Warrior Japan - Movies

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

As tomorrow's workshop is going to cover Warrior Japan, I thought it might be a good time to recommend a movie that I've been showing for a few years now, as a way of giving students a glimpse of the era - it's 'Throne of Blood' by Kurosawa.

The movie is over 50 years old now, and in glorious monochrome, but it catches students' attention, not least because of a) the impossible riddle of the "woods moving to Dunsenane" (or, in this case, the Cobweb Forest growing legs - the movie is a retelling of Shakesepare's 'MacBeth') and b) perhaps the most memorable - and probably longest - death scene ever, as the protagonist (Toshiro Mifune - he plays a great samurai warlord!) meets the business end of a fseveral dozen arrows - almost pure melodrama!

Kurosawa manages to reconstruct something of the world of feudal Japan, certainly the costume and castles, and the make-up and facial contortions of Mifune deliberately echo later woodblock prints and kabuki stylizing. Having said that, I usually only show the last thirty minutes or so, covering Mifune's second visit to the weird sisters (in this case, a single wraith, suitably eldritch and otherworldy) and the guarantee that he's safe until the trees take a hike. That way it's not necessary to explain the intricacies of the plot, such as the ghost-at-the-banquet scene.

I have also shown a very brief clip from Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo' (a great movie to use to explain the concept of lordless samurai - the ronin) - the blink-and-you've-missed-it sword play as the hero (Mifune again) takes down three (or is it four?) tough guys. It gives an idea of just how instant and non-negotiable samurai combat was, and demonstrates the need for the kind of here-and-now/in-the-moment discipline Zen Buddhism demands - the "mind of no mind" - distraction isn't too much help when the other guy's coming at you with a three-foot razor's edge!

Are there any movies you can suggest? (By the way, I'd definitely give "The Last Samurai" a wide berth - it's set in the post-feudal world, and is way too Hollywoodized...)

Cheers,

Ray[Edit by="rrobinson on Mar 25, 2:57:08 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to add to the list of movies... talking with Ray Moser during the lunch break today, he mentioned a later Akira Kurasawa movie (about 1990 - so this one's in color!) - 'Ran'. This is another retelling of one of Shakespeare's tragedies, in this case 'King Lear'. It's longer than 'Throne of Blood', but it certainly captures the feudal period of civil war Japan, so it might be a bit too much to watch in class as a whole movie.

Ray also mentioned another source - the History Channels' 'In Search of History' episode on the samurai - although he wasn't too keen on the last ten minutes or so, which places the samurai impulse in the context of the kamikaze suicide pilots - he's an expert, so I'll bow to his good judgement, though personally I think it has some relevance, especially at the tenth grade level...

Again, I'd love to hear about any movies/tv docs that you've found useful

Cheers,

Ray

[Anonymous]

Two good documentaries that explain very clearly the culture of japan as well as comparing it to that of the united states during the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor are: Samurai Nation- Pearl Harbor-From Sword To Zero and Flights Beyond Pearl Harbor as well as Remember Pearl Harbor- America Taken By Surprise. These films clearly show the attitudes that existed in Japan and America and how they contributed to the war. I highly recommend these films, especially Remember Pearl Harbor since it is not only clear but dramatic as well. My students have always found it interesting.

[Anonymous]

I always loved the Japanese use of guns in film. Ran has so many of shots of men firing their guns, but never any recoil, nor do they ever load the things. Takes away from the credibility. I hated the Oswald shot, from lord knows where, of the young son. Though poignant, the nagging thought of where that guy, without any rifling, was to kill him with one shot.

Still, ran is a good Japanese drama. Japan, sadly, has lost that edge. Whatever system that made directors like Kurosawa and Ichikawa is long gone. Maybe, it is just that the old distribution system is gone.

We need a theater like the Shochiku Kokusai, in Crenshaw or the Toho La Brea to let us see Japanese films. Is there no audience? Have DVDs made things so personal that there is no public recognition or sharing of good quality?

Whatever I am trying to say, I think it is just way to hard to see good Asian films, in a movie-going environment: not part of a film festival, or retro fair, or at the Laemmle (hand picked by some Hollywood magnate). Just run for the locals. That is where I saw most of my Tora-san movies (which you cannot get outside of Japan, though I know they are subtitled because I saw them that way in the 70s) at the Shochiku Kokusai. Those neighborhood venues are gone, so we just can't see what is currently being offered.

Are there Chinese or Korean movie theaters showcasing with English subtitles? I'd go.

[Anonymous]

Funnily enough, I found that single shot at the end of 'Ran' to be so unexpected and final that I guess I suspended disbelief - that last twist in the fortune's of the King Lear figure was heart-wrenching...

Altogether 'Ran' is one of my favorite Kurosawa movies, together with 'Throne of Blood', 'Yojimba', and 'Rashomon'... Did anyone ever see 'They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail'? It's an early short piece about smuggling the boy emperor through the lands of a hostile lord - I last watched it back in college ('72?) and just wondered if it was as good as I remember it.

Ray

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