.jeri.

Oh man. I really should have kept up with my blogging, especially on these Kurosawa movies, because they're all running together in my head. All I could remember about this movie at first was its ending, but after a little prompting, it's coming back to me. This one is another period film, and it takes place around the eighteenth century. A ronin played by Toshiro Mifune aids a group of clansmen when the leader's uncle, the Chamberlain, is kidnapped. The ronin, who chooses to go by Sanjuro (which stands for the 30 ryo he is paid for his work), can easily be quick to fight

One of the highlights of this movie is the Chamberlain's wife, who is rescued early in the movie. She has a wonderful way of approaching the situation that is somehow both matter-of-fact and nonchalant. She provides some levity to the story as she goes along for the ride in the rescue mission. One funny scene involves having to climb over a wall, which she only does by using a man as a footstool.

But of course, the shining star is Mifune. His awesome action scenes are emphasized by the amount of restraint he shows leading up to them. If he chooses to, he can fly into action; there's one scene where he takes out a large group of men on his own, which very well could be a precursor to the famous fighting scene in the first Matrix movie. But, in the job he has taken on, he has agreed not to kill unless he has to, and so the movie builds up to the moments when he must unsheathe his sword. The most notable is the movie's final scene, which has to be scene and described for one to grasp. It happens so quickly and so oddly that I didn't understand it without watching the extras on the DVD.

The extras really were worth watching, especially because they were yet another glimpse into the meticulousness of Kurosawa. One of the key elements of the set was a huge tree filled with blooms, and a documentary revealed that those blooms and the leaves on the trees were all brought in specifically to make the film look realistic. In fact, Kurosawa demanded that all of the flowers be painted individually. The more the film crew revealed about their jobs, the more I was able to see what care, or rather, obsessiveness, Kurosawa showed in making his movies. Sometimes I think he overdid it, but I really can't deny that the most praiseworthy aspect of his movies for me is the visual richness they possess.

To be honest, there were some drawn-out scenes here and there and this wasn't the most popular movie the class watched, but some of the visuals and action sequences were notable and entertaining. I think I will probably need to watch it again once I've had more time away from the class, so I can appreciate it on its own rather than jumbling it with others in my memory.