divemaster13
Member: Rank 4
Time for another Monday's Review. This is for The Twilight Samurai, which is the first of Yoji Yamada's "Samurai Trilogy." All three movies are very good, provided you like the genre. In any event, I hope you like my write-up.
The Twilight Samurai
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, and Nenji Kobayashi
In Japanese with English subtitles
Film: 4 stars (out of 5)
“A serious fight, the killing of a man, requires animal ferocity and calm disregard for one’s own life. I have neither of those within me now.”
So says Seibei Iguchi, the “twilight samurai” of the title.
If these words bring to mind Eastwood’s Unforgiven, that is because both that film and Yamada’s The Twilight Samurai represent a less-than-romantic, non-traditional take on their respective genres. Westerns and samurai films share many of the same thematic elements, and recently both genres have been presented in new perspectives—less godlike hero standing up for all that is good while he vanquishes all enemies; and more of the introspective, flawed, and sensitive character who has to suffer numbing mundanities as well as the evil of men.
We discover right away that Iguchi is not cut from the classic mold of film samurai. For one thing, his job is basically a glorified clerk or accountant in the compound. Keeping track of the bags of rice and pallets of dried cod and other similar tasks. He even sold his samurai sword at one point (instead placing a sheath of bamboo in the scabbard), in order to pay his bills. He is a widower with two young daughters and a senile mother. His nickname (“Twilight”) is given to him mockingly by his fellow accountants, as Iguchi always chooses to go straight home after work to tend to his family rather than stay out late drinking and carousing with the fellows.
But like Unforgiven’s Will Munny, Iguchi obviously has had some sort of past that differs from his current direction. We find out that he had trained under a respected samurai master (even teaching sword technique in the master’s dojo), and we are exposed to a display of his skills. This is not a man to be taken lightly, although he has given up this aspect of his life in favor of an introspective dedication to his family. But unlike Munny, Iguchi is able to maintain his reflective philosophy and family dedication, despite being thrust in a situation that requires him to call up his past skills.
If you are looking for a action film with lots of samurai steel and geysers of blood, you will certainly be disappointed. However, as a human drama, this is a film with a lot to say. Iguchi shows a sensitive depth not seen in many such films. His understated reactions to his family situation, his job, and especially to the recently divorced Tomoe, for whom he has carried a torch from their younger days together. Every scene that she is in, and even the scenes about her that she is not in (such as the conversation between Iguchi and Tomoe’s brother at the riverbank) are masterful.
In one small scene, we see samurai in the background practicing shooting black powder rifles. It is obvious they do not know what they are doing. Nothing explicit is made of the scene, but to me, director Yamada is using it to subtly make a point. Does “twilight samurai” just refer to the nickname of Iguchi? Or could it also be a reference to the inevitable end (the “twilight,” as it were) of the samurai era? Guns will soon replace swords, and then all the samurai will be at the end of their careers, and Japan will undergo a huge shift.
There are other such subtleties and questions in this film that will stay with you for a long time after watching. My one small complaint is that the eventual outcome of Iguchi, Tomoe, and the family is wrapped up in about 30 seconds of voice-over dialogue at the end of the film. I was so interested in the characters, I wanted to see and experience more about them, rather than just be told.
But that aside, this is a masterful film that as long as you know not to expect Zatoichi or Sanjuro type heroics. 4 stars (out of 5)
Although I have not written detailed reviews for the second and third films of the trilogy, I'll include my personal notes for each one below. Both of these I also rated 4 stars.
The Hidden Blade: Compassionate and thoughtful samurai loves a woman from the lower caste, but can't act on his feelings. However, when he sees his leaders behaving in very dishonorable ways, he is stuck. While he agrees to kill a rogue samurai (who was his friend), the motives of his family's leaders disgust him. How will he handle this and his love for a woman whom he cannot marry? Second of Yamada's samurai trilogy.
Love and Honor: Unhappy with his food-tasting job, a samurai Shinnojo dreams of opening a martial arts school. But when eating toxic shellfish leaves him blind, his hopes for the future are dashed. Learning his wife has been forced into sexual favors, Shinnojo works to revamp his sword skills and seek revenge. Third of Yamada's samurai trilogy.
