Yojimbo (The Bodyguard, 1961; Japanese)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
This 1961 period drama is set at a time before Meiji kingdom, in the 1860s, at the fall of the Tokugawa Dynasty at a time the Japanese realised that they were left far behind with the entry of Commodore Perry with his steam ship to Tokyo. (They were thought to be puffing dragons)!
Anyway, this film is a period drama about the samurai who were jobless after the fall of their masters, the Tokugawa dynasty. They were left to fend for themselves with their sword and wit only.
Yojimbo is one such samurai. While wandering aimlessly, penniless, and walking wherever his feet led him, he arrives at a once-thriving silk-producing village now in chaos after two warring factions. One side is supported by the silk merchant, while the other by the sake brewer.
The samurai believes that peace would be restored if both gangs were wiped out. Using his wit, he offers to be a bodyguard for either side, outsmarting them and arranging for them to kill each other with carefully devised plans. His trouble begins when a brother from one of the gangs returns from town with a gun.
His sneaky double-crossing ways become clear when a family member he saved returns to thank him and accidentally spills the beans.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
This 1961 period drama is set at a time before Meiji kingdom, in the 1860s, at the fall of the Tokugawa Dynasty at a time the Japanese realised that they were left far behind with the entry of Commodore Perry with his steam ship to Tokyo. (They were thought to be puffing dragons)!
Anyway, this film is a period drama about the samurai who were jobless after the fall of their masters, the Tokugawa dynasty. They were left to fend for themselves with their sword and wit only.
Yojimbo is one such samurai. While wandering aimlessly, penniless, and walking wherever his feet led him, he arrives at a once-thriving silk-producing village now in chaos after two warring factions. One side is supported by the silk merchant, while the other by the sake brewer.
The samurai believes that peace would be restored if both gangs were wiped out. Using his wit, he offers to be a bodyguard for either side, outsmarting them and arranging for them to kill each other with carefully devised plans. His trouble begins when a brother from one of the gangs returns from town with a gun.
His sneaky double-crossing ways become clear when a family member he saved returns to thank him and accidentally spills the beans.
Despite being injured, he manages to restore peace and other matters before leaving the town.
Too much violence for my liking.
No comments:
Post a Comment