47 Ronin (1962)

I have in my possession every Japanese samurai movie available on DVD in the UK. Sadly this one is not available in the UK, but I have seen it many times. This is the 1962 version of the movie and is a timeless story.The 2 parts of the movie can be summed up separately.Part 1 is all about the etiquette within the upper levels of samurai households, with all of the right and wrong things that can be done. It is truly beautiful and splendid in its presentation and epic scale. The formalities of the houses are fantastic.Part 2 is all about how the 47 Loyal Samurai of Lord Asano take revenge and bid their time for this to happy. Some great fight scenes and plots

I first saw Chushingara in 1972 in Boulder, Colorado on the CU campus. I racked up 3 additional viewings in the next couple of years, one at Boston's Park Square Cinema, long gone and lamented. The Park Square often showed Japanese films and I saw the Samurai Trilogy there as well as some of the other classics. I've since seen in again in theaters and now have the video. I was struck, reading some of the other viewer comments, by how many people felt exactly as I did, remembering each viewing as though it were a superb meal to be savored the rest of our lives, rather than simply "seeing a great film". The other comments articulate the reasons why quite well, but I'll add my two cents. Aside from being perhaps the most gorgeous film ever made, its beauty is integral to the psychological mood of heroism intensified by each moment's transience and each life's fragility. The great trial and seppuku scene, framed by that stunningly beautiful music and the equally intense cherry blossoms, stands as one of the most concise statements of life's tragic beauty as well, of course, as the soul of Bushido. The course of action pursued by Chamberlain Oishi creates the emotional hook and the humorous scenes, highlighted by Toshiro Mifune's wonderful character, keep things barreling along. In the end, though, it is the whole package - the stunning sets, many of them modeled fairly closely on classic Japanese woodcuts; the brilliant acting and direction; the loving detail of so many aspects of Japanese culture; the unfolding of justice; the close relationships and their exacting depiction; the revelation of a code that is so alien to anything in contemporary western life; the self-conscious gamble to make this film a cultural monument that breathes life; and of course, the final battle - wow! - certainly one of the greatest movies ever made. It is a shame that it is not more accessible on the large screen - the bigger the better - but as it sustains multiple viewings, see it on video anyway - it's worth it and you can always watch it again.

This telling of story of the 47 Ronin has more in common with those 1950's Hollywood biblical epics (Quo Vadis, The Robe, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur) than it does with the samurai masterpieces of Akira Kurosawa. The impression starts with the choral music heard over the opening credits and remains throughout this very long, unrelentingly solemn movie. The sets and costumes are so spectacular that they make for a very attractive picture visually, but the cinematography and style of direction are very conventional and not particularly imaginative. The acting is good but in a stylized, overdone manner (again like the '50's biblical epics). It's a well-made film of an interesting story, worth seeing, but there's nothing really special going on here.

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that the original 1962 incredibly loving critiques are no longer in print regarding the true nature of the origin, history and creation of this film. When I first saw it in 1963 (at the Castro, I believe, in S.F.) there was a lengthy story "blown up" on display board in the entryway. This film was a one-of-a- kind deliberate and heartfelt "gift to the world", created by a group of Japanese artists using film as their medium. This particular film was a reflection of what happened in the hearts of sentient Japanese artists AFTER Japan's defeat in WWII. Out of profound dignity they crafted this film to tell of the truest, deepest beauty of their culture, revealing it through the vulnerable opening of their hearts and sharing the story of the true Japan. In a manner similar to "The Passion" of our time, there was always a great historical purpose to this gift -- not merely a commercial undertaking. Thus, I believe the HISTORY of this film holds an even more noble place than the film itself, which happens to be a masterpiece painted with the love of its creators.