Samurai Rebellion (1967) User Reviews

Profoundly Humanist - A gem

[auberus · 8/10 · 12 January 2004]

Those of us who are really into cinema know that Japanese cinema in general and samurai cinema of the 60's in particular is a genre not to be overlookedOne of the most popular Japanese directors who has contributed to this genre ('Yojimbo', 'Sanjuro', 'Kagemusha' etc) is Akira Kurosawa (and I myself appreciate Mr. Kurosawa a lot). However he has over-shadowed (at least for the occidental movie fan) a lot of other Japanese directors from this period of the 60's. One of this director is Masaki Kobayashi and one of his movie that has been forgotten is 'Joi-uchi: Hairyo tsuma shimatsu' (AKA 'Samurai Rebellion').

'Samurai Rebellion' - 1967 is in fact a great movie, a masterpiece. It tells the story of an aging swordsman named Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) who during a time of peace (1725 - 1727) decide to retire and leaves the command of the family to his elder son, Suga. Unfortunately when his clan lord request that Isaburo's son marry the lord's mistress the henpecked life that Isaburo was living changed to the worst and split his family into two. This movie is irreproachable; the filming was mastered by Mr. Kobayashi and the acting outstanding. Indeed not only Toshiro Mifune but also the beautiful Yoko Tsukasa (as Ichi Sasahara) the bride of Isaburo's son are a good example of how temperance can trigger emotions on screen. The photography has been done by the book, every panoramic, close-up, etc are perfect and very Japanese (meaning very geometrical). The pacing is also a perfect mix of slow pace scenes that provide character's depth and fast pace scenes for breathless action and sword duels. In short the movie is technically perfect. However what seduced me in this movie is not so much the perfection of the film from a technique point of view but more the originality and the modernity of the story. The rebellion from this master swordsman (Isaburo Sasahara) who is ready to fight for the happiness of both his son and his son's bride is profoundly humanist. Mr. Kobayashi demonstrates with brio that the notion of Justice transcends Cultures and that there is no code of honor that is above the human code

In a world where apathy rules 'Samurai Rebellion' is definitely a modern testimony and shows that Revolt can also be a path to follow.

Not the average Samurai movie

[GyatsoLa · 9/10 · 1 December 2007]

Musaki Kobayashi may be one of the lesser known names in Japanese film making, but this is no minor movie (I haven't seen his better known movies, Hari-Kiri or Kwaidan yet). For those seeing it without knowing a little about it, it will be a very surprising samurai flick - no action until the end, no real sub-plots - a script that is more like a domestic drama in its entire focus on a small group of people - a noble (if relatively low born) Samurai, his son and his daughter in law, formerly the mistress of the Clan Lord. The family are pushed to destruction as the pride of the three refuse to allow them to accept the unreasonable demands of their Lord and his scheming right hand men.

While the movie doesn't have quite the flawless pacing, flowing editing and perfect black and white photography of some of the very best movies of the period, this is more than made up by the fantastic acting and gripping story. As always, Toshiro Mifune is magnetic in the lead, but all the parts are well filled. Kobayashi keeps a firm focus on the key story and admirably avoided the temptation to add the sort of sentimental sub plot that so many of this type of movie uses. The final scenes are magnificent.

Kobayashi was something of a rebel himself - he refused promotion when a soldier in the war, and continually fought his studios so he could make movies on his favored theme - the injustice of the feudal system of Japan and the corruption of modern japan. The Japanese studio system has frequently been criticized for the way it tried to turn great film makers into hacks - but when so many great movies how can we complain? The sad thing is that this movie seems to have been one of the last of the great samurai films - after this the genre degenerated to simplistic chop-em-ups, with only a brief recent revival in movies like Twilight Samurai (which I suspect may have been influenced by this movie).

The Unbearable Futitlity of Samurai Rebellion

[masercot · 8/10 · 14 August 2012]

Not a lot of action in this movie, 'til the end...

This one is more of a Greek tragedy. The main characters, the elder Sasaharas, are compelled to do the honorable thing in regards to a young woman who has been foisted on the family. The honorable thing is in direct conflict with their duty of serving their lord. It is also an act that will lead directly to the destruction of their clan and themselves.

Great performances by Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai keep the viewer interested. Yoko Tuskasa puts in some nice work as Ichi, the bride. The rest of the cast is very competent, as well.

This movie is less about swordplay than it is about the interpersonal and political maneuvering between the clan and the diamyo.

Definitely recommended!

A cinematic masterclass...from a master

[Prof-Hieronymos-Grost · 10/10 · 28 April 2008]

Isaburo Sasahara is a former samurai warrior and master swordsman who now lives a quiet life as head of his family, he has been continually henpecked by his wife for all their married life, so its his ambition to have his eldest son Yogoro married to a woman who will respect him. Isaburo's plan is thrown into disarray however, when he receives a notification from the Lord of the Aizu clan, that he would like Yogoro to marry Lady Ichi, a mistress of his who has fallen out of favour. This in itself seems rather insulting to Isaburo, as Lady Ichi he learns has a reputation of being violent towards his lordship and added to that she has an illegitimate child by him. After much family discussion they all agree that to refuse his lordship's offer would mean certain ruin for the Sasahara family, so they agree. Much to their surprise Lady Ichi is a kind, affectionate, helpful and thoroughly pleasant woman. She regales them with tales of his lordships cruelty and adulteress behaviour, the family are pleased she has finally found happiness with Yogoro.

