BCP Film Challenge #31 | Akira Kurosawa #3

just like the first one but not any good

BCP Film Challenge #31 | Akira Kurosawa #3

just like the first one but not any good

Lost a fair bit of steam compared to part one. Not very much judo and very talky in the middle
The surprise fight with the karate master was very enjoyable though, bro was screeching non stop 😆😆

Lost a fair bit of steam compared to part one. Not very much judo and very talky in the middle
The surprise fight with the karate master was very enjoyable though, bro was screeching non stop 😆😆

Movie is terrible, but this is by far the funniest lb description ive ever seen

Movie is terrible, but this is by far the funniest lb description ive ever seen

Part of ***2024 Goals***

I can say with a great amount of confidence the Sanshiro Sugata Part Two is my least favorite Kurosawa film as of now.

I did feel more engaged with Part Two than Part One and I believe that's due to an excellent performance by Susumu Fujita. However, just about every other aspect of this film is a step down from the film before it.

The editing quality decreased significantly. Sanshiro Sugata Part One has astounding editing for a directoral debut. Kurosawa and Gotō were very creative with their shots and sequences. There are even short documentaries covering the techniques that were used in Part One and how they revolutionized cinema for western audiences. In Part Two the editing is choppier and rushed at times which is nothing like the first. There are many points where it feels like frames were left out and it makes you feel like less effort was put forth.

The plot feels like one of the later Rocky or Ip Man films. The focus is more on the combat and maintaining honor than having a story. There are also some obvious propaganda elements tied in that had no reason being there.

Going back to the combat, it was a big let down in this. Even though I said the plot focused mainly on the fights there are only a few of them. However, most scenes are building up to the fights and aftermath. Once you sctually get to the combat it's so underwhelming it's almost laughable. The final fight of the film was so ridiculous I couldn't believe it. What made it worse was that the antagonist was barely visible due to the lighting not cooperating with the snow behind them.

The character moments were better in the first film. The plot revolved more around Sugata and his growing as a person. The fact that most characters return in from the first film means we don't get any more progression for them in the second. Since they weren't built up very much to begin with, they are hollow shells of characters that were already forgettable.

I wouldn't recommend either of the Sanshiro Sugata films, but if you want to watch Kurosawa's filmography, I would recommend watching them back to back for a more memorable experience.

Part of ***2024 Goals***

I can say with a great amount of confidence the Sanshiro Sugata Part Two is my least favorite Kurosawa film as of now.

I did feel more engaged with Part Two than Part One and I believe that's due to an excellent performance by Susumu Fujita. However, just about every other aspect of this film is a step down from the film before it.

The editing quality decreased significantly. Sanshiro Sugata Part One has astounding editing for a directoral debut. Kurosawa and Gotō were very creative with their shots and sequences. There are even short documentaries covering the techniques that were used in Part One and how they revolutionized cinema for western audiences. In Part Two the editing is choppier and rushed at times which is nothing like the first. There are many points where it feels like frames were left out and it makes you feel like less effort was put forth.

The plot feels like one of the later Rocky or Ip Man films. The focus is more on the combat and maintaining honor than having a story. There are also some obvious propaganda elements tied in that had no reason being there.

Going back to the combat, it was a big let down in this. Even though I said the plot focused mainly on the fights there are only a few of them. However, most scenes are building up to the fights and aftermath. Once you sctually get to the combat it's so underwhelming it's almost laughable. The final fight of the film was so ridiculous I couldn't believe it. What made it worse was that the antagonist was barely visible due to the lighting not cooperating with the snow behind them.

The character moments were better in the first film. The plot revolved more around Sugata and his growing as a person. The fact that most characters return in from the first film means we don't get any more progression for them in the second. Since they weren't built up very much to begin with, they are hollow shells of characters that were already forgettable.

I wouldn't recommend either of the Sanshiro Sugata films, but if you want to watch Kurosawa's filmography, I would recommend watching them back to back for a more memorable experience.

pretty cool fight scene at the end. Otherwise, pretty much in line with the first.

pretty cool fight scene at the end. Otherwise, pretty much in line with the first.