Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)

 Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple"


Coming off the enormous praise and success of "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto," Hiroshi Inagaki created the second installment of his trilogy focusing on the real-life samurai: Musashi Miyamoto. The second film, "Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple," picks up where the first film left off. Now, Musashi is continuing his journey to fully become a respectable samurai warrior. 

While the first film dealt with Musashi facing intense circumstances that would ultimately lead him down a path towards becoming a samurai, the second film seems more interested in the supporting cast of characters. More particularly, their relationship to Musashi and the conception of the warrior spirit. The warrior ideal becomes a major thematic topic of the film, with questions posed regarding what sacrifices are necessary to attain such integrity. 

I was a bit underwhelmed by the second film, feeling as though the intentions of the film became convoluted and uninteresting. The set pieces were on sound stages, the camerawork wasn't as expansive, and the plot was more focused on secondary characters. This left me a bit dissatisfied when comparing the film to the first installment. 

Despite these shortcomings, "Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple" is still a notable work by an interesting filmmaker. It still retains the incredible performance by Tishiro Mafune in the Musashi role. And, it still manages to hold a foundational entertainment value 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La Dolce Vita (1960)

Image
  Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" The famed Italian poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini once said that Federico Fellini's 1960 masterpiece " La Dolce Vita " was too important to be discussed in the usual way one discusses a film. I absolutely agree. " La Dolce Vita " is not only a monolith in cinematic history - it set a new precedent for how films could be constructed. Its DNA lies in the very components of modern cinematic convention. The themes and narrative beats remain as relevant today as they were in 1960, lending the film a remarkable sense of timelessness. To call " La Dolce Vita " a masterpiece almost feels like an understatement.  The film departs from traditional narrative structure, unfolding instead through a series of interconnected episodes. Marcello Mastroianni stars as Marcello Rubini, a tabloid journalist who aspires to write literature. Navigating the glamorous yet hollow world of Rome's café society, he spend...
Read more

Oliver Twist (1948)

Image
  David Lean's "Oliver Twist" After the success of David Lean's 1946 adaption of Charles Dickens classic 1861 novel " Great Expectations ," Lean decided once again to adapt a classic work by Dickens. This time, his focus was on the 1837 novel, " Oliver Twist ." His 1948 adaptation once again proved that Lean was able to take Dicken's classic work and visualize it for the big screen.  Centering on a young orphan boy in 19th century England, " Oliver Twist " details the boy's plight as he is hired out as an apprentice after asking a cruel taskmaster for a second serving of gruel. Falling in with a street urchin and a criminal, the boy's fate between wealth and poverty hangs in the balance when his kindly benefactor decides to take him in. From all of the Charles Dickens adaptations I have seen, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of Dicken's work. I know, blasphemous. From " Great Expectations " to ...
Read more

The Browning Version (1951)

Image
  Anthony Asquith's "The Browning Version" I was very caught off guard by Anthony Asquith's 1951 British film " The Browning Version ." Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Regardless, what I received was something far more emotionally complex than anticipated.  The film centers on Andrew Crocker-Harris, an embittered, middle-aged schoolmaster. He is resigning from his post due to his poor health, his wife is cheating on him, and the person she's cheating on him with is the one replacing him at his post. This sets off a series of emotional and existential reflections on whether his hardnose and authoritarian teaching methods made any difference with the students throughout his teaching career. However, one grateful student forces Crocker-Harris into an emotional reckoning. The film forces reflection on one's life and the difference we make in the lives of those around us. Perhaps you hold too tightly to your ideals and perhaps you've ...
Read more