Yogoro and Ichi are blessed with a child, that helps Ichi forget she had to give up her first child, as it was second in line to his lordships domain. However after the heir dies, Yogoro now head of the family receives another request, that Ichi should return again, as her son is now heir and it wouldn't be fitting for the mother of an heir not to be with her child.This however is the final straw and Isaburo and Yogoro set out to defy their lord and fight for their rights.

Samurai Rebellion was Masaki Kobayashi's first foray into the field of independent films and he returned to a familiar theme (previously used in Harakiri,1962) of injustice perpetrated by a tyrannical authority figure. Kobayashi teamed up with legendary Toho studios and Mifune Productions to recreate the literary vision of Yasuhiko Takiguchi's "Hairyo tsuma shiatsu" in a script by Shinobu Hashimoto. The films original title literally translated as Rebellion: Receive the Wife was changed for western audiences at the request of Toho, as they didn't believe it sounded manly enough for a Western audience that were very keen on Samurai films. Despite its more familiar title, this is very much a family drama, that wonderfully builds up its characters and to label it as a Samurai or action film would be erroneous, the rebellion scenes occurring only as we near the finale. Kobayashi's also uses Japanese architecture and symmetry to further the mood, using pillars, castle walls, doors, protective eaves and endless straight lines to promote stability, when the Sasahara family are having a less than unified debate on their predicament, the members are all stationed at unusual differing distances from the camera making the harmonious composition appear unsymmetrical when a member leaves the room and also towards the end of the film Isaburo and Yogoro remove all elements of geometric stability from their home as they await the arrival of their feudal lords men, their act seemingly to once and for all end their association with their restraining dogmatic social structures.

The performances are all superb, Mifune giving us one of his more retrained performances with only glimpses of his more familiar gusto as he emotes and reflects on the tragedy of the situation his family is in. The great Tatsuya Nadakai is restricted to a few brief scenes, but his power still shines through. Yôko Tsukasa and Go Kato also produce memorable performances as the loving couple willing to die to retain their partnership. Samurai Rebellion is a powerful film that reflects its directors concerns with the abuse of authority, it exudes class and visual style and its attention to detail is second to none. As a film it can't be faulted.

We All Have Our Own Way of Living

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 19 July 2009]

"During the powerful Tokugano Regime in Edo (presently Tokyo), there were 264 lords or "daimyo". These feudal lords ruled their clan and the people under them".

In 1725, the henpecked samurai Isaburo Sasahara (Toshirô Mifune) and his friend Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai) are the best swordsmen of their clan. Isaburo regrets his arranged marriage with the dominator Suga (Michiko Otsuka) and expects to give a good marriage to his son Yogoro (Go Kato). However, their Lord Masakata Matsudaira (Tatsuo Matsumura) orders Yogoro to marry his mistress Ichi (Yôko Tsukasa), who has a bad fame in the clan since she slapped the lord's face and torn his clothes apart. The Sasahara family objects but Yogoro accepts to marry Ichi for the good of his family. Instead of a pampered woman, Ichi proves to be a good wife and discloses the reason of her reaction to Yogoro, when she surprised him with a mistress after bearing their son. Ichi delivers the baby girl Tomi and is loved by Yogoro. When the lord's son dies, he orders Ichi to return to the castle to legitimate their son and successor of his clan. Yogoro does not accept the order under the protest of his family, and his brother Bunzo (Tatsuyoshi Ehara) lures and kidnaps Ichi, bringing her back to the castle. Isaburo and Yogoro decide to request the return of Ichi and have to face the wraith of their lord and clan.

"Samurai Rebellion" is another Japanese masterpiece, with a beautiful and engaging romance in the period of Tokugano Regime in Edo and comparable to Romeo and Juliette. Further, this is also a cruel story of attitude against tyrannical governments and I loved the line "We All Have Our Own Way of Living". I am fascinated by the rich Japanese history, despite my knowledge be limited to the movies I see, and I found "Samurai Rebellion" wonderful also in this regard. The direction and acting are awesome, and the stunning Toshirô Mifune has another fantastic performance. The black and white cinematography associated to the magnificent camera work, settings and scenarios gives an intense reconstitution of Japan lifestyle in the Eighteenth Century. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 18 April 2024, I saw this film again.

Wonderful

[Ungaboo! · 10/10 · 14 May 2001]

Samurai Rebellion is one of the best films I've ever seen. Masaki Kobayashi is my favorite Japanese director next to Kurosawa, at times even surpassing the latter. Samurai Rebellion is a well-acted, brilliantly directed film about standing up against injustice that manages to tug firmly on one's heart strings without ever being cloying. Mifune shows the full extent of his acting abilities by not having to play the sort of macho character that he came quite close to being typecast as, and Yôko Tsukasa is no less remarkable. The soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu is also wonderful, serving to add another layer to the film's narrative and emotional impact rather than merely emphasizing it. Another remarkable aspect of the film is the use of violence: Although the fight scenes near the end are brilliantly choreographed and filmed, they're not in the least glamourous, depicting the desperation, sadness and anger of Mifune's character. It's a terrible shame that most people will never see this film, one that most likely deserves to be considered a classic of world cinema, just because it isn't directed by Kurosawa.

