L'ultimo samurai

If there is one thing to be said about this film, it is excellent in every detail - story, direction, cinematography, music, action, I could go on and on. There are few film makers who can turn a simple tale of feudal injustice into such a moving drama.

As the movie progresses, Toshiro Mifune's character slowly transforms into an epic hero - for his sense of honour and his love for his Son for which he is ready to defy his own honour-bound Samurai's oath, to rebel against the very world he lives in. The heroism and integrity of his sacrifice are presented in exquisite detail with poignant dialogue (even in subtitles). This in itself is an amazing achievement when the compared to the trend nowadays is to try to impress the viewer with visual trickery or mind-numbing fight sequences with excessive violence.

I truly appreciate Masaki Kobayashi for the respect he shows to his viewer's intelligence, for intelligently presenting the true heroism of a human standing up against impossible odds.As an exercise, you may compare this movie with the over-budgeted disaster of a Hollywood movie called "The Last Samurai" to know what I am talking about. With an excellent story and great characters with potential for true heroism, "The Last Samurai" is one of the dumbest movies ever made.

This is also no dumb "You killed my master so I will kill you" Hong Kong movie or a "Lone Wolf" movie with it's absurd and senseless blood-spilling. All of you Action movie fans, this is also not a beat-each-other-to-pulp or chop-you-up-like-a-fish movie.

The fight sequences are excellently executed and are almost the best that I have seen so far (The fight sequences in Harakiri must be THE BEST ever).The character of Tatsuya Nakadai is interesting as well in that it is not really clear what his true intentions are - he seems torn between his selfish desire to better Mifune's character in a duel bound up with his loyalty to his clan against his honour as a friend. Warning: So watch it if you enjoy an excellently told social drama and you will see what makes a masterly piece of art.

Those of us who are really into cinema know that Japanese cinema in general and samurai cinema of the 60's in particular is a genre not to be overlookedOne of the most popular Japanese directors who has contributed to this genre ('Yojimbo', 'Sanjuro', 'Kagemusha' etc) is Akira Kurosawa (and I myself appreciate Mr. Kurosawa a lot). However he has over-shadowed (at least for the occidental movie fan) a lot of other Japanese directors from this period of the 60's. One of this director is Masaki Kobayashi and one of his movie that has been forgotten is 'Joi-uchi: Hairyo tsuma shimatsu' (AKA 'Samurai Rebellion').

'Samurai Rebellion' - 1967 is in fact a great movie, a masterpiece. It tells the story of an aging swordsman named Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) who during a time of peace (1725 - 1727) decide to retire and leaves the command of the family to his elder son, Suga. Unfortunately when his clan lord request that Isaburo's son marry the lord's mistress the henpecked life that Isaburo was living changed to the worst and split his family into two. This movie is irreproachable; the filming was mastered by Mr. Kobayashi and the acting outstanding. Indeed not only Toshiro Mifune but also the beautiful Yoko Tsukasa (as Ichi Sasahara) the bride of Isaburo's son are a good example of how temperance can trigger emotions on screen. The photography has been done by the book, every panoramic, close-up, etc are perfect and very Japanese (meaning very geometrical). The pacing is also a perfect mix of slow pace scenes that provide character's depth and fast pace scenes for breathless action and sword duels. In short the movie is technically perfect. However what seduced me in this movie is not so much the perfection of the film from a technique point of view but more the originality and the modernity of the story. The rebellion from this master swordsman (Isaburo Sasahara) who is ready to fight for the happiness of both his son and his son's bride is profoundly humanist. Mr. Kobayashi demonstrates with brio that the notion of Justice transcends Cultures and that there is no code of honor that is above the human code

In a world where apathy rules 'Samurai Rebellion' is definitely a modern testimony and shows that Revolt can also be a path to follow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brilliant direction, excellent writing and superb acting make for one of the most intelligent and entertaining films to come out of Japan! Mifune is magnificent as the samurai who is forced to choose between family and duty. Scathing in its portrayal of feudal Japanese society this film works as both exciting historical drama and heart breaking melodrama. Mifune's stand against social injustice is presented in a totally believable yet poignantly touching manner. His scenes with his baby granddaughter are absolutely beautiful! The end of the film is both ferociously brutal and incredibly tender. What a combination! "Rebellion" leaves you emotionally drained yet asking for more!

Samurai Rebellion is one of the best films I've ever seen. Masaki Kobayashi is my favorite Japanese director next to Kurosawa, at times even surpassing the latter. Samurai Rebellion is a well-acted, brilliantly directed film about standing up against injustice that manages to tug firmly on one's heart strings without ever being cloying. Mifune shows the full extent of his acting abilities by not having to play the sort of macho character that he came quite close to being typecast as, and Yôko Tsukasa is no less remarkable. The soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu is also wonderful, serving to add another layer to the film's narrative and emotional impact rather than merely emphasizing it. Another remarkable aspect of the film is the use of violence: Although the fight scenes near the end are brilliantly choreographed and filmed, they're not in the least glamourous, depicting the desperation, sadness and anger of Mifune's character. It's a terrible shame that most people will never see this film, one that most likely deserves to be considered a classic of world cinema, just because it isn't directed by Kurosawa.