I’ve sort of built these films up to Avengers kind of standards in my head like how those films were when they first came out
Like a saga of films I’ve been waiting for for so so long
And they’re hopefully just like a guaranteed good time
Five samurai films, all released in quick succession during the golden age of chanbara by a director responsible for one of my all time favourite films
Now restored and look brand new
What a unique experience and I’ve been so so excited for it
Will this ever be possible again ? Maybe once or twice more but not really like this
I can’t believe it’s finally happening and wow I’m hyped
I had a pretty completely bad experience with Inagaki’s samurai trilogy
It felt lazy, cheap and wayyyy too melodramatic for my liking and if it weren’t for Mifune and the occasional lovely sequence, I might’ve hung up my hat and never watched a film ever again
Looking back I’m aware I should probably try again with those
I tapped into them pretty early on in my jidai-geki journey fresh off the criterion/ celebrated in western media pipeline
And I’m pretty sure a number of my favourite chanbaras now would’ve got similar treatment had I watched them so early on
But also … maybe not …
There were so many (Sword of Doom and Sanjuro to name a few) that I fell in love with instantly, and even tho I had my gripes with Yojimbo, I could still understand the hype and stuff
It was fantastic
But that samurai trilogy … dook
I think it stunk through the screen
It took shortcuts, it felt like an accidental parody of itself which is without a doubt the most insulting thing I’ve ever said about anything ever
I truly truly did not like those films !
And so I was a little skeptical here … bc it’s the exact same story ooooo
It’s the same oooo but it’s just not
And I’m so relieved it’s not
This is gritty and self critical
It glorifies nothing, good or bad
Even the enlightened decisions are questionable
Everything is questioned
It’s slower and breathes more
Which when attempted to bring a man from insolent animal to calm, collected, wise, skilled sage is defo a good thing
It takes its tiiiime
Uchida’s direction is fantastic, rarely discarding a beat or the pacing and managing to chop up the rhythm in line with the overarching story
It helps knowing the sorts of places this’ll end up going I think
So I’m giving it a benefit of the doubt I couldn’t give the trilogy here
Knowing how scrappy and sloppy Nakamura’s action will be because he’s just this beastly subhuman atm
So I’m enjoying the sloppy and straggly movements bc they feel intentional
This just felt like an excellent beginning
To slowly bake all the ingredients in for this story
A slowly growing and changing character
A very linear plot which is perfect for this feeling of a legend
Epic tales of these fascinating people are always told linearly
Everything they do informs everything they will do
Even the beginning of the beginning is so strong
Chucking us right in at Takezo’s lowest
Not even there for the Sekighara battle
What a great decision to make
I’m just super pleased with this
Defo felt a little overlong at the end and so we’ll see if that remains a concern at all … something tells me it might
But from what I’ve seen everyone who’s gone through all five had a couple they really enjoyed
Seems to bounce around a little stylistically
Also wow the performances are fab I was shocked by that
Nothing like super standout except the monk
He seriously felt like Nakadai (eternally the greatest) at his most cheeky and crafty
Like his role in Kill! and parts of Tenchu
I loved every moment of him on screen
But Otsu isn’t annoying she’s actually very believable here I think - unlike the trilogy of errors
And wow the big one
Nakamura can’t hold a candle to Mifune’s Musashi … and everybody knows it
So Uchida I’m sure made this casting decision with an excellent plan in mind: just don’t use Mifune’s Musashi
This is a new character completely
Way more visceral, flawed and rough
Just like the world he occupies
The films are longer, the pacing is slowed
So his arc is longer and his progress is stunted
He’s way more stupid, dirtier, more arrogant and foolish
He’s like he’s an actual dipshart but he’s still trying to do the right thing, even if he’s too stupid to figure out what that is
He’s stubby and earnest and his presence is almost itchy
Idk how they’re gna change this, but moments here I saw what Nakamura’s take on this character may become
I’m picturing Cruel Tale of Bushido here, wondering how his skills on display in that may translate into this character
So I have faith essentially
They won’t go for this other strong larger than life sort of thing
He’ll be go from naive to cunning
Not wise yet, but smart enough to think differently
He’ll make mistakes but they won’t snowball and he will learn and he’ll age
Orrrr they’ll do something else I can’t think of or imagine that I might hate or love and don’t know I’ll love or hate yet
But … I have faith … I thinky wink
Anyway I want to do this justice with a log of my personal journey with this genre and these films
Not just a review of the film but really keeping track of my thoughts like more of a journal than anything
Bc I know I’ll enjoy that and feel happy knowing it’s all written somewhere
I’ll just be here typing away everybody ! I just love chatting about this stuff ! Hello future me ! This is what you said !
