The Samurai I Loved

Bunshiro's (Somegoro Ichikawa) family is abolished when his father (Ken Ogata) is forced to commit seppuku under mysterious circumstances. Evicted from his mansion, he and his mother are forced to live in a dilapidated hut. But like deja-vu, Bunshiro finds himself placed in a similar predicament his father was in. The fact that it also involves his childhood sweetheart Fuku (Yoshino Kimura), only complicates it futher.

Yearning for more jidaigeki like the Yoji Yamada trilogy pushed me towards this one. Fact that it is based on a Shûhei Fujisawa novel only made it more promising. But all it did was reiterate what a master Yamada san is.

Rating: * * +

Love and Honor

The third of the samurai trilogy directed by Yoji Yamada. All about love and honor. A professional taster at the castle, Shinnojo Mimura (Takuya Kimura) falls victim to food posion and loses his eyesight. But slowly he realises, that he has lost more than that. Yet again, a beauty from Yoji Yamada, that has some fantastic performances. Very slick.

Rating: * * *

Twilight Samurai

Yôji Yamada's masterpiece set around the time of the Meiji Restoration follows Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada), a low ranking Samurai. The role of the Samurai is fast disappearing and its effect is magnified for people like Seibei. But he stoically moves on struggling to look after his two daughters and ailing mother. The film is beautiful and caresses the screen with poise and elegance. The acting of Sanada and the direction of Yamada have much to do with that. A movie that needs to be revisited every now and then.

Rating: * * * *

The Hidden Blade

This film has resounding echoes of the Twilight Samurai. But yet it holds it own. The film likes its predecessor is set in Japan just before the Meiji Restoration with the role of the Samurai changing drastically in Japanese society. The film centers around Katagiri Munezo, a lowly Samurai of the Unasaka clan. Rather than concentrating on the "sword is the soul" side of the Samurai, the film focuses on his inner turmoil and contemplations. The movie again highlights that Yôji Yamada too, like some of his Asian contemporaries has mastered the use of stillness to convey emotions.

Rating: * * *