One of the greatest films ever

[mlredr · 10/10 · 24 June 2005]

If there is one thing to be said about this film, it is excellent in every detail - story, direction, cinematography, music, action, I could go on and on. There are few film makers who can turn a simple tale of feudal injustice into such a moving drama.

As the movie progresses, Toshiro Mifune's character slowly transforms into an epic hero - for his sense of honour and his love for his Son for which he is ready to defy his own honour-bound Samurai's oath, to rebel against the very world he lives in. The heroism and integrity of his sacrifice are presented in exquisite detail with poignant dialogue (even in subtitles). This in itself is an amazing achievement when the compared to the trend nowadays is to try to impress the viewer with visual trickery or mind-numbing fight sequences with excessive violence.

I truly appreciate Masaki Kobayashi for the respect he shows to his viewer's intelligence, for intelligently presenting the true heroism of a human standing up against impossible odds.As an exercise, you may compare this movie with the over-budgeted disaster of a Hollywood movie called "The Last Samurai" to know what I am talking about. With an excellent story and great characters with potential for true heroism, "The Last Samurai" is one of the dumbest movies ever made.

This is also no dumb "You killed my master so I will kill you" Hong Kong movie or a "Lone Wolf" movie with it's absurd and senseless blood-spilling. All of you Action movie fans, this is also not a beat-each-other-to-pulp or chop-you-up-like-a-fish movie.

The fight sequences are excellently executed and are almost the best that I have seen so far (The fight sequences in Harakiri must be THE BEST ever).The character of Tatsuya Nakadai is interesting as well in that it is not really clear what his true intentions are - he seems torn between his selfish desire to better Mifune's character in a duel bound up with his loyalty to his clan against his honour as a friend. Warning: So watch it if you enjoy an excellently told social drama and you will see what makes a masterly piece of art.

Worthy companion to HARAKIRI

[xhari_nairx · 4 October 2000]

SAMURAI REBELLION is not one of the best known Japanese films, although it deserves to be. It is very in theme to the masterful HARAKIRI from the same director, and with this film he matches that film's raw emotional power. It's a must for Toshiro Mifune fans.... he delivers one of his finest performances as a jaded elder samurai. He once again gets to share screen time with Tatsuya Nakadai, who has a small but memorable supporting role. The always reliable Toru Takemitsu delivers a fine score made up mostly of Japanese instruments, and Kobayashi's direction is flawless.... this film is filled with memorable set pieces, and it's just the sword fight scenes, although those are pretty incredible too. This is one of about six Kobayashi films available in the west (HARAKIRI, KWAIDAN, and the HUMAN CONDITION trilogy make up the rest)... that's a shame because, based on the quality of these works, he clearly stands among the greats of Japanese cinema.

Close to Perfection!

[dorlago · 10/10 · 13 October 2001]

Brilliant direction, excellent writing and superb acting make for one of the most intelligent and entertaining films to come out of Japan! Mifune is magnificent as the samurai who is forced to choose between family and duty. Scathing in its portrayal of feudal Japanese society this film works as both exciting historical drama and heart breaking melodrama. Mifune's stand against social injustice is presented in a totally believable yet poignantly touching manner. His scenes with his baby granddaughter are absolutely beautiful! The end of the film is both ferociously brutal and incredibly tender. What a combination! "Rebellion" leaves you emotionally drained yet asking for more!

Beautiful. Romantic. Awesome.

[dr_foreman · 10/10 · 11 June 2008]

"Samurai Rebellion" is a feminist action movie. I find that almost unbelievable, since feminism and macho sensibilities usually don't go hand-in-hand, but here they blend together perfectly. That's what makes this film such a rewarding and unique viewing experience.

I won't delve too much into the plot details, but suffice to say that the film concerns some rebellious samurai (as if you couldn't tell!) who are dedicated to protecting a wronged woman, the Lady Ichi. Thankfully, Lady Ichi is no cardboard character - she's as intelligent and passionate as she is beautiful, and her interactions with the samurai are fascinating. So, as the samurai fall in love with her and line up to protect her, the audience falls for her, too. I have to give a lot of credit to actress Yôko Tsukasa for making her character so sympathetic.

The samurai are a strong point, too. The younger one, Yogoro, is played with sincerity and charisma by Takeshi Katô. And the older samurai, Isaburo, is played by that incomparable icon of Japanese cinema, Toshirô Mifune. When he's acting in Kurosawa films, I sometimes find Mifune a little hammy, but in this film he gives an extremely dignified and simply wonderful performance. (I particularly like his little laugh of disdain, which he unleashes when his superiors make unreasonable requests - "ho ho ho!")

Of course, even the best actors in the world need the support of a strong director, and they've got that support here. Unlike Kurosawa, director Masaki Kobayashi doesn't add much Western-style "flair" to his movies; instead, his films (so far as I can tell) are more starkly beautiful and gradually paced. Some might argue that Kobayashi's style is actually a little dull, but I've been conditioned to slowly paced foreign films and I don't mind it a bit. In fact, I appreciate the way that Kobayashi builds up tension and then hits the audience with a really satisfying payoff.

In short, everything about this movie works - the script, the actors, the design, the direction. It features a lovely romance, some cool (if stylized) action, and genuinely surprising plot twists. There's some explicit violence towards the end, too, but unlike most American films, "Samurai Rebellion" doesn't glorify combat. Fighting is depicted as a destructive last resort.