I’ve sort of built these films up to Avengers kind of standards in my head like how those films were when they first came out
Like a saga of films I’ve been waiting for for so so long
And they’re hopefully just like a guaranteed good time
Five samurai films, all released in quick succession during the golden age of chanbara by a director responsible for one of my all time favourite films
Now restored and look brand new
What a unique experience and I’ve been so so excited for it
Will this ever be possible again ? Maybe once or twice more but not really like this
I can’t believe it’s finally happening and wow I’m hyped
I had a pretty completely bad experience with Inagaki’s samurai trilogy
It felt lazy, cheap and wayyyy too melodramatic for my liking and if it weren’t for Mifune and the occasional lovely sequence, I might’ve hung up my hat and never watched a film ever again
Looking back I’m aware I should probably try again with those
I tapped into them pretty early on in my jidai-geki journey fresh off the criterion/ celebrated in western media pipeline
And I’m pretty sure a number of my favourite chanbaras now would’ve got similar treatment had I watched them so early on
But also … maybe not …
There were so many (Sword of Doom and Sanjuro to name a few) that I fell in love with instantly, and even tho I had my gripes with Yojimbo, I could still understand the hype and stuff
It was fantastic
But that samurai trilogy … dook
I think it stunk through the screen
It took shortcuts, it felt like an accidental parody of itself which is without a doubt the most insulting thing I’ve ever said about anything ever
I truly truly did not like those films !
And so I was a little skeptical here … bc it’s the exact same story ooooo
It’s the same oooo but it’s just not
And I’m so relieved it’s not
This is gritty and self critical
It glorifies nothing, good or bad
Even the enlightened decisions are questionable
Everything is questioned
It’s slower and breathes more
Which when attempted to bring a man from insolent animal to calm, collected, wise, skilled sage is defo a good thing
It takes its tiiiime
Uchida’s direction is fantastic, rarely discarding a beat or the pacing and managing to chop up the rhythm in line with the overarching story
It helps knowing the sorts of places this’ll end up going I think
So I’m giving it a benefit of the doubt I couldn’t give the trilogy here
Knowing how scrappy and sloppy Nakamura’s action will be because he’s just this beastly subhuman atm
So I’m enjoying the sloppy and straggly movements bc they feel intentional
This just felt like an excellent beginning
To slowly bake all the ingredients in for this story
A slowly growing and changing character
A very linear plot which is perfect for this feeling of a legend
Epic tales of these fascinating people are always told linearly
Everything they do informs everything they will do
Even the beginning of the beginning is so strong
Chucking us right in at Takezo’s lowest
Not even there for the Sekighara battle
What a great decision to make
I’m just super pleased with this
Defo felt a little overlong at the end and so we’ll see if that remains a concern at all … something tells me it might
But from what I’ve seen everyone who’s gone through all five had a couple they really enjoyed
Seems to bounce around a little stylistically
Also wow the performances are fab I was shocked by that
Nothing like super standout except the monk
He seriously felt like Nakadai (eternally the greatest) at his most cheeky and crafty
Like his role in Kill! and parts of Tenchu
I loved every moment of him on screen
But Otsu isn’t annoying she’s actually very believable here I think - unlike the trilogy of errors
And wow the big one
Nakamura can’t hold a candle to Mifune’s Musashi … and everybody knows it
So Uchida I’m sure made this casting decision with an excellent plan in mind: just don’t use Mifune’s Musashi
This is a new character completely
Way more visceral, flawed and rough
Just like the world he occupies
The films are longer, the pacing is slowed
So his arc is longer and his progress is stunted
He’s way more stupid, dirtier, more arrogant and foolish
He’s like he’s an actual dipshart but he’s still trying to do the right thing, even if he’s too stupid to figure out what that is
He’s stubby and earnest and his presence is almost itchy
Idk how they’re gna change this, but moments here I saw what Nakamura’s take on this character may become
I’m picturing Cruel Tale of Bushido here, wondering how his skills on display in that may translate into this character
So I have faith essentially
They won’t go for this other strong larger than life sort of thing
He’ll be go from naive to cunning
Not wise yet, but smart enough to think differently
He’ll make mistakes but they won’t snowball and he will learn and he’ll age
Orrrr they’ll do something else I can’t think of or imagine that I might hate or love and don’t know I’ll love or hate yet
But … I have faith … I thinky wink
Anyway I want to do this justice with a log of my personal journey with this genre and these films
Not just a review of the film but really keeping track of my thoughts like more of a journal than anything
Bc I know I’ll enjoy that and feel happy knowing it’s all written somewhere
I’ll just be here typing away everybody ! I just love chatting about this stuff ! Hello future me ! This is what you said !
