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Yojimbo
Discover Kurosawa with the Seven Samurai, realize what a
supreme talent as a director he was with Yojimbo. The
thing that really impresses is the amazing swirling
continually moving camera, not aimlessly but motivated by
story, sometimes bleary it's rushing around at such a pace. Remember
this was '61 when an audience could be counted on for more
Patience than today, MTV was a long way off, and moving your
camera with such vigor was not really in vogue. This
is a lean, mean story. Mifune is terrific, an enormously
potent and powerful martial force. This film
inspired Segio Leone and many others and it's easy to see why. See
this movie and then watch Sanjuro, truly inspirational
film-making. I wish we could make Samurai movies in
Hollywood, but then I guess Kurosawa really wanted to make
westerns.
The music, a mix of what sounds like British scar and
aboriginal drums, is insane, I've been trying to find
something like it in Western culture, Ennio Morricone did a
stand up job of replicating it in a Fistful of Dollars. He
of course made it his own, as only he can, but the reference
is definitely there.
A great film, but also, rare with great films, a fun film,
too. |
DVD
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