I was perhaps being a little glib when I described the movie as feminist - a Western viewer might not recognize it as such - but it certainly does feature one of the strongest and most compelling female characters that I've encountered in a long time. For that reason alone, this is worth seeing. But the film's many other virtues are impressive, too, and have helped to propel "Samurai Rebellion" right to the top of my list of favorite movies.

Failed tragedy, decent samurai movie

[fabiogaucho · 7/10 · 1 July 2011]

Harakiri is a far more successful story for the simple reason that it is not so completely one-sided. In Harakiri, the hero thinks he proves that the Samurai code is a sham because it cannot make sense when the survival of the samurais as a class is endangered - but eventually we have the feeling that the code is even more necessary in those difficult times, even if it is a sham. There is a "big picture".

In Samurai Rebellion, Kobayashi is trying to write a Shakespearean tragedy, but he clearly missed some of tragedy's subtleties. Tragedies are never so one-sided, never simply the hero that is in the right against the power that is in the wrong. In a word, it is never just the individual x authority clash that sums up this movie. If Kobayashi had payed more attention to Greek tragedies and to Shakespeare (Richard II is a good start), he would find out that a necessary element is that authority is in danger when it violates the individual's rights defined by tradition, even if it ultimately prevails. In here, the rebel's isolation is complete, and his insistence in rebellion is just self-affirmation ("I never felt so alive", the hero proclaims - how tacky is that?). Even that proclamation of authenticity is somehow fake: Mifune's character emboldens the young couple because he sees in them an alternative to the unhappy marriage he has always had. That is not finding oneself, it is projection. In the end, all that's left is folly.

But if the movie fails as tragedy, it works pretty well as an action/drama, and is not a lesser samurai flick. Kobayashi aims too high and misses, but still hits something.

the cover art is slightly mis-leading, for what is one of the best black & white samurai pictures ever

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 15 August 2006]

Masaki Kobayashi more than proves his worth as a filmmaker here (though he more than proved his worth with The Human Condition and Harakiri, this is the one most seen abroad), in this tragic, technically amazing film Samurai Rebellion. It's got a misleading cover, however, with Toshirio Mifune's face mad as hell all covered in blood. True, the last quarter of the picture does have a kind of cathartic release of swordplay action and (more than usual for the period) bloodshed. But for the most part this is really a film squarely about its characters, and an incredibly interesting one on both thematic and pure cinematic scales.

It's got an excellent, subtle screenplay by Kurosawa regular Hashimoto, and it could be said that that last quarter, of which is one of the most violent I have seen from various 60s black & white samurai movies, is 2nd only to Kurosawa in this regard. Samurai Rebellion stands on its own as a great film in that it gives Mifune, as well as actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Takeshi Kato, and especially Yoko Tsukasa as Ichi, very memorable parts. It's got even an existential side to it that reminds one of Kurosawa as well, though it fits into a mode that is both formal, but also breaking a mold as well. By the time Samurai Rebellion came out, films like this in black and white were on their way out.

With this Kobayashi and his DP Kazuo Yamada create countlessly indelible images in the jidai-geki genre (or Chambara film). One I still remember is when Ichi is describing what happened for her to have to leave the Lord at the start, when she had her fight with another mistress and even slapped around the Lord. The close-ups close in with a true intensity, and the editing adds a kind of uniqueness in a flashback that adds to it being such a rotten memory. Overall, it is both Kobayashi's skills with the lens, that lending itself to his gifts as a storyteller, and allowing people like Mifune and Nakadai to really give it all to these characters that makes it stand apart from the countless other films.

Mifune in-particular here is at the top of his game; here is a character that isn't as immediately humorous or wild as in some of Kurosawa's films. Here is more reserved at first, more in line with someone in his position at his middle age. But the character of Isaburo Sasahara also speaks to his real gifts at hitting the nerves of the one he's inhabiting, and with this one it's a character who's been too stuffed away, too "henpecked" as some characters observe. It's not too surprising then that his sort of eruption late in the film (not only the inspiration for the cover, but also for Paul Schrader's climax for Taxi Driver) after other tragedies have occurred adds to it all. It's really one of his very best performances.

Samurai Rebellion also tries to look deeper into something that must have been common as day in Japan, though here in America it seems like its so unnerving. The power of the Lord over the vassals, and how the powerless seem to stay so until there's something to push them over the edge. It's theme of love's strengths and real connection over dominant rule- and really deeper choice over un-wavering rule- guides through the film as it seems to start out fairly simply. This might all sound a little preachy for a film that should just be, to some, a spectacle of swords being brandished for terms of loyalty and revenge and such.

It's that, too, but it's more if you get into the psychology of this assorted lot of characters, and the style compliments that completely. It's not a color film, but it still feels incredibly contemporary in a way, and as someone watching the film almost forty years after it was released it doesn't feel hokey or stilted like some other older samurai movies. It's touching, creative, and quite the excellent show if you know what you're getting.

A Noble Yet Flawed Rebellion

[samuraifa451 · 7/10 · 15 January 2012]

Toshiro Mifune works with director Masaki Kobayashi in the samurai film "Samurai Rebellion" but the results are not what they should be. When their lord requests the marriage of his mistress to his son, Isaburo (Mifune) is reluctant to comply. However, two years later, the two start to develop feelings for each other and Isaburo starts to change his mind. Though when the lord orders for her return both Isaburo and his son Yogoro (Go Kato) decide to take a stand. If nothing else, "Samurai Rebellion" is worth a watch because of its gorgeous cinematography and Mifune's intense performance. The problem starts when it gets less and less believable. At a number of points it seems as if Isaburo cares about their relationship than anyone else in the cast, his son included. As a result a few moments near the end almost come off like a soap opera. "Samurai Rebellion" is not a bad film but it is not the best film in either Mifune's or Kobayashi's repertoire.

