Samurai Rebellion (1967)

 Masaki Kobayashi's "Samurai Rebellion"

By 1967, the Samurai genre had dominated Japanese cinema and was its primary global output going on two decades. In this way, it mirrored the American Western. Similarly to the American Western, the late 60s were the last frontier of this mainstay genre. By the 1970s, the genre, although still relevant, had diminished in both interest and production. To me, Masaki Kobabyshi's 1967 film "Samurai Rebellion" is a grand final thesis for this legendary genre.

The film's plot takes place in 1725, during the Edo Period of Japan. Isaburo Sasahara, a vassal of the daimyo of the Aizu clan, is ordered to by the daimyo to marry his son to his ex-concubine. With much trepidation, the family agrees. However, after his son and his new wife fall in love after two years of marriage, the daimyo orders for her return. Angered by the audacity and corruption of his daimyo, Isaburo digs his heels in - challenging the state's rule.

The film contains two of Japan's biggest film stars: Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai. Having Japan's biggest international stars share the same screen was a rarity. This feat is another reason why "Samurai Rebellion" a great send-off for the samurai drama, as the genre's two biggest contributors close it out in an epic way.

Not only was the film one of the last great samurai films of its era, it was also the last great film of note in the career of Masaki Kobayashi. He had been making great films for over a decade. The late 60s were the last great moments of his classical period.

The film itself was a thematic representation of some of the themes typically found in not only samurai films, but in post-war Japanese films all together. When watching the film, its themes are rather upfront and not at all subtle. Defiance of corrupt authority acts as the heartbeat of the film, illustrating the continued resentment for the abuse of power by the Japanese state during the war only 20 years prior.

In the film, the state authority continues to abuse its power and treat people as property. The protagonist's unwilling to continue being bullied and pushed around by a corrupt actor emboldens the thematic thrust of the film's action. While this conceit is relatively simple, its simplicity actually acts as a superpower. Without any subtly and subtext, anti-authority and anti-corruption take hold.

In this way, the film is a summation of the thematic point most made by a majority of Japanese film following the end of the war. It almost acts as a "final stand" off - which is directly relational to the final stands off typically made in the samurai film. 

To me, the film was a captivating experience. The thrill of acting against corrupt authority strikes at the heart of most people I would assume. Plus, the stoic resolution by Mifune's performance would allow anyone to connect with his character - especially given his honorable samurai visage. And of course, these tensions between individual and state boil into a all-out samurai battle - typical of most from the genre.

I feel as though "Samurai Rebellion" will be the last great samurai film of this post-war period that I will watch on my chronological journey through film. It is a bittersweet experience, as this period holds a special place in my heart. I consider it one of the greatest periods of film in the medium's history. And "Samurai Rebellion" certainly offers a cathartic send-off.