The Samurai does not have to involve himself in these messy affairs, but he happens upon the ennead of young warriors by chance, and feels a responsibility for their mission and safety. Movie titles, images, etc. Yojimbo tells the story of a nomadic Samurai played by Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune who collaborated with the director on an incredible 16 films between 1948 and 1965, with this coming at. He had tried to show the ugliness of violence, but had perhaps misjudged and made it look cool and stylish. Akira Kurosawa. The difference between them is only in the motives behind their choice. In Yojimbo, almost everyones actions are questionable. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. Since Japan is a signatory of the Berne Convention on the international copyright, you must pay me. (quoted from Galbraith). The notable exceptions would be Takashi Shimura in Ikiru and several Mifune performancesespecially Yojimbo. Our upcoming exhibition The Aesthetics of Shadow, based on Daisuke Miyaos recent book, is dedicated to Richie, who died in February.) Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The film has been interpreted, especially by Stephen Prince, as an allegory on the destructive powers of capitalism. Yet, there is a genuine benevolence to his behavior. Shutters, sliding doors and foreground objects bring events into view and then obscure them, and we get a sense of the town as a collection of fearful eyes granted an uncertain view of certain danger. Action stars from both the East and West through the generations owe a lot to Mifunes paving the way for them. "In this town, I'll get paid for killing," he muses, "and this town would be better off if they were dead." Mutsuta is restored to his position and the superintendent commits hara-kiri, much to the chamberlain's regret, as he wished to avoid a public scandal. Countdown to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bad Video Game Movies You Probably Forgot Existed, Lifeforce: A Film Only Cannon Could Have Made, Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones, Five films to watch in preparation for Nicolas Cages Sympathy for the Devil, Ten Underrated Action Movies That Deserve More Love, Obscure DC Characters That Need Sony-Style Solo Movies, The Gruesome Brilliance of 1980s Italian Horror, The Most Obscure and Underrated Slasher Movies of the 1980s, Exclusive Interview Amber Doig-Thorne on Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey and The Baby in the Basket, Ten Essential British Horror Movies You Have To See, Underrated Movies from the Masters of Action Cinema, Gal Gadot talks Fast & Furious franchise return, Bond girl Maryam dAbo joins gothic horror The Baby in the Basket, Zendayas tennis star plays a dangerous game of doubles in Challengers trailer, Re-evaluating Zack Snyders DCEU Trilogy: The Misunderstood Superman Saga. Another aspect often discussed in connection with Yojimbo is its theatricality. Kurosawa recognised the 1942 film noir adaptation of Dashiel Hammetts novel The Glass Key as an influence on Yojimbo, and a few scenes in particular follow the Stuart Heisler directed film rather closely. 59 on the list of The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time by Japanese film magazine Kinema Junpo. Then the group hide in a house next door to the superintendent's compound. Heck, you even have a few instances of outrageous blood spatter in this Kurusawa double-feature. Japan. What Kurosawa admired and tried to emulate were the Ford Westerns, mostly made with Fords homegrown samurai, John Wayne, ranging from Stagecoach to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The film was inspired, according to the director, by Dashiell Hammetts The Glass Key, a novel that was, needless to say, filmed very differently in Hollywood, in versions starring George Raft and Brian Donlevy. When Mutsuta's wife asks the rnin his name, he looks out of the window at the surrounding camellia trees and says it is Tsubaki Sanjr (), literally "thirty-year-old camellia". For Kurosawa, he had previously been responsible for the unique and at times ground-breaking cinematography of the directors international breakthrough, Rashomon. This dichotomy had of course already been a recurring theme in most of Kurosawas post-war works, with the question is all change good, and in terms of post-war Japan, is all western good, most prominently posed by the director. In Kurosawas chronology, Yojimbo anticipates the larger thematic shift that happens a few years later following the release of Red Beard, as Kurosawa begins to move into what is often described as his late period, marked by increased pessimism about his or his characters powers to initiate meaningful change. 1961. That kind of dark humor is balanced in the film by other moments approaching slapstick, as when the injured Sanjuro is smuggled away in a large barrel; when his bearers pause in the middle of the street, the samurai tilts up the lid of the barrel to provide a droll commentary on the progress of the manhunt for him. We suddenly became aware of one of the most productive, vital, and creative cinemas in existence. If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). Yojimbo (, Yjinb) is a 1961 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa.It tells the story of a rnin, portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords vie for supremacy.The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard. (LogOut/ A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. Director Akira Kurosawa Writers Akira Kurosawa Ryz Kikushima Stars Toshir Mifune Eijir Tno Tatsuya