The Twilight Samurai (2004)
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
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Exquisitely beautiful film, moved me so much. The acting was sublime, the story/journey timeless. To be able to portray a swirling storm of emotion, heartache, passion and pain just beneath the surface of a seemingly serene exterior. This film led me to explore this genre although it's evident that this is a very special samurai film, even when compared to some of the classics.
Viewed on DVD. Cinematography = ten (10) stars; score = nine (9) stars; interior set design = eight (8) stars. This is an excellent drama, well executed and not dependent upon the histrionics often presented in films dealing with Samurai situations. It is also well directed and acted with sit-up-and-pay-attention suspense toward the end of the story. It includes a "Western-style" happy ending (often in short supply for Samurai films) albeit a short lived one according to the narration. Cinematography and film score are excellent. Sets, especially the exterior ones, exhibit a high level of cultural-period authenticity. (Having explored many restored houses from the period depicted in the film, the ones utilized here may have been on-location "originals.") Highly recommended. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
A true master piece in my opinion.Set in the early days of the Meiji Restoration, when power was being returned to the Emperor and Japan was in a period of rapid modernisation, this charming film shows that the choice of accepting change is a very personal one.The main character is a samurai clerk who has moved away from war, and has found delight in spending a lot of time with his daughters. However, when his clan sides with the traditional ruling Shogunate against the Imperial forces, he has to make some very crucial decisions about his life, and his family.Beautifully filmed with a refreshingly slow pace, this is a superbly made film in every way.
Twilight Samurai is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Absolutely captivating but do not expect the usual samurai movie. Although there are fight scenes this is not what the movie is about. It is a lovingly made story set against the background of the end of the Edo Shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. A dramatic and chaotic time in Japanese history. After 250 years of peace under the Tokugawa dynasty, Samurai no longer had their traditional roles of defending their warlord masters to fulfill and often worked in more or less menial roles. Here, Sebei is a clerk in the castle warehouse. This is not the only movie made with similar themes by the director Yoji Yamada, but I fancy it is the best. He made three movies all with similar themes - all set in the 1850s, all involving honourable men doing their duty and all involving the defence of women who had been misused or taken advantage of. This is a lovely lyrical, beautiful movie. I especially love the way Yamada lingers on the tiny details of Japanese life in this period. Its almost like watching an intricately carved Ukiyo-e woodblock print by one of the masters like Hokusei or Hiroshge. Pictures of the floating world indeed!