Yojimbo (1961)

 Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo"


Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" is not only one of the best films in his filmography, but it also helped shape the 1960s American Western. Its influence is boundless. With direct adaptations like Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, or looser adaptations like 1966's "Django" and even the "Star Wars" films, "Yojimbo" has become an endlessly imitable classic of global cinema. 

"Yojimbo" tells the story of a nameless samurai who wanders into a small town to find two rival gangs occupying it. The two gangs are at war and creating so much violence that most of the town's inhabitants stay in their homes. The samurai is able to manipulate the situation so that each gang destroys the other. Once he has saved the town from this violence, he leaves as mysteriously as he appeared. 

While I was watching "Yojimbo," I attempted to assert a sense of thematic metaphor over the film. I think that one could assuredly surmise many interpretations. However, much of that way of thinking dropped from my mind. Rather, I was just totally engrossed in the story and the adventures of this samurai. I worried less about what the film 'meant' and instead simply enjoyed it for what it is. And what it is is a great film. 

Retrospectively, I could say that it is another alignment in Kurosawa's running themes in his filmography. Typically, Kurosawa likes to begin his films with a state of chaos. The remainder of the film simply muses about what one could do about this chaos. In a film like "Seven Samurai," Kurosawa contemplates the necessity of working together to form a collective for the greater good. However, "Yojimbo" uses the protagonist samurai as some sort of fantasy, an unknown hero to set order. It is less a practical application and more a romantic notion. Kurosawa uses the film medium to build an Ubermensch, or Superman.

Outside of its story structure, Kurosawa's direction for "Yojimbo" has been endless replicated, as well. The most iconic shot of all, and perhaps the most imitated, is the climax of the film. The nameless samurai, after having restored himself, returns to town to finish off the last remaining gang member. He appears in frame and slowly begins to walk towards camera as the wind blows sand and dirt through the air. There's a good reason this shot has been imitated time and time again - it is simply badass, period.

It is safe to say that "Yojimbo" is one of the most influential films in global cinema. Its story structure - a nameless hero taking on violent gangs to save a small town - as well as the masterful direction by Kurosawa, has ensured its place in film lore.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on...
Read more

The Big Sleep (1946)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" After watching Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir " The Big Sleep ," I have to say that it is not one of my favorite film noirs. That being said, it was definitely the best Howard Hawks film I've seen thus far. It did not have the typical dark ending that permeates the whole film with bleak darkness, which probably made it a lesser noir for me. In fact, it felt more like a 'studio noir,' if that makes sense. I'm not going to go into the entire plot of the film, especially because the entire plot is incredibly convoluted. In fact, this was a major strike against the film at the time of its release. Many reported that they could not keep up with what was happening. I've got to say that, for myself, this was the case as well. I found myself having to rewind to figure out what exactly I missed or who was who. However, upon reflection, the convoluted plot may only add to the feverish intoxication of the film.  Because...
Read more