Like watching paint dry

[cherold · 3/10 · 12 December 2003]

This movie is sooooo sloooooowwww. It's got occassional good moments, as when Ichi explains how she wound up in her fight or Isaburo running towards the riflemen through the vegetation, but the pacing is glacial and the story is somewhat interesting but not nearly interesting enough to support over two hours of movie.

A samurai movie WOMEN will love...

[AkuSokuZan · 10/10 · 20 August 2001]

At the center of a clan's political intrigue and pride is a woman treated like a doll. Her feelings and human value are ignored in favor of a lord's whims and customs of the time. Her sympathizers are a new younger husband and his father who realize and will risk everythint to uphold her virtue. Ichi, the heroine, is not alone. Ichi's infant daughter Tomi, the precious life that Isaburo, her grandfather (played by Toshiro MIfune), must guard risks falling into the tragic pattern as that of her mother. The film moves at a calculated pace, much like water boiling, to the final duel which will decide whether or not the innocent Tomi remains in the arms of her now renegade grandfather or a secure life with Isaburo's friend (played by Tatsuya Nakadai). LIke all good movies, viewers can never fathom the ending. What makes Samurai Rebellion memorable are its vivid images of a toy cow slowly shaking it's head, a smooth field of sand disturbed by the footprints of an angry warrior, and the last scene you may miss if you blink!

Samurai middle management

[gkbazalo · 10/10 · 9 May 2002]

Toshiro Mifune, trapped in a loveless marriage and bored with his position within his clan, would just like to enjoy his grandchild and see his sons have a happier life than he. But the same forces that conspired to trap him in his situation--duty to family and obligations to the clan and feudal chain of command--now threaten his son, daughter-in-law and granddaugher. Under great pressure, he resists the persuasion of his wife's family and his clan to bow to "duty". The tension builds--perhaps at one point a little too drawn out-- to an exciting climax.

Genre-Defying

[GRWeston · 8/10 · 23 January 2011]

With a title like Samurai Rebellion and a disc cover featuring a bloody, threatening Toshiro Mifune, I was expecting an old-fashioned, meat-and-potatoes samurai yarn with clearly-defined good guys and bad guys. Instead, I experienced the near opposite: a movie awash in shades of gray and in a world where honor, loyalty and sword mastery are not always enough. I'm an avid defender of genre entertainment, placing the samurai genre near the top of ones that reliably please. Samurai Rebellion, however, offers an experience that is much more interesting, as well as with a much more long-term satisfaction.

Set in a time of peace and entirely on the grounds of the Sasahara clan, the movie begins with veteran swordsman Isaburo (Mifune) and his friend Tatewaki involved in a required yet ultimately pointless - and for these soldiers, elementary - training exercise under the direction of the clan lord. It becomes immediately clear that the soldiers know that the exercise is beneath them yet have no power to object to their leader's wishes, a moment which in turn establishes - in addition to the stark, imposing opening shots of the Sasahara fortress - the clan rule's imposition and obstinacy. With no opportunity to put his skills to meaningful use and with a tradition-loyal wife at home in whom he cannot confide, Isaburo starts to feel very empty and useless. This changes, though, when Isaburo learns that his son, Yogoro, is to marry Ichi, a former mistress of the clan lord. Ichi, who had a son with the ruler, quickly turned into a pariah for lashing out at him for immediately taking up with another woman as if their affair never happened. Despite her reputation, Yogoro and Ichi's marriage is a strong and loving one, producing a daughter as well as a revitalization of sorts for Isaburo, who feels more alive now than he ever did as a servant of the clan's cause. Unfortunately, his elation is short-lived, as an untimely death makes the clan lord's illegitimate son his sole heir, which by tradition requires Ichi to return to the ruler's side. Unwilling to watch his family fall apart, Isaburo opposes the entire clan and seeks to expose its wrongdoings all by himself, an act resulting in bloodshed, the revelation of true colors and ultimately, the pitting of friend against friend.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a samurai movie where the villain is not bandits or warriors from another kingdom, but instead the kind of establishment that samurai were trained to uphold. In doing this, the movie takes apart the ugly side of fealty, especially in how the happiness of the subjected can vanish at the signing of an order or even at a whim. Japan being a country that takes its history and traditions very seriously, it's a wonder Kobayashi was able to get away with telling a story like this, his transition from working in the studio system to freelance being the likely explanation. Samurai Rebellion also defies convention in style and technique: instead of interspersing scenes of action with scenes of dialogue as seen in the typical samurai movie, Kobayashi gives us a slow burn of tension, saving all of the action to the best possible point to release it. Isaburo's struggle reminded me very much of Terry Malloy's in On The Waterfront in both purpose and in quality of performance. Mifune's transition from subservient veteran to vigilante is expertly gradual, and while his violent outbursts in his other performances tend to go over the top, here, he is true to character from Isaburo's highest point to his lowest. All of the supporting performances are equally solid, especially Yoko Tsukasa's, who demonstrates Ichi's powerlessness and desire for freedom with great pathos. The movie does not succeed on all points, however: the vast majority of Samurai Rebellion is dialogue-driven, and there are many scenes that could have been more interesting had Kobayashi showed more instead of told, especially since most of these scenes take place in formal settings where everyone must remain stock still. Formality or not, a little camera movement in these scenes could have gone a long way. Still, it has to be said that when Kobayashi does "show," such as in the aforementioned scene during the training exercise, he does it with great poignancy and efficiency. Also, there are some moments where characters mention that a great deal of time has passed, but since they exhibit little to no corresponding changes in age, behavior, and with the possible exception of Ichi and Yogoro's daughter, appearance, these passages are hard to take seriously. Regardless, Samurai Rebellion stands as one of the best samurai movies I've seen, not to mention proof that Kobayashi is as deserving of praise of Japanese directors like Ichikawa and Kurosawa.