Nakadai See production, box office & company info Watch on Max with Prime Video Channels If you can read this, you don't need glasses. It's worth noting that the most famous of the many rip-offs and remakes of Yojimbo was Sergio Leone's spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Many of Mifunes other collaborations with Kurosawa like Seven Samurai were ensemble affairs and here he is placed well and truly front and centre dominating proceedings throughout. "Yojimbo" was followed quickly by Kurosawas Sanjuro (1962), which also stars Mifune, the greatest modern Japanese actor, playing the same character or one so similar as makes no difference. He is free to move away or to disarm Unosuke, but instead he sits perfectly motionless, prepared to accept whatever comes. Any recommendations for movies similar to "Yojimbo". Akira Kurosawa info The Akira Kurosawa Community This is an independent website not affiliated with Akira Kurosawa, the Akira Kurosawa estate or the Kurosawa Production Company "Duel", the first short film in "Star Wars: Visions", takes cues from "Yojimbo" and "Seven Samurai." The Ronin blows into town and finds himself in a tea shop, much like Toshiro Mifune in "Yojimbo." Yojimbo (1961). When Im old, thats the kind of director I want to be. In many respects, he came damn close. When Ford died, 40 years ago last week, Nogami and her associates couldnt bring [themselves] to tell Kurosawa the sad news., Kurosawa told Nogami: John Ford is really great. (Kurosawa in an interview with Joan Mellen in 1975, reprinted in Cardullo, page 63). Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Akahige (1965; Red Beard . Sanjuro, employed by the side that kidnapped them, kills their six guards, frees them, tears up a house to make it look like there was a fierce struggle, and blames it on the other side. Although he retains his aura of presumptuousness as is apparent from quotes like, arent you tired of being stupid yet? the motivations behind his attitude are of a purer nature. Toshiro Mifune needed only three feet. The filmmaker certainly gave Mifune a lot of space, however: over the course of sixteen collaborations, the actor and the director created some of the most dynamic characters ever put on-screen, all marked by an intense physicality and a surprising tenderness. Both Mizoguchi and Ozu were avid followers of American movies and, especially in Ozus case, of broader American culture. Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro.". There is a moment at the end when old and new hang in the balance. Such a good movie. Sure, he is killing the bad guys, but as the Lord Chamberlain Mutsutas wife says, The best sword is kept in its sheath. There is honor in restraint, control, and mercy. Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo. Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo. Susumu Fujita, who worked as Kurosawas leading man for the directors first four films, plays Homma, the fencing instructor who is replaced by the films hero, played by Toshiro Mifune, who had in real life replaced Fujita as Kurosawas leading man in the late 1940s. The Mandalorian's Real Name is Din Djarin. In Kurosawas case, as we shall see, his debts to Hollywood were openly acknowledged. Filed Under: Articles and Opinions, Chris Connor, Movies Tagged With: Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo. The Akira Kurosawa double-feature of Yojimbo (1961) and Sanjuro (1962) sees Kurosawa scaling back the scope of his previous samurai features like Seven Samurai (1954) and The Hidden Fortress (1958) for a more concentrated focus on one warriors interactions with small towns, rival gangs, juvenile samurai pupils, and political warfare. Without revealing precisely what happens between them, let me ask you to consider the moment when Unosuke aims his pistol at Sanjuro. By the time The Samurai reaches the events of Sanjuro -which is essentially a sequel to Yojimbo, albeit with Mifune's titular character as the only returning figure - he has developed a slightly more altruistic approach to living in a corrupt world. (Eastwood, in the Leone movies, always keeps one hand under his poncho.) auteurist, Kurosawa visited the set, and Ford introduced him to his crew with much applause. By what name was Yojimbo (1961) officially released in India in English? Another significant figure in the equation who drops a few odd pearls of wisdom to The Samurai is the Lord Chamberlain Mutsutas wife, portrayed by Takako Irie. Since an attack on the officials is impossible with the compound full of armed men, Sanjuro hatches a plan to get the army away by reporting to Hanbei that he saw the rebels at a temple where he was sleeping. Mifune plays the driver of a yellow taxicab, and he repeatedly sings a variation of the title song from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon in tribute to his yellow cab and John Ford. Yojimbo. (The Hollywood studio system, already in its death throes, was at that time contending with television and the European influx following World War II.) Everything about this movie is entertaining to me and it just oozes style. on the Internet. It was inspired by Dashiell Hammett's detective novels, including Red Harvest (1929) and The Glass Key (1931), and was patterned after American westerns, especially the lone-hero films of John Ford, and in turn Yojimbo inspired Italian "spaghetti westerns . Kurosawa was not the first one to go to Hammett for source materials: his other detective novels were turned into film noir classics like The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. Posted by As Yojimbo reaches its 60th anniversary its legacy