When fans think of the big Akira Kurosawa, they often think of the epics of the Grand Samurai and the war which came to define his career very early. Films like Seven samurai, throne of blood And The hidden fortress are works identifiable in the filmography of Kurosawa because they highlight the large visual scope of the director and the command of action and history. Seven samurai is his masterpiece, and has since become one of the most widely examined works, deeply dissected and greatly analyzed throughout the cinema. For decades, the filmmakers professed their love and their worship for the epic of the samurai and even drawn it directly when they realize their own projects. Seven samurai Absolutely contributed to the success of several other films in several other countries during the generations since its release.

However, Seven samurai did something even more important for cinema, and this directly involves Akira Kurosawa. Due to his incredible knowledge of material and his stylistic approach, Seven samurai Simply led to the biggest catalog of Kurosawa samurai films, which came after the 1954 classic. Kurosawa then made a number of great samurai films and even told various samurai stories in different genres. Whoever generally stands out for people is his 1961 classic A musical, Who has not only presented more incredible Kurosawa narration concepts, but also inspired a wave of other films like this. That being said, Brusal is not the only samurai film to which Kurosawa is recalled in the following years Seven samurai And one of them could even be better than fans do not remember.

Kurosawa made one of his most emblematic samurai films in 1961

In addition to being one of the scripts in the most brilliantly structured and creative layers of all time, Akira Kurosawa Brusal Always has an impact on cinema to date. Fans see Kurosawa’s hand in many things without even noticing it. His emblematic history lone wolf, on a wandering samurai or Ronin who is caught in the middle of a quarrel between two factions at war, is always one of the best types of stories ever. Brusal continued to inspire countless other films to the point where other filmmakers copied history and put their own twist.

The biggest that comes to mind is that of Sergio Leone A handful of dollars, but Brusal Can be found in a ton of other movies and television programs over the years. Star Wars is another good example of Kurosawa’s work referenced or reiterated in another genre. What makes Brusal The more important thematic messaging was so attractive which shouted the film when it depicts a specific period in Japan history. While the public had seen films deliberately draw attention to things like imperialism, crime and corruption, Brusal approached these important themes in a different way that resonated with the public more deeply.

Related

15 Best Samurai films and TV shows to watch if you like Shōgun

The Shogun of Hulu turned out to be one of the best dramas of 2024, and these are some other great films and Samurai television shows to scratch these itching.

One of the most important aspects of Brusal was its use of the tone. The comic nature of the main character, as well as the ambiguous moral nature of his decisions, have enabled a different vision of things such as the goal, honor, greed and sacrifice. It was different from the other Kurosawa films like Seven samurai And Rashomon. Adopt a more conventional approach to character and intrigue, Brusal is the journey of a hero who involves a convincing character arc for Sanjuro who implies failure, growth and victory in the most improbable way. Fans could easily identify with Sanjuro and worry about his personal career due to the anchored nature of the film. Brusal is not a typical epic of Kurosawa Samurai, but rather a simple lone wolf tale.

Theatically, what Sanjuro experiences and discovers resonates with the public in a completely different way from what fans were used to Kurosawa at the time. Of course, this had just defined Kurosawa as a general cinematographic master. Many of his films, just before Brusal And directly afterwards, would adopt an approach similar to the material to be accomplished. Kurosawa’s writing and crafts are only improving with each film he made. In fact, a film that came after Brusal could be an even more impactful samurai tale than fans do not remember it, and it was a direct sequence of Brusal.

Sanjuro is the continuation of 1962 greatly underestimated from Yojimbo

Usually, when Kurosawa fans think of his 1962 samurai film SanjuroThey remember it as the charming suite from the years 1961 Brusal And will probably refer to this as a solid film which does not exceed its predecessor. In Sanjuro, Fans of hearing heroes learned a year earlier, continues to walk in Japan looking for work as a mercenary. This time, he finds himself in the middle of another quarrel, but this time, it is between two samurai clans instead of two criminal gangs. The essential thematic differences that Kurosawa tries to underline is clearly indicated from the start. The public is supposed to understand that this time, Sanjuro will not be perceived as a heroic figure by other samurai (at least not immediately).

