WILLIAM FLANIGAN SANJURO / CAMELLIA'S SANJURO (Lit.) / (TSUBAKI SANJÛRÔ). Viewed on Streaming. Restoration/preservation = ten (10) stars; cinematography = ten (10) stars; choreography = four (4) stars; subtitles = four (4) stars; "music" = one (1) star. Director Akira Kurosawa (who is also credited as a screen play co-writer) provides a comical and flowery (literally) addition to movie samurai myth and make believe in a sound-stage-entombed photo play about a wandering samurai (Ronin) with a sense of humor who turns up to provide adult sanity and guidance for local amateurs bent on going after their corrupt clan leaders but clueless as to how to proceed (and survive). Kurosawa fills his film with lots and lots and lots of dialog (especially funny one liners) and humorous nonsense including having the rebels living (anonymously?) in a mansion right next door to the corrupt clan leader's estate with the properties connected by a stream used to secretly communicate (with spies in the leadership's household) by means of floating camellia blossoms--I kind you not! Unrealistic, poorly- choreographed sword swinging (even the allusion of reality is left far behind!) briefly occurs here and there with the film suddenly ending in a fire-hose blast of blood from a samurai with EXTREMELY high blood pressure! This is first and last (and everywhere in between) lead-actor Toshiro Mifune's film (to the point of embarrassment). Kurosawa's reverential direction can be dispensed with along with the genuflecting cast. (But not the satirical script writers, cinematographer or lighting department personnel!) Cinematography (2.35 : 1, black and white) is always careful to photograph Mifune placed closest to the camera so as to make the actor look much bigger than all others in the frame (lighting is also employed to enhance this bigger-than-life effect). There are some unique photo angles and cleaver tracking shots (made through phony studio bushes). The wide-screen format is usually fully filled. As for "music," there isn't much beyond the use of sound effects especially that of a cracking whip. When subtitles are visible (white lettering on white backgrounds makes for guessing here and there), they appear to be close enough to the dialog. Enjoyable live-action cartoon movie. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

sharky_55 This is a funny little film from Kurosawa. It's designated as a sequel to the excellent Yojimbo, yet if there was ever a film that did not or even should not receive a sequel, it would be Yojimbo. Even though Mifune had the final victory, it was a bitter-sweet farewell to the age of the samurai...the gun replacing the blade. Here his character is once again whole, which goes against everything that Yojimbo's ending had stood for. It would not quite work as a prequel either...we sense that by the film's end the sword may never leave its scabbard again. It works best if you distance yourself from that storyline entirely and merely see this as another wandering samurai's tale. He is still the aged, weathered relic, but not of the past. He has the same trademark twitch in his shoulder and the arm resting in the sling that whips out with deadly force at a moment's notice. The action, like much of Kurosawa's samurai films, is theatrical and overly-dramatic, so much so in Sanjuro that it almost seems like he is parodying his own style. The score pipes up appropriately to highlight these little comic flourishes; the dozen young samurai emerging from the floorboards like frightened mice, them later cheering and celebrating before quieting down appropriately, the cornered officials scurrying around and collapsing into a surrender (very reminiscent of the police chief from Yojimbo), or the humorous way in which Sanjuro tricks them into frantically hacking off white camellias and scattering them into the stream. Actually it doesn't so much as build to a dramatic climax as it cuts straight into it. It is a heart-stopping final duel. One swift blows sees the villainous Hanbei felled, without any of the dancing theatrics of the previous kills. His chest erupts with a fountain of blood like a geyser, and the pose is held for an eternity. Almost as if Sanjuro was willing for the moment to last that long, for that rush and thrill of killing a man to fill him up all over again...but the film has taught him otherwise. The fun and games are over. At the beginning he would kill dozens for just a small meal. In the end he almost would rather starve.

bigverybadtom Tosohiro Mifune again plays the role of the ronin from Kurasawa's previous movie "Yojimbo", and both share the theme of a wandering lone warrior in a parody of Clint Eastwood "man with no name" Western movies. "Yojimbo" was exciting and amusing; "Sanjuro", alas, is overlong, repetitive and inferior.The story is about a group of samurai meeting in a shrine, one of whom is the nephew of the region's Chamberlain, who had laughed off the nephew's exposure of corruption in the local government. The nephew had then told the local Superintendent, who expressed belief. The ronin, who happened to be sleeping nearby, had overheard the conversation and warns that the Superintendent is the true criminal...and is proved right when the Superintendent send some assassins to kill the nephew and his friends. The ronin manages to trick the assassins into leaving, and the nephew and his friends learn that the Chamberlain had been kidnapped and held hostage.Sounds exciting, right? But then the movie starts to repeat itself, with people continually looking over walls or opening and closing doors, with the ronin running back and forth and fighting and being upset at having to kill people, with the nephew and his friends being mistrustful of the ronin and causing further grief because of it, with troops marching back and forth. The tension is lost and the latter half of the movie slows to a crawl, spoiling the sharp beginning.

