define the human scale of injustice. Standing-in for the director, Kaji says, "Minor facts ignored by history can be fatal to the individual." It is Masaki Kobayashi's recognition of "minor facts" that joins the poetic to the journalistic in a scathing epic about the cruelties of war.

Masterpiece
I can only add to the other excellent reviews for this masterpiece. This is not a light hearted epic, it is a tale based on director Kobayashi's own experiences and is quite simply haunting. Like his subsequent work Kwaidan, the use of the camera and music is breath taking. Though long you never sense the time passing and each take has you there with leading actor Nakadai (who is perfect for this role) whether it be trudging through barren slag heaps or trying to get the last drop of humanity out of the "guntai" and other Imperial bullies. His story is desperate but is also beautiful as you see how this normal man is fighting against the stream of inhumanity that was Japan occupied Manchuria. Eventually he almost has a halo like appearance as his slouched form appears in nearly every scene. This is the effect the cinematography and music combine to produce. I can not heap more praise. If you like serious subjects and character forming epics this is for you. I also recommend Kwaidan.

The Real History of Japanese War Crimes
When Kobayashi undertook the immense project of filming Junpei Gomikawa's popular wartime novel (not, as an earlier viewer stated, by Shohei Ooka - who wrote the otherwise magnificent Fires on the Plain, later filmed by Ichikawa) he had been a director for only six years but had already proven himself as a director of "problem" films, tackling uncomfortable subjects with a straightforward candor. With 'The Human Condition' he emerged as one of Japan's master filmmakers. This trilogy of films is something on the order of Claude Lanzmann's film 'Shoah.' It documents events which Japan has yet to come to terms with - atrocities committed by the Imperial Army in China and Manchuria. Along with Ichikawa's 'Harp of Burma' and 'Fires on the Plain,' Kobayashi's 'The Human Condition' was made at precisely the right moment in Japan, when the war generation had the resources to look back at the war with enough honesty to reveal the full extent of Japan's defeat, a subject which is remains disturbing even today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

another zatoichi hit
If you are a zatoichi fan you will love this one. We have all of the DVDs released to date and this one ranks up there with our favorite zatoichi movies. ... Read more

Description

Based on the popular Japanese sci-fi comic strip, "Wicked City" is about a futuristic Hong Kong on the verge of a take over by the Reptoids--ruthless monsters disguised as humans. They work amongst us, they live within us and their destiny is our demise. Packed with non-stop action and special effects, "Wicked City" will glue you to the screen until the astonishing end. ... Read more

Description

Writer/director Masaki Kobayashi's powerful trilogy continues as the newly drafted, idealistic Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai) is ordered to Manchuria, the site of Japan's longest and most savage atrocities during World War II. When he sees the rampant mistreatment of the soldiers, Kaji makes a protest. In response, he is threatened and tortured, eventually escaping only to see his entire unit destroyed as the Allied victory becomes inevitable. ... Read more

Reviews (135)

This is "art"
Yes I hate saying that because everything is called art these days when its not but this is. Every Kurosawa film is beautifuly made but this one takes the prize. "Ran" is as Roger Ebert called it "A glorious achievement". "Ran" is Akira Kurosawa's version of William Shakespear's "King Lear". I should say its more loosely based on "King Lear" but the film is so great that one shouldn't bother with that. Tatsuya Nakadai does a peformance that will blow you away. He can bring the physical and emotion to the roll and does it as great as seeing any british shakespear actor like Ian Holm do the roll. Since times have changed since "Seven Samuari" Kurosawa can use more blood on the screen to bring the horror of war and betryal more to life. There is about a 30 minute war scene that is one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen in a film. Kurosawa like Stanley Kubrick does not settle for the lowest. Everything is perfection. The costumes, the sound, the picture, the acting etc.... The ending is breathtaking and will get you thinking about life. I reccomend reading "King Lear" before you see it, to see what he did with the text. It also shows how universial Shakespear is. This may be Kurosawa's best film.

Visually stunning, and proof that Shakespeare is universal
Some things are universal. Many worshippers of middle English literature say that about Shakespeare, and in a way they're right: what Shakespeare wrote about (the doubts of leaders, the avarice of merchant-barons, the laughability of petty concerns) is common to every culture throughout history. People are people.

In this case, Kurosawa has chosen "King Lear" as his template. The plot summary is simple: an aging benevolent king has decided to divide his kingdom amongst his sons. However, they are not all worthy of his trust, and are not content to take one third of his kingdom when each could have it all. And their treachery is the ruin of them all.

What sets "Ran" apart from other adaptations of "King Lear" is its stunning visual beauty. "Ran" is simply breathtaking. The colors are most intense than life itself, yet they fit the mood. The armies are casts of hundreds, if not thousands, and are beautifully choreographed (can a medieval battle be compared to a dance?). The actors are larger-than-life.

In fact, it is the presentation of the actors that prevent a five-star rating. The acting style is very much "over the top". This is in keeping with traditional Japanese kabuki theater, but most American audiences will find this style heavy-handed (dare we say, Shatner-esque? "My... sonsdon't... under...STAND me. Spock.") and it might interfere with an American audience's experience of the film. And, since despite my attempt to be "worldly" (whatever THAT means), I remain American, it matters.

At least, to me.

Nonetheless I recommend "Ran". It illustrates vividly what makes Kurosawa special, and its choice of Shakespeare is a bridge-building tool that can help someone new to Japanese film make the transition. If a viewer finds nothing else in this film but the flawless cinematography, that is more than enough. "Ran" is a masterpiece by a master filmmaker.

a sublime epic
The scope of this film is awesome..it has everything in large quantities. Gorgeous panoramas, a great looking cast, brilliant acting, war, intrigue, murder and revenge, all brought together by Kurosawa's magical vision. I've seen this film dozens of times and still find it captivating!

Kurosawa last masterpiece
Made at - for Japan - a staggering cost in 1985, Kurosawa's "Ran" comes closest to catching the director's decidedly black mood at the time (considering the derisive response in Japan to Dodeskaden [inspiring an attempted suicide], the grudging acceptance of Dersu Uzala, which had to be made in the Soviet Union if at all, and the passive response to Kagemusha - the Japanese critics' usual treatment of anyone so rash as to look for financing outside Japan [see Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses]), "Ran" was another of Kurosawa's long-cherished projects. That it made it to the screen relatively intact (Kurosawa even forced the otherwise independent composer Toru Takemitsu to accept his temperature-gauge and compose a pseudo-Mahlerian score) is one of those miracles of international film-production that arrives maybe once in a generation. That Kurosawa took Shakespeare's cue and painted a picture of medieval Japan (read: the modern world) that is uncompromisingly dark and pessimistic is perhaps not entirely surprising. The film feels like a last testament, even if Kurosawa would go on to make three more uncharacteristically tired films - Dreams, Rhapsody in August and Madadayo [Not Yet]. The darkest testimonial from a grizzled filmmaker at the height of his powers, "Ran" is indispensable to any serious study of Kurosawa's oeuvre.

Brilliant
After watching The Seven Samurai, I was enthralled by Kurosawa's incredible work, but I worried that I'd see his best already. I never would have expected Ran to take my breath away, but that's what happened. The film's dazzling colors against a stark landscape, the piercing music against long interludes of silence and the dizzying plots that weave together seamlessly and tragically very quickly hypnotized me. Overall, though, it was Tatsuya Nakadai's genius portrayal of the aged warlord Hidetora that made this a masterpiece. Here is a character whose very expression and stance allows one to see the depths of his soul. Brilliant. ... Read more