The Twilight Samurai
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, and Nenji Kobayashi
In Japanese with English subtitles
Film: 4 stars (out of 5)
“A serious fight, the killing of a man, requires animal ferocity and calm disregard for one’s own life. I have neither of those within me now.”
So says Seibei Iguchi, the “twilight samurai” of the title.
If these words bring to mind Eastwood’s Unforgiven, that is because both that film and Yamada’s The Twilight Samurai represent a less-than-romantic, non-traditional take on their respective genres. Westerns and samurai films share many of the same thematic elements, and recently both genres have been presented in new perspectives—less godlike hero standing up for all that is good while he vanquishes all enemies; and more of the introspective, flawed, and sensitive character who has to suffer numbing mundanities as well as the evil of men.
We discover right away that Iguchi is not cut from the classic mold of film samurai. For one thing, his job is basically a glorified clerk or accountant in the compound. Keeping track of the bags of rice and pallets of dried cod and other similar tasks. He even sold his samurai sword at one point (instead placing a sheath of bamboo in the scabbard), in order to pay his bills. He is a widower with two young daughters and a senile mother. His nickname (“Twilight”) is given to him mockingly by his fellow accountants, as Iguchi always chooses to go straight home after work to tend to his family rather than stay out late drinking and carousing with the fellows.
But like Unforgiven’s Will Munny, Iguchi obviously has had some sort of past that differs from his current direction. We find out that he had trained under a respected samurai master (even teaching sword technique in the master’s dojo), and we are exposed to a display of his skills. This is not a man to be taken lightly, although he has given up this aspect of his life in favor of an introspective dedication to his family. But unlike Munny, Iguchi is able to maintain his reflective philosophy and family dedication, despite being thrust in a situation that requires him to call up his past skills.
If you are looking for a action film with lots of samurai steel and geysers of blood, you will certainly be disappointed. However, as a human drama, this is a film with a lot to say. Iguchi shows a sensitive depth not seen in many such films. His understated reactions to his family situation, his job, and especially to the recently divorced Tomoe, for whom he has carried a torch from their younger days together. Every scene that she is in, and even the scenes about her that she is not in (such as the conversation between Iguchi and Tomoe’s brother at the riverbank) are masterful.
In one small scene, we see samurai in the background practicing shooting black powder rifles. It is obvious they do not know what they are doing. Nothing explicit is made of the scene, but to me, director Yamada is using it to subtly make a point. Does “twilight samurai” just refer to the nickname of Iguchi? Or could it also be a reference to the inevitable end (the “twilight,” as it were) of the samurai era? Guns will soon replace swords, and then all the samurai will be at the end of their careers, and Japan will undergo a huge shift.
There are other such subtleties and questions in this film that will stay with you for a long time after watching. My one small complaint is that the eventual outcome of Iguchi, Tomoe, and the family is wrapped up in about 30 seconds of voice-over dialogue at the end of the film. I was so interested in the characters, I wanted to see and experience more about them, rather than just be told.
But that aside, this is a masterful film that as long as you know not to expect Zatoichi or Sanjuro type heroics. 4 stars (out of 5)
Although I have not written detailed reviews for the second and third films of the trilogy, I'll include my personal notes for each one below. Both of these I also rated 4 stars.
The Hidden Blade: Compassionate and thoughtful samurai loves a woman from the lower caste, but can't act on his feelings. However, when he sees his leaders behaving in very dishonorable ways, he is stuck. While he agrees to kill a rogue samurai (who was his friend), the motives of his family's leaders disgust him. How will he handle this and his love for a woman whom he cannot marry? Second of Yamada's samurai trilogy.
Love and Honor: Unhappy with his food-tasting job, a samurai Shinnojo dreams of opening a martial arts school. But when eating toxic shellfish leaves him blind, his hopes for the future are dashed. Learning his wife has been forced into sexual favors, Shinnojo works to revamp his sword skills and seek revenge. Third of Yamada's samurai trilogy.