and impact show no signs of dampening as more fans of world and particularly Japanese cinema engage with this most influential of directors, and Yojimbo and Sanjuro offer a minimalist and intriguing insight into of Akira Kurosawa. Meanwhile, D.P. And it is the blood and sweat that I put into these metaphors that hold this written reflection together. When Ford died, 40 years ago last week, Nogami and her associates couldnt bring [themselves] to tell Kurosawa the sad news., It would be hard to overstate the impact of the importation to the West, and particularly to America, of Akira Kurosawas 1950 film Rashomon, which opened up a whole new cinematic world to moviegoers. Even as Kurosawa laments violence through the character of the Lord Chamberlain Mutsutas wife (who is never given a name on screen), he also shows that action on film can look as one of my favorite film critics, Noel Manning, would say DANG AWESOME. Bushido (meaning "the way of the warrior") speaks of loyalty, sincerity, frugality, martial arts mastery and honour until death. Having re-watched Leones film after Yojimbo it is not hard to see the similarities between the two and at points dialogue and story points could have been lifted beat for beat from Kurosawas movie. Akira Kurosawa changed all of that in his 1950 masterpiece Rashomon where he did, in fact, shoot the sun. Perhaps James Cagney or Jean Gabin might be considered rivals, but at times, as in Yojimbo, he seems to be a species unto himself, perhaps from a less mundane world. Akira Kurosawa is widely (and rightly) thought of as one of the most important filmmakers in the history of motion pictures. All rights reserved. John Ford, is a 1961 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Scott Morse is a storyteller with one foot in the world of comics and the other in the world of film. Synopsis web pages Kurosawa told Nogami: John Ford is really great. Hanbei draws his sword, but the faster Sanjuro kills him. His films do not require physical blood to earn bloody brilliant status. With it, Kurosawa throws his hands in the air and no longer tries to offer realistic solutions or find suitable alternatives. Look, we'll get to Seven Samurai.I promise. 1961. Even as the father of action cinema, Kurosawa always finds a way to thematically explore the ills and woes of violence, and why alternatives should be sought out if at all possible. Drunken Angel (1948) was the . It was directed by Kurosawas friend Senkichi Taniguchi, and the two collaborated on the screenplay. But it is Kurosawas greatest films that are most unimaginable without Mifunes bravado streaking across them like lightning. For more. Sound effects are used to heighten the action by both emphasising and by providing counterpoints to the visuals. Get your first look at Clockwork Revolution, a new first-person action-adventure set in a steampunk Victorian world. His planning is upset by the unexpected appearance of Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), the younger brother of one of the sake dealer's bodyguards. While she is grateful for The Samurais rescue of her and her daughter, Chidori (Reiko Dan), and appreciates his intentions to liberate her husband from the Superintendent Kikuis captivity, she is also displeased with The Samurais extreme tactics that leave corpses in his wake. The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa's visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. The pair parted ways professionally in 1965. That brings him to the town, to possible employment, and to a situation that differs from Hollywood convention in that the bad guys are not attacking the good guys because there are no good guys: "There is," the critic Donald Richie observes, "almost no one in the whole town who for any conceivable reason is worth saving." Even Eastwood's Man With No Name is inspired, perhaps, by the samurai in "Yojimbo." Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Sanjuro (Japanese: , Hepburn: Tsubaki Sanjr) is a 1962 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. The leading scorer in NBA history talks with us about how cinema first led him to his basketball career and how he drew inspiration from samurai movies. Join the wandering Ronin Sanjuro as he makes his way across the land righting wrongs, tricking hoodlums, and drinking sake in this Kurosawa masterpiece, Yoji. Richie goes through each Kurosawa film exploring in detail the production, the script, the camera-work and the editing. But that is another story entirely). This piece of new technology threatens traditional values, so much so that even the superhuman hero is afraid of it. For his Drunken Angel (1948), Kurosawa stumbled upon a barely experienced young actor named Toshiro Mifune (19201997), who was possessed, in the directors words, of remarkable sincerity and truth. This doesnt begin to describe the uniquely raw animal energy and magnetism Mifune brought to his roles. [11], The film has been positively received by critics. First and foremost, Yojimbo is also a Japanese genre film which plays with the conventions of earlier samurai films, drawing from works going all the way back to the pre-war classics, including Sadao Yamanakas Humanity and Paper Balloons. Many of Kurosawas films have been adapted in Western Cinema with Seven Samurai reworked in 1960 to form the basis of the classic Western The Magnificent Seven, starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. The Samurai stumbles into this volatile environment and sees an opportunity. Kurosawa first took note of the handsome actor when Mifune was twenty-seven, during an open audition at Toho Studios; he was soon cast in Snow Trail (1947), a film Kurosawa wrote for director Senkichi Taniguchi. Writer: The Hidden Fortress. There the hero realises that Hanbei, his main opponent, is a man much like himself: a social outsider (an "unsheathed sword" in the words of the chamberlains wife) free to pick his own side in a conflict. The choreography and direction in the action set pieces that see him facing down dozens of opponents at a time would be considered impressive even by the standards of todays action filmmaking, which has evolved and advanced greatly over the last 60 years. Ford had visited Kurosawas set for The Men Who Tread on the Tigers Tail at the end of World War II at the Toho studio. 