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Louis Proyect wrote: > > The figure of the ronin, or unemployed samurai, is a staple of Japanese > movies that received its most celebrated treatment in Akira Kurosawa’s > “Yojimbo” and “The Seven Samurai”. Recently I saw two movies made in > 1962—both available from Netflix—that offered starkly contrasting views > of their ronin heroes, suggesting as a corollary alternative takes on > Japanese culture and values. > > read full review: > http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/chushingura-harakiri/ > Along with Seven Samurai, two of my favorite Jidaigeki films. In 'Harakiri' Tetsue Nakadai, I think, is unrecognizable from all the other characters he plays in the films I've seen. Kagemusha and Ran are prime examples. It seems to me that in Harakiri Kobayashi was able to successfully adapt the Italian neo-realist visual style to Jidakei, though Kurasawa had already achieved that some years before in Seven Samurai and 'To Live', in Gendaigeki. Chusingura, is most excellent even if overly-melodramatic. In my estimation its epic style and scope is at a par with Lean's 'Lawrence of Arabia'. My favorite part is when the young lord tries to fit in during the Shogun's emissaries visit' while the old, greedy lord conspires his downfall. The interiors are magnificent and the shots evoke the gorgeous watercolors I've seen on the net depicting the story. Thanks, Louis, for reminding me of this great cinema! -- View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/-Marxism--Chushingura--Harakiri-tp27829141p27829945.html Sent from the Marxism mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
