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Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gô Katô
Genre: Historical Drama, Romance, Action
About: A samurai swordsman enters into an arraigned marriage with a harsh, loveless woman from an aristocratic family. After enduring 20 years of being hen pecked by his overbearing wife, he has to decide if family honor or love is more important, even at the risk of losing his own life.
Review: I liked this! Even though there's some sword fighting towards the end of the film, this is essentially a melodrama.
What I thought was interesting is how this Japanese film from 1967 seemed to take it's cues from late 1950s American melodrama films. There's some resemblances here between Douglas Sirk's earlier films and this one by director Masaki Kobayashi.
The samurai for all his status, is dominated by his strong willed wife. A woman who was forced on him by an arranged marriage. In some ways this is Japan's version of a feminist film. As the earlier Japanese films showed woman as being subservient. Here, the woman are full of will power and determination and make bold statements.
This film looks beautiful, I watched a restored version on Criterion DVD. The sets of the Japanese house and country side looked great and the camera work was artistic. The director really did a find job here of bringing humanity with a personal view into Japan's Edo period during Shogun rule.
Samurai Rebellion (1967)Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gô Katô
Genre: Historical Drama, Romance, Action
About: A samurai swordsman enters into an arraigned marriage with a harsh, loveless woman from an aristocratic family. After enduring 20 years of being hen pecked by his overbearing wife, he has to decide if family honor or love is more important, even at the risk of losing his own life.
Review: I liked this! Even though there's some sword fighting towards the end of the film, this is essentially a melodrama.
What I thought was interesting is how this Japanese film from 1967 seemed to take it's cues from late 1950s American melodrama films. There's some resemblances here between Douglas Sirk's earlier films and this one by director Masaki Kobayashi.
The samurai for all his status, is dominated by his strong willed wife. A woman who was forced on him by an arranged marriage. In some ways this is Japan's version of a feminist film. As the earlier Japanese films showed woman as being subservient. Here, the woman are full of will power and determination and make bold statements.
This film looks beautiful, I watched a restored version on Criterion DVD. The sets of the Japanese house and country side looked great and the camera work was artistic. The director really did a find job here of bringing humanity with a personal view into Japan's Edo period during Shogun rule.