Saturday, August 9th, 2008

Samarai Rebillion - One of Mifune’s Best

SAMURAI REBELLION is a great showcase for both Masaki Kobayashi, the director, and Toshiro Mifune, two years after his last Kurosawa film.  Here, in this 1967 film set in 1745 feudal Japan, this actually is quite heavy with dialogue.  Mifune plays the patrioch whose has had Yoko Tsukawa as Ichi forced into his family.  She gets married to his son Takeshi Kato and Mifune is pleased with the relationship.

This being feudal Japan, the top lord of Edo, which later became Tokyo, can take women back, trade them off to other subjects.  There is a lot of cross cutting between the two families.  The lord has most of the men and all movements quite calculated as usually seen in Japanese period films.

Kobayashi is less known than Kurosawa but he is very amazing.  This shows feudal society where the weak just obey.  However, once Mifune disagrees, there’s no changing his mind.  In fact, he wants to expose how unfair feudal society was.

There is quite a build up to the sword fight where Mifune takes on many.  Every conceivable option is discussed and when Yoko responds, the action is quick and furious.  But the best is yet to come.  Mifune fighting of the army hiding in bushes after vanquishing future star Nakadai is quite a cinematic sight to see.