Samurai 1-
Musashi Miyamoto
(Criterion Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(1954)
review by Big McLarghuge

Following his well publicized split with auteur Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune took on the monumental challenge of portraying the legendary swordsman Myamoto Musashi. The Samurai films, otherwise known as the Life of Musashi Trilogy, a mammoth undertaking for 1954 Toho studios; were the first films to be shot in color.

But for the money and time invested, Toho ended up with perhaps the three best non-Kurosawa films of their entire catalog, and viewers today who watch the Samurai series will witness films that are truly timeless and epic in scope and presentation.

Beginning when young Takezo (Mifune) and his best friend Matahachi (Rentaro Mikune) flee their village to join the shogun’s army and seek their fortune as warriors. But when the army routs and Matahachi is injured, the two friends seek shelter and recuperation in the house of Oku and Akemi, a mother-daughter team of con artists who owe money to the local brigands.

While Matahachi recovers from his injuries, Takezu and Akemi become very close, but once he realizes what their game is, decides it’s time for he and Matahachi to head back to their village.

While Matahachi and Akemi are out the brigands attack Oku’s house looking for a cache of stolen gold. Takezu, discovered just after the treasure is found, kills several of the brigands. Oku tries to seduce Takezo and fails. At this point in his life he has a love only for battle, and cannot spare even an iota of time for pleasures of the flesh. Oku then seduces Matahachi and they, with Akemi in tow, leave for the capital with the treasure.

Takezo returns to a less than warm reception at his village. He is already hated by his extended family, ALL of his extended family, because he is a wild man. His arrival is treated as if a monster was prowling the forests around the village too, and for what it’s worth, by now Takezu sort of is a monster. Rather than be taken to the village elders to answer for Matahachi’s disappearance, he fights off anyone who attempts to get near him.

But he has a duty to his friend that cannot be denied. This is one of the traits that Musashi lore has treated almost as highly as his skills with two swords — that is, his commitment to honor and sacrifice. Takezo hates the village and all who dwell within, but because he promised Matahachi that he would tell his mother and his betrothed, a lovely girl named Otsu, that he is still alive, he returns to almost certain death to deliver this information even as the entire town has been armed and sent out to search for him.

Matahachi’s mother betrays Takezo (she believes he abandoned her son to death on the battlefield to save himself) forcing him even further into the wilderness to evade capture.

Finally though he is captured and calmed by his childhood teacher and surrogate father, the priest Takuan. Takuan is a friend of the emperor and a very astute player of political brinksmanship such that he is able to secure Takezo a place within the palace to begin his moral training rather than have his head cut off.

Meanwhile, Matahachi realizes that his wife is using him for little more than political cache and muscle as she cons more and more low-rent samurai out of money in the capital. He finally declares “you have destroyed me” wherein she tells him, inaccurately, about her attempted seduction of Takezo. Now the two are on a collision course that will carry over through the remaining two films.

Three years later Takezo emerges, named for his village and titled as the samurai Miyamoto Musashi and told to travel Japan to train for service to emperor.

So here the biography of Musashi begins.

Aside from the typical samurai mechanics of gigantic sword fights and bloodshed there is a really tender love story buried in this segment as Otsu, after receiving word that Matahachi has married Oku, slowly falls in love with the crazy Takezo as he rampages through the woods, is captured and hung from a tree by Takuan, and finally cloistered away in a room full of books to study morality. At first she pities him, then when she realizes that, because they are both lonely and alone, it might be possible to be lonely together. She vows to wait for him, forever, if necessary, in the shadow of the castle.

The excellent direction of long time Toho auteur Hiroshi Inagaki is best showcased in the Samurai series. His penchant for sweeping dolly shots that track Toshiro Mifune through the chaos of battle on a grand scale are magnificent, equally too is his work in close in location such as Matahachi’s mother’s cottage, or the small room where Musashi is locked to study morality. He keep the camera distant enough to give the audience almost the same feel as watching this as a stage play, yet still manages to imbue the screen with an intimacy and immediacy that would rarely, if ever, be duplicated in samurai cinema.

Jun Yasumoto’s cinematography is generally excellent and captured the look of ancient Japan beautifully. He likes shadows, most likely a throwback to the very recent black-andd-white films of Toho studios, manages to convey the dark and murk of Takezo’s character with little more than ambient light and claustrophobic cottages. However, where Yasutomo shines is in the wilderness. There are scenes of Takezo running through hip-deep reeds that immediately bring to mind Sumi-e paintings of the period.

Ikuma Dan’s score captures the drama of the film series well, with heavy use of brass and strings while still maintaining classical Japanese instruments such as Biwa music to keep the score married to the content. Though, the refrain, while exciting and climactic, seems a bit overused. I would have preferred more traditional music, but then, this was made in 1954 and neither my mom nor dad had hit puberty yet, so who am I to judge?

The script follows the events of the fictionalized biography by Eiji Yoshikawa well. Yoshikawa wrote a dozen or so books of Musashi’s life and exploits and at the time were the best selling books in Japan.

And what can one say about the acting? Toshiro Mifune was at his peak as an actor in 1954, strangely, a peak that would last some 20 years, and fresh from the crucible that was working under Akira Kurosawa, lets all of his energy fly as the man-animal Takezo. He is not so much a character in this film as he is a force of nature. Whether trying to break a horse, facing off against an entire army, or arguing with Tekuan to let him down from the tree, he is magnificent.

The other cast, veterans all to those of us of the samurai movie clique, carry on their usual excellence. However, special mention goes to Kuroemon Onoe as Priest Takuan. He is simply magnetic to watch, and his scenes where he bargains for Takezo’s life with the local head of state are fantastic.

Kaoru Yachigusa as the heartbroken Otsu is wonderful too and brings a determined innocence to her role. She provides a great counterpoint to the oily and almost visibly deceitful Eiko Myoshi as Matahachi’s mother.

The DVD comes via Criterion, so you can skip any questions about the quality of the presentation. Samurai 1 appears in original 1.33-1 scope (i.e. TV Aspect ratio… from the era before affordable widescreen) in original Japanese with English subs. This version eliminates the overdub by William Holden from the original release of these films where he explains, in excruciating detail, what we are seeing on screen. I was glad it was gone.

If you love Toshiro Mifune (and who doesn’t?), the Samurai series, based on the life of Musashi, is his best non-Kurosawa work and should have a place in every film fan’s shelf of honor.

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