It is a crucial difference that really makes Sanjuro Even more entertaining than expected, because it is based on important themes presented in Brusal. Immediately considered a Ronin without honorary by the samurai who falls on him, Sanjuro is not a greater presence than life until he finds a convincing moral reason to put himself deeply intertwined in the assembly conflict at hand. This is actually what makes Sanjuro just as deep as its predecessor. Sanjuro must gain respect for his allies rather than being invoked by civilians who do not know better. Of course, fans know Sanjuro at this stage, so they know that, despite his nonchalant attitude, he clearly cares about the fundamental conflict of good and evil wherever he could exist in the world.

Sanjuro certainly does not care about someone else’s opinions when he decides to do the right thing, and that is what makes his dynamics with other characters in the film so interesting. He may have to win their respect, but he doesn’t care if he did. What the public realizes is that Sanjuro is really the legendary warrior in which he is perceived BrusalAnd Sanjuro is a point to continue and fail this aspect of your character bow. There is a beautiful dichotomy between the two films, especially since fans realize that Sanjuro is always the hero they thought he was, and slowly becomes this figure for young and immature samurai who do not know better.

Related

The link between the hidden fortress of Akira Kurosawa and Star Wars, explained

When George Lucas started working on Star Wars, he turned to the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa to inspire his space opera.

Retrospectively, they are as helpless as civilians who needed the help of Sanjuro in Song music. Of course, this time, Kurosawa focuses on a larger central conflict in the culture of samurai which leads to deeper themes of honor and goal that fans have seen in Brusal. In many ways, Sanjuro is the best adventure of samurai where the narration in layers, the natural humor and the satisfactory culminating point are all doubled. Given his title, Sanjuro Underlines the altruistic heroism that Sanjuro embodies at the bottom, despite the rough and selfish exterior that he presents. When the other samurai begin to look at it, it is only then that fans achieve the ultimate cost of being a hero, and the assessment he can take on such figures. What Sanjuro must do to defeat evil is not easy, and the blood of others always has a price (it may not be tax).

Sanjuro is undoubtedly the greatest representation of Kurosawa of the culture of samurai

The suite of 1962 of Brusal is so much more than it seems, and rightly puts Sanjuro even more at the center of what it means to be a samurai. What fans get at the end of the film is a complete understanding of the titular character, who is caught in the midst of moral crises in consecutive adventure classics. The mercenary of Sanjuro comes from years of mental and physical agitation. Killing always has a cost, and Sanjuro just thought that after a while, he should be paid for this.

However, apart from the incredible character arch of Sanjuro, Sanjuro is a beautiful representation of the culture of samurai with a unique samurai crisis at the forefront of history. It helps Sanjuro Kurosawa underlines at the top of his form and using it not only techniques that he has mastered, but also new cinematographic tools that become effective.

Related

30 best anime of samurai, classified

Samurai have always been a rich source of narration, and everyone will find something to love in these impressive anime of samurai.

An electrifying element of Sanjuro which is less predominant in Brusal is the use of incredible practical effects. Fans will always remember the shocking violence of Sanjuro cutting the arm of a gangster at the start of Brusal. In fact, it was the inspiration for the movement of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the scene of Mos Eisley during Star Wars in 1977. However, there is more visceral violence described in Sanjuro, And it comes to the head in one of the biggest stages in cinematographic history: the last duel.

Sanjuro Take things at another level, not only with the way it surrounds the landscape of an authentic samurai culture, but also with authentic violence of samurai. The epic slice of blood crisis which concludes the culmination duel of the film is probably even more memorable than most of the stages of Kurosawa’s career. Brusal could be more emblematic, but Sanjuro is undoubtedly more entertaining.

Sanjuro

Release date

January 1, 1962

Director

Akira Kurosawa

Writers

Akira Kurosawa, Shugorô Yamamoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima

• 

  Toshiro Mifune

  Sanjûrô Tsubaki

• 

  Tatsuya Nakadai

  Hanbei Muroto

• 

•