In some measure, and especially nearer the beginning, there's a certain air of casualness in the craft of the picture - or maybe even carefree abandon - that amounts to a sense of playfulness, or perhaps fantastical whimsy. This is reflected in the consistent lighter flourishes in Ichiro Saito's generally dynamic, dramatic score (especially music cues during scene transitions), as well as in dialogue and scene writing, but also even in fight choreography, which doesn't always come across with all due authenticity. 'Naruto hicho' quickly feels very distinct from Teinosuke Kinugasa's most famous, more direly serious-minded pictures, even as it demonstrates the same wonderful attention to details like costume design, set design and decoration, and props and weapons. Kohei Sugiyama's cinematography, similarly, is just as rich and vivid as in the director's other films.
And still none of this compares to narrative writing that from one scene to the next feels curiously disjointed for too much of the length. Many characters are introduced, but their alignments, motivations, and indeed the essence of their identities are left unclear for too long; each subsequent moment to greet our vision often seems disconnected, to one extent or another, from both the prior and the next. Why, even the climax seems to arrive with an abruptness that makes me pause and wonder, in the very instant that blades clash, how we got to this precise point from the preceding scenes. All these disparate parts do gel into a cohesive whole, but only slowly, and without perfect clarity or coherence - and with the sensation less of a period action-drama, and more of the samurai equivalent of a boisterous Hong Kong kung fu flick.
There's a lot going on here, for better and for worse. Even minding every indelicacy and idiosyncrasy, however, overall 'Naruto hicho' is entertaining. I admire the cast's performances, even if some relationships between characters or reactions as written feel forced and less than genuine. Though not always successful in their realization, the concept of fight scenes are enticing. Kinugasa once more illustrates a keen eye in arranging shots and scenes at large. Despite the fractured jumble of the plot as it presents, Eiji Yoshikawa's story is compelling, and worthy; I think the rendition that we get perhaps impresses as abbreviated, as though the saga before us should actually have played out in a feature at least 50% longer so as to allow each component of the tale to be expanded more fruitfully. And still, the movie we get feels overlong - yet through the confusion, the narrative is duly engaging.
Having watched a few of Kinugasa's other films and absolutely loved them, I wish I could say that I viewed 'Naruto hicho' with equal favor. I repeat myself, but though the story bears engrossing drama, it's the persistent inarticulate disunity in the screenplay penned by the director himself with Minoru Inuzuka that most deserves critique here. If my words are a mixture of contradicting thoughts, it's only a reflection of how the film is likewise marked with a sharp duality of both value and disadvantage in nigh every element. Ultimately I like this, and find it enjoyable - but it could and should have been more readily satisfying than it is. For its flaws, 'Naruto hicho' isn't essential, and you needn't go out of your way to watch it - but all the same, if you have the opportunity, it's nonetheless worth checking out.