The last great samurai film

[kikuchiyo-1 · 10/10 · 26 June 2004]

I don't know why so little people have seen this film. This movie has place in history of cinema as one of the greatest masterpieces. Story has structure of ancient tragedy and we sit in permanent tense from beginning to end; none other film I saw isn't so suspenseful. Direction is perfect and there isn't one unnecessary second in all 2 hour film. Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai - duet well known from Kurosawa films like "Yojimbo", "Sanjuro" or "High and Low" - make peerless performances, really dramatic and deep. "Samurai Rebelion" is as excellent, humanistic and timeless as the best of Kurosawa films. Everybody I know agree with this opinion after watching Kobayashi's masterpiece. 10/10

A steady, inexorable pace to what comes very close to noble tragedy

[Terrell-4 · 8/10 · 11 September 2006]

Don't come to Samurai Rebellion expecting a strutting, slashing, melodramatic sword flick. Joichi is a movie that deals with major issues -- love, honor, duty, injustice and, above all, self-respect -- and does so in such a sad and noble way that the inevitability of the outcome approaches tragedy. Note that elements of the plot are discussed.

We're in the middle of the long Tokugawa Shogunate, 1725. There has been peace for years and while the samurai code of obligation and duty is as rigid as ever, there are no wars to fight. When a local daimyo casts aside a concubine, the mother of his youngest son, he sends her to a retainer, Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) with the order that she marry Sasahara's oldest son, Yogoro (Go Kato). Isaburo is probably the best swordsmen in the district, but he is a minor functionary and has been married 20 years to a woman who scorns him. He accepts his fate with his wife, a termagant, and simply tries to do a good job at the lower level assignment he has. The order by their lord divides the family, but finally Yogoro agrees to marry the woman, Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa). The two develop a deep love for each other. They have a daughter, Tomi. Then three years after the daimyo sent her to the Sasahara family, he orders her return. His eldest son has died and it would be a disgrace to have the mother of the new heir married to a retainer. By now Sasahara has resigned as head of his family and turned responsibility over to Yogoro, placing Ichi, whom he has come to love as a father, over his domineering wife. Yogoro plans to refuse the order and Ichi is determined to stay as his wife. But great pressure is brought to bear on both of them as well as on Sasahara. Sasahara says the decision must be Yogoro's...but he makes clear what his feelings are. Duty and obligation are placed on Yogoro and Ichi by members of the family and by the officials of the daimyo. Yogoro wavers for a moment. Sasahara has had enough. "My father-in-law was impressed with my swordsmanship," he tells the couple. "As head of the Sasahara clan, he asked me to marry into the family. But otherwise I have no talents. In other words, I am a worthless man. So in order to prove myself for these past 20 years I have fought to preserve our good name and social standing. So why am I so obstinate now? The cruel injustice involved, for one thing. But your beautiful love for each other has touched me most of all. There's never been a shred of love in my married life! Promise me, Yogoro, that you'll never let Ichi go!" Turning to Ichi, he says, "No matter what happens, never leave him! Promise me!"

The three will not agree to the return of Ichi. The daimyo will not change his cruel order. Up to now the movie has been spent exploring the life of Isaburo Sasahara, his home, his family, his relationships with his superiors, all of whom expect obedience. Family councils are held. The daimyo's minions plot ways to force the return of Ichi. Threats are made. Seppuku is ordered. At one point Ichi is tricked into the daimyo's castle. Sasahara and Yogoro prepare to defend their home. He virtually shouts out to his daimyo's steward, who has come to manipulate an agreement from him, "And tell everyone this for me! I, Isaburo Sasahara, in all my life have never felt more alive than I do now.!" Sasahara knows full well what the outcome of his defiance will most likely be. So do Yogoro and Ichi. The injustice of it, and their love, make them as determined as Sasahara. A confrontation is inevitable and occurs in a spasm of violence. Sasahara finally takes his baby granddaughter and walks toward Edo, carrying her in his arms. He will plead his case before the Shogun. He makes it as far as the frontier gate of the daimyo's lands. There is no happy ending. We are left only with Sasahara's hope for his granddaughter and with the satisfaction of seeing a man who found self-respect. I'm not sure if this is enough to make a tragedy, but it comes close. Isaburo Sasahara found nobility along with self-respect.

