Yojimbo

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.

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