Now i think we all know Akira Kurosawa is a genious; there is no point going into that. The reason he is amazing to me is his writting style. The genious of his writing comes from truth. the people depicted in his films are serious when they need to be, or phony when they need to be. it's all up to him. Kurosawa blends comedy, drama and action into this arthouse masterpeice (both Yojimbo and Sanjuro). his camera techniques are revolutionary: the swish pans, "wipe effect", ECU of characters etc. his use of weather to define emotions and his trademark for Samurai and ronins. this is the revolutionary genious of Kurosawa. in all his films, "Shichinin No Samurai", "Kagemusha", "Roshomon", "Throne of Blood", "High and Low", "Ikiru" and "Dersu Uzala" emit and effect like none other: reality. everything happens with a purpose, everything is efficient. In "Yojimbo", we are presented with a highly formulated story; one that takes muliple viewings. we have our ronin, played electrically by Toshirô Mifune, who stumbles upon the troubled town. and keeps on going from town to town. he learns something that is not about winning, but about life itself.
Here we have it.
Yojimbo: Again, our ronin, Mifune, lands in a town populated by two rival gangster families. they take jabs at each other once in a while but nothing ever relly happens. sure, three or four are killed each day but nothing major. Then Mifune comes along. he wants to con both families for money. he shows the families that he can kill about every living thing in sight. now they fight for him exactly as planned. each one offers ore and more. he accepts, takes the money sometimes and then goes to the other family. his ulitimate plan though, is a good deed. both families are, for lack of a better word, "bad-guys". by wiping both out he can douse the crime in the country. he will not kill all of them by himself, he will set them against each other so they wil kill themselves. there is much lying and conning in the film which shows Kurosawa's own wit and cleaverness. this is an exquisite ride. a thrill and masterpeice of the 60's. this film was remade in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western called "A Fist Full of Dollars" from 1964 which was another great film. this shows Kurosawa's versatility. his films touch certain subjects that can be used in any form or and setting in the world. My grandfather made an interesting but obvious observation about the film: it's like a John Ford film where John Wayne is the expirienced, burnt-out, wise character helping the naive get what was theirs. he is absolutly correct. Ford was Kurosawa's idol and is in about every one of his shots. There is also a good deal of comedy such as Inokichi, Ushitora's (one of the family's leader) rotund brother who just looks like a bufoon. Yojimbo means bodyguard in which Mifune was hired as many times. The score by Masaru Satô has such a unique sound ofr the early 60's and i really have not heard anything like it. we can see many correlations between this and Ang Lee's masterpeice "Wo Hu Cang Long".
Sanjuro: Some believe that this is the weaker of the two but like the Kill Bill series, one can't be better than the other because it's a continuation! one can't do without the other. i think both are expertly written, masterfully acted and of course gorgeously shot. So our ronin comes upon a bunch of youngsters devising a plan to rescue their framed uncle. of course Mifune sees a billion hole through their plan and decides, after correcting them a few times, to help. the corrupt superintendent holding the uncle has the army and the fortress but his advisors are not exactly deft at what they do. So we have our sly samurai and a handfull of good-hearted and fiery worriors and you have yourself a picture. Mifune goes up to the superintendent and shows his skills and the superintendent takes him on as a bodyguard; another way to get in. The women often play that role of the weak and non-violent which changed quite a bit in the years to come. Like "Yojimbo" there is much trickery and Mifune lies through his teeth but makes everything sound convincing. This makes him a better hero than batman. I love the films smartness. it really makes the film what it is. the climax is something out of a Tarantino film. i remember the first time i saw the film, it was late and by the end, i was beginning to fall asleep, the climax woke me up. This is what Tarantino revolve around, this style of fimmaking. the raunchy, kick-ass characters with stern voices. the spraying blood effect which is unrealistic but gives the neccesary effect.
Both films are masterpeices. all Kurosawa's are. i love his style, smarts and everything else. The films shocking violence and disturbing images mst have been quite a surprise and it would have been interesting to see the reaction. Probably like that of "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967. i feel so inspired after watching a Kuroswa. if you notice, Mifune's character in both films is very much like that of a dog. the way he scratches himself looks at others and ponders on their faces. i love little nuances such as those. these films should be cherished forever. it is a lost art that Criterion Collection continues to preserve.
"Yojimbo" Academy Award:
"Yojimbo" Academy Award:
| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Nominated | Oscar | Best Costume Design, Black-and-White Yoshirô Muraki |
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