The black and white film is beautifully photographed. Kobayashi takes his time letting us see Sasahara's life and how he and his family live. He helps us understand the unyielding social order of Sasahara's world. He builds an understanding of the kind of man Sasahara is and became. We can understand how, seeing his son's love for Ichi and how it is returned, he will not see his son's life turn into his life. All the obligations to a corrupt, self-indulgent and cruel lord become meaningless as he sees the futility of what his life turned out to be. This is a fine movie with major themes. It would not be as powerful as it is without superlative performances by the thee main actors, particularly Toshiro Mifune. He moves believably and powerfully from a cautious man who is emotionally deadened into a man who has been changed by the love he sees between his son and Ichi, and then outraged by the injustice done to them.

The Inevitability of Risk

[kurosawakira · 8/10 · 22 June 2014]

Made three years after the colour epic "Kaidan" (1964), two years after the break-up of Kurosawa and Mifune in "Akahige" (1965) and five years after Kobayashi's hit for the rival Shochiku "Harakiri" (1962), "Jôi-uchi: Hairyô tsuma shimatsu" (1967), known in English as "Samurai Rebellion" is just as good as I've come to expect from Kobayashi. While there are similarities to past films (Mifune takes justice in his own hands, Kobayashi paints a rotten society and his heroes and heroines, if you want to call them such for all their suffering, are faced with an impossible task and fall between), "Samurai Rebellion" is to "Harakiri" what "Tsubaki Sanjûrô" (1962) is to "Yôjinbô" (1961): a thematic and stylistically sibling that annotates, expands and elaborates the thesis Kobayashi explored in 1962 of both the social injustice masquerading as clan tradition and law and the radically dimensional visual vocabulary built around rigid shapes and symmetries.

If there's a single motif that runs through Kobayashi's work it's the inevitability of risk. Risk both in the story but also in the filmmaking. He's stylistically brilliant, a true master of moving the camera geometrically and harmoniously, that one might expect an equally harmonious narrative. But that's not Kobayashi: his stories take him to witness such cruelty, both without and within that the contextual discrepancy between the formal beauty of the film and its shocking narrative underline the cruel irony that befits the film, in fact lives and breathes it.

At this writing the Criterion Collection DVD of the film is already nine years old, not that the DVD wouldn't be excellent for being nine years and in standard definition. But one does wonder when it'll be released on Blu-ray.

good movie, full Japanese style of the 50s/60s

[f-luchetta-785-445724 · 7/10 · 18 October 2014]

good movie, recommended

the story is that of a concubine of a Japanese lord who after giving this an heir is denied and given in marriage to repair a young samurai from a small family.

despite the reluctance of the mother and the initial suspicion of her father, the couple create a strong union and conceive a daughter. throughout the union and the feelings of the couple, however, were described to me better, because despite being one of the most important points of the film is analyzed shortly . the father (played by a consistently great Toshiro Mifune) is struck by the love that binds the two young and decides to commit to defend the union from the lord of the manor that after a few years back the claims .

I must say that the film develops slowly, the story is well told. actors have a very formal acting and theatrical mold, as usual in Japanese cinema .

are mentioned some thoughts on Japanese society of the time, such as the position of women, but more than a critique would call a gash on Japan at the time of the shogunate.

in short, good movie, good actors 7/10

once again, proof that Japanese cinema more than just Godzilla flicks

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 30 June 2005]

This wonderful movie stars the great Toshiro Mifune as the leader of this family in feudal Japan. And, despite starring Mr. Mifune, it is NOT an Akira Kurasawa film! The patriarch, Mifune, is in a tough spot. His son has been ordered to divorce the wife he loves and marry another by his warlord. But, showing uncharacteristic courage, he refuses repeatedly. This was indeed an unusual thing as it flew in the face of the code of Bushido, which emphasized blind loyalty. Initially, Mifune tries to make his son see reason until ultimately, he agrees with his son to stand against this injustice. How this is handled ultimately is for you to see for yourself. However, great acting, writing and direction make this a must see.

A very small rebellion

[revenge_of_shinobi · 6/10 · 10 March 2011]

Samurai Rebellion is a taught and tense samurai film throughout, possessing not even an ounce of humour. That's no bad thing. You get the impression it's all building to something huge, in-fact I was waiting to see this 'Rebellion' where suddenly all the samurai overthrow the lord, but, it never happens. the rebellion is a small and personal one of just three people of one household as everyone, including there own family members seem intent on splitting them apart. That is where the films strength lies, the first hours and a quarter, and disappointingly, when the action comes it's full of frankly rubbish dialogue and clichéd scenes.

It's a slow film, nothing is rushed, and the setting is very pleasant. The ways of the Japanese culture of those times is interesting to watch , how they are all polite and stuff, however there are points where it just goes beyond belief. That's as much a criticism of the story as it is of the formal tone of the film. In the end that is the very reason it loses it's realism, as the father gives some corny dialogue towards the end it's hard to not compare it with something like Rambo or even He-man where we the audience are being preached at rather than being told a story. It's a shame they even departed from the 'courtroom drama' type vibe of the first half if they couldn't bring it to a satisfying violent conclusion. In the end I felt a little depressed and a little disappointed, but still, it's 'ye olde japan' and its got samurai and the first half is pretty damn good so it's worth a watch if you're interested in that time and place.

Much less compelling than "Seppuku"

[dark_frances · 5/10 · 24 May 2013]

I have watched yesterday Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion, and I was left oddly unsatisfied. I had liked his Seppuku a heck of a lot, but Rebellion just felt flat. It's true, though, that the title of the movie has been translated wrongly, as far as I have understood (too lazy to dive now into my Japanese dictionaries) it actually reads as "The Rebellious Woman" or so. Which would have changed my expectations, and as such, probably, my enjoyment of the movie. To watch something called "Samurai Rebellion" and actually see a domestic drama about the sad fate of a woman is a little disconcerting.