morrison-dylan-fan At around the start of 2011,I did a small list of the top 3 directors whose films I wanted to take a good look at during the year.And whilst I got round to seeing some of the fantastic work from two of the directors (Alfred Hitchcock and Dario Argento),the third member of the group,Akira Kurosawa sadly got left behind at the "directors bar",due to me spending most of the year on a "Giallo treasure hunt".As 2011 started to fade from view,I decided that my New Years Revalution would be to finally pick up Akiria from the wilderness,and at last begin to look at the directors work.To my complete surprise,one of the four DVDs that I kindly received as X-Mas gifts was the Kurosawa film Sanjuro,and with the movie being one of Akira's shortest films,I felt that this would probably be the best intro for me to take my first glimpse at Kurosawa's dreams...The plot:Shortly after drinking a little too much sake,a young group of samurai's begin to discuss a growing fear that they have all been having ,over the uncle of the gangs leader (Iori Izaka) possibly betraying them all and going over to a gang filled with an "older" generation of Samurai,which this young group has recently splintered from,due to each of them feeling that the older group of samurai's were starting to become deeply corrupt.Talking to the rest of them,leader Izaka announces that since having spoken to the by-partisan superintend Kikui ,he has reached the conclusion that since his uncle has shown no signs of disapproval against the other group,he strongly feels that his uncle has turned against them,and that he may be acting as a spy for the other gang. As all of the group prepare to meet the superintend for advice over what they should do about the "betraying" uncle,a world-wary samurai suddenly appears from out of the shadows.Disgusted by his cheap looking clothes and the aggressive manner that the mysterious samurai shows towards them.the group initially treat the stranger as untrustworthy,until he begins telling them that they should maybe not treat Kikui as someone who has the gang (and their uncles) best interest at heart…View on the film:The first thing about this wonderful film,which I feel deserves a huge amount of praise is the performance of Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro Tasubaki.Almost from the first moment that Mifune enters the film,director Akira Kurosawa makes him the main image that keeps the audience completely transfixed,as Toshiro brilliantly shows Sanjuro Tasubaki to be a rugged man who has lived through many battles,yet still has the sly fox-like wit and intelligence's that helps him to leave gangs of more "respected" samurai's completely dumbfounded.Whilst Mifune does take centre stage in the film,the performances from the rest of the cast are defiantly ones that should not be over looked,with the under rated Yuzo Kayama giving a very good performance as the young samurai's leader Lori Izaka,who mixes the character's pompous,pedestal- dreaming leadership side,with a terrific dry (unknowing) comedy side, that makes the films unexpected comedic moments a true joy to watch.With having been given the impression from articles that I have read in the past about Kurosawa films being very stern and serious, I was shocked to find that for the screenplay to this film (co-written,with Ryuzo Kikushima and Hideo Oguni) which is based on the novel Peaceful Days by Yamamoto Shugoro,Akira allows himself to show a very endearing fun side,by having the screenplay's "message" of not judging people on their age and appearance being delivered,not with a sledgehammer,but with a thoughtful,measured touch,that really makes the films story resonate with the viewer long after the end credits.Whilst the film's screenplay is not the most complex ever written,Kurosawa's brilliant,cleverly constructed directing makes the film an extremely entrancing watch.In the first half of the film,Akira uses the frame to show a separation that the young samurai group have with this "outsider" over his appearance,by using the widescreen format in the best way possible with a "separation" shown between Sanjuro and the group,with Sanjuro being kept at the front of the frame,and the young gang being kept in the foreground as one solid group.Along with showing the relationship between the different generations,Kurosawa also executes the films wonderful visual comedy moments with a unexpected comedy pro touch.Looking at one of the most eye-catching moments in the film,Kurosawa smartly uses the image of a centipede to show a comedy side of everyone sticking together and not having what a clue to do,whilst also using it for the films more serious side,by using the image to show the young samurai's gradually leaving their prejudices against Sanjuro behind,as he becomes the front of the centipede and the only thing which is keeping this bickering "centipede" together.