Review of Harakiri (1962) by Eric D — 27 Jun 2010

[size=3][b]Salvator Giulliano[/b][/size].

I was really looking forward to Salvatore Giuliano; it has an amazing Criterion case and it looks like just the type of movie I'd love. Sort of reminded me a lot of my beloved [i]Battle of Algiers[/i]. However, by the time I was half way through I realized this was not what I had hoped it to be.

What I did like about it was the way it was shot, newsreel style, and the actual story. It's the true tale of a revolutionary/bandit (depends who is speaking) who is eventually found shot in the streets. It begins with showing the police finding his body, then goes back from the beginning and tells his story up until he is murdered, at which time the movie shows what [i]really[/i] happened to him.

This sounds very good, yes, but the way it was put together destroys the potential. Many of the scenes felt randomly placed, and often I was confused as to why certain things were happening. At times there would be a scene placed which apparently had nothing to do with the film, and I'm still bewildered their meaning. It's too bad, because this could have been a brilliant film, but it's dragged down by being poorly cut.

There were a few scenes I loved however, such as the court trail. They really held me attention and had me wondering what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, most of the time this is not the case and I struggled just to keep up with what was happening instead of being enthralled or engaged. It was actually quite tiresome.

It really is disappointing that it had to turn out like it did; I think it really could have been as great as [i]The Battle of Algiers[/i]. Despite certain aspects which were good, such as the way it was shot and a few select scenes, everything else weights it down and the editing basically ruined what had so, so much potential.

[size=2][b]**1/2.

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[size=3]Harakiri.

[/size][/b][/size].

Lately I?ve been discovering amazing Japanese films, nearly one every week. It all started with [i]Sword of Doom[/i] and I?ve just adored virtually every one of them. There is something about Japanese films from the 50?s and 60?s the just clicks with me. However, I can safely say [i]Harakiri[/i] has been one of the best of what I?ve seen thus far.

Right from the opening shot of [i]Harakiri[/i] I sensed the film was something special. The way the camera slowly leaned in and panned around the mysterious set of armour felt so uneasy and puzzling. It is almost as if this opening shot was a foreshadowing of things to come, as much of [i]Harakiri [/i]has to do with mystery and puzzlement. [i]Harakiri[/i] actually reminded me a lot of [i]Rashomon[/i] when it comes to the way the story was told, but the difference is I was disappointed with [i]Rashomon[/i] ? I absolutely loved [i]Harakiri[/i].

Going back to the opening shot, it was also a great indicator of the way [i]Harakiri?s [/i]cinematography[color=darkgreen][u][/u][/color] was going to be like. It is usually quite still, with slow tracks, pans and generally very careful, smooth movement. However, there are often times quick yet controlled zooms on faces to indicate shock, and when there are sword fights the camera starts to really move. It follows the duelists, careful to capture their every movement, and then will turn on its side of [i]The Third Man[/i] esque slanted shots, which looked gorgeous. Overall, as I?ve said, the cinematography was beautiful. It has a perfect balance between letting the viewer focus on what is happening and having pure visual flair. I?d put this in a top list of cinematography for sure; it was that expert!

Hand in hand with the cinematography was the editing, which was to say the least very interesting. The way [i]Harakiri?s[/i] narrative was structured (which I will get to), it required very carefully cutting. Thankfully it was edited flawlessly, and held all the films parts together spotlessly. The cuts between shots and the way the editing held the flow of the cinematography was impeccable, and better yet was the way it was paced.

To explain why it was paced so well and why the editing worked so well with the story is hard to describe without getting into the actual plot however. The way it is structured is [i]Rashomon[/i] style; stories within stories. In this case, it is about a scruffy looking Samurai who shows up at a clan?s fortress asking to be allowed to kill himself. The clan is suspicious about this, and this is where the stories within stories begin to be told. Through various[color=darkgreen][u][/u][/color] narrators back story, major plot points, turning points and even grin enticing twists are flushed out. It is really quite complex, but it works so perfectly because I never knew what was going to happen next. The entire time I had no idea what the scuffy looking samurai?s true intentions were, and it was so involving and absorbing to watch it all fold out. The story for [i]Harakiri[/i] was defiantly one of the main highlights of the film, as it was just brilliant.

Man on man, I don?t know how to fit everything else in. I mean, the performances for example. They all were so refined and expertly given, particularly from Tatsuya Nakadai. They took the wonderful script and characters and breathed energetic life into them. How about the fight chorography? Albeit, there were not actually many sword fights, but when there were the cinematography coupled with the carefully planed chorography made for excellent sword play, particularly in the final fight scene which I thought was simply a classic sword battle. It reminded me a lot of the final scene of [i]Sword of Doom[/i], which was incredible.

I am probably missing some things about [i]Harakiri[/i] which deserve to be mentioned, but I think it is safe to say you get the point; [i]Harakiri [/i]was a masterpiece. No mater what component of the film you look at, whether it be the complex, layered and overall stunning story, or the astonishing cinematography and direction, everything was just virtually perfect. Not only is this one of the best Japanese films I?ve seen so far (which I saying a lot, but it is also simply one of the best films I?ve seen regardless of genere. I highly recommend you see this, and if you happen to be a fan of foreign movies[color=darkgreen][u][/u][/color]you are [i]required[/i] to see this.

[size=3]*****[/size].