Then again, even apart from that, the movie just didn't have the subtle ethical dilemmas and grim atmosphere of Seppuku. The main problems here are as follows. 1. The Lord of the land commits a set of abuses connected to a woman and the people around her, which have to be sanctioned at some point, even at the cost of a whole clan. 2. An individual cannot possibly be just the network of social relations and obligations surrounding him or her, and the main characters are trying to get a life apart from the social system they are a part of - even at the cost of being crushed by said system. 3. There are vague hints that the actions of the mean Lord were somewhat dictated by the official norms and traditions themselves, so the woman in question was not oppressed just by a mean individual in a position of power, but by the whole tradition she was a part of. 4. There is duty, and there is moral right, and sometimes they interfere and one has to decide, losing something either way.

The thing is that 2 & 3 are at most hinted at vaguely, while 1 & 4 are not particularly interesting. Problem 3 is really just one sentence uttered by Nakadai's character in front of the Lord, and problem 2 as such is also mostly a sentence of Mifune's, while in practice it gets overlapped by 4. As to problem 4, we have several characters trapped between the Lord's orders and the inner sense of morality, and while Ichi's family chooses the inner morality (and die as a consequence of that), Nakadai's character picks the duty (...and dies as a consequence of it). Then we have Ichi & co's stubbornness against duty to the Matsudaira clan and duty to their own family, which is not clearly presented as either problem 2 (individual desire against social system), or problem 4 (inner sense of justice vs outer duty, fight against kidnapping vs submission to the Lord's orders).

Seppuku's moral plight was much more continuous and smooth - the unjustified aggressiveness of the Samurai Code in a time of peace, against humanitarian (and probably deeper Buddhist) principles, and also its perversion by the increasingly lax attitude of its practitioners. The ethical argument was sharp and painful as a samurai sword, the humanism was warm, laughing, crying and bleeding, and apart from that, the visual metaphors were deep and compelling. Nakadai's Hanshiro himself was more of an archetype than an actual human being, he was relentless retribution, a bleeding wound frozen in time until the corroded blade that opened it was found and punished. Both movies end with the two individual dramas frustratingly concealed by the clan officials, little red specs crushed under the millstones of large-scale politics, but while Seppuku takes it with a world-wrecking visual metaphor and a grain of cynical humor, Rebellion whimpers and declaims.

So, in comparison, Rebellion was descriptively, visually and theoretically confusing. Not deadly confusing, of course, but still deflating. I can only think of a handful of images that had an effect on me, which is also why my analysis is so focused on the ethical part of the story. Neither Ichi, not Yogoro looked like more of a sketch, and apart from some generic "damn women had a bad fate during the Shogunate" reaction, I never felt truly involved in their fate. Of course that playing Ping-Pong with a woman's life is not nice, but come on, this was such a minor issue compared to the problems from Seppuku - and to my own expectations when I read the title of the movie. Isaburo felt more like a frustrated old man who is trying to (almost forcefully at times) project his dreams of happiness on his son, the Lord and the Intendent were typically bad guys, and Nakadai's Tatewaki was more of an afterthought, almost redundant in the story. I believe that the worst offender here was Ichi and Yogoro's life together, which was supposed to be the portrayal of familial happiness. At least we're told so. In reality, it was the same ritualistic stiffness - and I won't even begin to compare this with the happy scenes from Tsugumo's life with his daughter and son in law. In fact, if the happiness of the three Sasaharas had been actually shown, I think that their subsequent plight would have been much more convincing. Of course, Kobayashi doesn't do very much in the direction of creating an actual universe behind the screen, his worlds look like artificial compositions in both cases, but the construction from Seppuku is so beautiful and complex that it pretty much catches life.

And I never really felt tensed - what I felt was rather discomfort at the domestic conflicts, and toward the end a whiff of irritation at stuff being blown out of proportions. Indeed, the latter could have become a tragic cry of suffocation of the little human against the social bulldozer, problem 2 was by far the most interesting one - and who knows, maybe on a second viewing I'll focus on it and draw more from this movie. But this time, it didn't do more than tug a little at the corner of my eye (or the corner of my humanistic principles).

Kobayashi is Japan's Other Master Director

[jpfratkin · 10/10 · 14 February 2006]

Masaki Kobayashi is certainly the second greatest period director following Akira Kurosawa. Samurai Rebellion, along with Harakiri, are two of the best samurai films ever made, belonging to the small group that includes the masterpiece Seven Samurai. Why are they excellent? I think one could point to many things: the timing, the sets, the black and white photography, character and plot development. Each frame is a masterpiece of black and white composition, like a perfect example of Japanese calligraphy. A haiku, a flower arrangement - Kobayashi's films firmly belong to an ancient Japanese tradition of refinement in the arts. In both of these films, he takes a moral dilemma, and allows it to unfold, slowly and deliberately. The action sequences that Samurai film buffs expect do come to fruition, but as a part of the story, not its entire reason for being. The only tragedy is the English choice of names here. It is appropriate, but does not convey the depth of the story or its execution, and leads one to expect a chop-sake Grade B film. Followers of black and white masterpieces should examine and embrace all of the films of Masaki Kobayashi.