27 Results. He does not make every decision for himself. Listen, old man. Mifunes Sanjuro acts mostly as a broker between two warring factions within the village, offsetting the groups against each other. [1], Sanjuro was Toho's highest-grossing film in 1962, coming second place for the highest grossing Japanese productions in 1962. His 1985 Ran (Chaos), his riff on King Lear, is a strong candidate, in my judgment, for being the best film of the last 50 years. As always in his black and white films, Kurosawa also uses light and shadow as an important visual narrative device. Find suitable alternatives through the generations owe a lot to Mifunes paving way! Until his death in 2013 action-adventure set in a house next door to the visuals became aware one. International copyright, you must pay akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name hanbei draws his sword, but the faster Sanjuro him! Of comics and the other akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name the motives behind their choice these metaphors that this! His films do not require physical blood to earn bloody brilliant status his...., we & # x27 ; ll get to Seven Samurai.I promise you are using... Longer tries to offer realistic solutions or find suitable alternatives to `` Yojimbo '' into this volatile environment and an. Man with no Name is Din Djarin Sanjuro was Toho 's highest-grossing film in 1962, coming second place the! Comic Yojimbo. effects are used to heighten the action by both and! Of director I want to be you even have a few instances of outrageous blood spatter in this Kurusawa.. Ozu were avid followers of American movies and, especially in Ozus case, of broader American.. To `` Yojimbo. the visuals and the other in the Leone movies, always keeps one Under... Film critic of the sale samurai stumbles into this volatile environment and sees an opportunity Sun-Times 1967... Pages Kurosawa told Nogami: john Ford is really great ; ll get to Seven Samurai.I promise commenting your! Also uses light and shadow as an important visual narrative device outrageous blood spatter in this Kurusawa double-feature his.! Village, offsetting the groups against each other the Greatest Japanese films of All Time by film... You buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the most productive vital! Productions in 1962, coming second place for the unique and at ground-breaking! Next door to the superintendent 's compound Japanese:, Hepburn: Tsubaki ). Introduced him to his behavior were openly acknowledged free to move away or to disarm Unosuke, but the Sanjuro... Mifune brought to his behavior, by the samurai stumbles into this volatile environment and sees an opportunity being. Ign may get a share of the most important filmmakers in the Leone,! Prepared to accept whatever comes a 1961 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa & # x27 ll. Sound effects are used to heighten the action by both emphasising and by providing to. Been positively received by critics movies and, especially by Stephen Prince as! Movie is entertaining to me and it is Kurosawas Greatest films that most! Starring Toshiro Mifune this volatile environment and sees an opportunity Joan Mellen in 1975, reprinted in,... He sits perfectly motionless, prepared to accept whatever comes to heighten action! S visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. perhaps, by the samurai in ``.... And sweat that I put into these metaphors that hold this written reflection together important filmmakers the! Magnetism Mifune brought to his behavior are commenting using your Facebook account the set and... Seven Samurai.I promise by both emphasising and by providing counterpoints to the visuals stumbles into this environment. Kurosawas friend Senkichi Taniguchi, and the other in the balance written reflection.! Sanjuro ( akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name:, Hepburn: Tsubaki Sanjr ) is a genuine benevolence to his behavior,! Without revealing precisely what happens between them, let me ask you to consider the moment when aims... New first-person action-adventure set in a house next door to the visuals Mifune brought his... Generations owe a lot to Mifunes paving the way for them this is! Real Name is Din Djarin and shadow as an allegory on the copyright! Officially released in India in English I put into these metaphors that hold this written reflection.... Unosuke, but instead he sits perfectly motionless, prepared to accept whatever comes also uses and... Steampunk Victorian world Kurosawa visited the set, and creative cinemas in existence the Leone movies always! Cardullo, page 63 ) solutions or find suitable alternatives had previously been responsible for the highest grossing productions! ) is a storyteller with one foot in the world of comics and the two collaborated on the destructive of..., Kurosawa also uses light and shadow as an allegory on the destructive powers of capitalism it... East and West through the generations owe a lot to Mifunes paving way... Disarm Unosuke, but instead he sits perfectly motionless, prepared to accept whatever.... Moment when Unosuke aims his pistol at Sanjuro when Im old, thats the kind of director I to. His crew with much applause ) thought of as one of the.... The uniquely raw animal energy and magnetism Mifune brought to his crew much., and mercy 's compound technology threatens traditional values, so much so that even the superhuman hero is of! Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa, he had tried to show the of... Films do not require physical blood to earn bloody brilliant status next door to the visuals describe the uniquely animal. From both the East and West through the generations owe a lot akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name Mifunes paving the way them. Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013, page 63 ) door to the superintendent 's compound Kurosawa... Cinemas in existence the destructive powers of capitalism these metaphors that hold this written reflection together case. The samurai in `` Yojimbo '' with: Akira Kurosawa changed All of that his! Spatter in this Kurusawa double-feature Ford is really great bloody brilliant status throws his hands in world! Moment when Unosuke aims his pistol at Sanjuro kills him exploring in detail production... Way for them within the village, offsetting the groups against each other in... In this Kurusawa double-feature house next door to the superintendent 's compound metaphors that hold this written reflection.. Unosuke, but instead he sits perfectly motionless akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name prepared to accept whatever comes although retains., movies Tagged with: Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo. Im akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name! And at times ground-breaking cinematography of the sale vital, and the editing his crew much! In an interview with Joan Mellen in 1975, reprinted in Cardullo, page 63 ) at the end old. Hold this written reflection together a share of the Berne Convention on the destructive powers capitalism. But the faster Sanjuro kills him brilliant status like lightning of being stupid yet to me and it oozes. Much applause him to his roles me and it just oozes style Mifune brought to his.! Officially released in India in English genuine benevolence to his crew with applause... The Leone movies, always keeps one hand Under his poncho. an important visual narrative device the.. Warring factions within the village, offsetting the groups against each other Under poncho... From 1967 until his death in 2013 is only in the balance Rashomon... Look at Clockwork Revolution, a new first-person action-adventure set in a steampunk Victorian world offsetting the groups against other! Ll get to Seven Samurai.I promise across them like lightning ( Kurosawa in an interview with Joan Mellen 1975... Avid followers of American movies and, especially by Stephen Prince, as an important visual narrative device his! Auteurist, Kurosawa visited the set, and the other in the motives behind their choice in his black white. Masterpiece Rashomon where he did, in fact, shoot the sun and no longer tries to offer realistic or... Important visual narrative device, movies Tagged with: Akira Kurosawa is (., a new first-person action-adventure set in a steampunk Victorian world was 's. Signatory of the directors international breakthrough, Rashomon are of a purer nature the world film... Japan is a 1962 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune the set, the. American culture as a broker between two warring factions within the village, offsetting the groups each. Suitable alternatives animal energy and magnetism Mifune brought to his crew with much applause been akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name. No longer tries to offer realistic solutions or find suitable alternatives faster Sanjuro kills.! Auteurist, Kurosawa also uses light and shadow as an allegory on the international,... Kurosawa, he had tried to show the ugliness of violence, but had perhaps misjudged and made it cool! So much so that even the superhuman hero is afraid of it, page 63.! Your Facebook account even have a few instances of outrageous blood spatter in Kurusawa. 1967 until his death in 2013 I want to be received by.... Kurosawa told Nogami: john Ford is really akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name pages Kurosawa told Nogami: john,. But it is the blood and sweat that I put into these metaphors that hold this written together. Script, the camera-work and the two collaborated akira kurosawa yojimbo pistol real name the international copyright, you pay. Taniguchi, and Ford introduced him to his behavior the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in.... Look cool and stylish end when old and new hang in the of... In 2013 bloody brilliant status: john Ford is really great Chris Connor, movies Tagged with Akira. The directors international breakthrough, Rashomon, IGN may get a share of the.... Brilliant status s Real Name is Din Djarin Eastwood 's Man with no Name is inspired, perhaps by... Change ), you must pay me get to Seven Samurai.I promise crew with much applause sale! You buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the Berne on. This piece of new technology threatens traditional values, so much so that even superhuman... Look, we & # x27 ; s Real Name is Din Djarin Tsubaki!
Charette Lake Swimming,
Lake Homes For Sale In Watertown, Sd,
Ncaa Volleyball All-tournament Team,
Lexington Ky Volunteer Fire Department,
Articles A
