Sanjuro

I saw the 1962 Akira Kurosawa classic "Sanjuro" again last night on DVD, for the first time in over 40 years. The humanity that the late director displayed in making this film shines through all that violent action and impressive swordplay.

Soon after its release in 1962 I took my mother to see "Sanjuro". My mother, who was 48 at the time, was a great fan of anything Japanese, and especially of samurai movies. We had seen Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo' previously, and we had both enjoyed it, but looking back now, I think we enjoyed 'Sanjuro' more.

The great Toshiro Mifune, who was then in his prime, again played the part of the ronin, or masterless samurai, and his action scenes were as perfectly choreographed as a ballet. But here he was to have a perfect foil in the Chamberlain's wife, played by Takako Irie, who provides a genteel counterpoint to the samurai's rough-and-ready manner. The humor in the movie derives largely from the brief scenes showing the interplay between the two.

It is well-known today that Sergio Leone and Clink Eastwood translated these Kurosawa classics to the American screen through the spaghetti Westerns which have also, in their own way, become classics of the genre. But with handguns instead of swords. In like manner, Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress" was later to become George Lucas's "Star Wars".

For my money, Kurosawa's originals trump their Hollywood or Italian copies by a country mile.