Review of Samurai Rebellion (1967) by Kenneth L — 04 May 2010

The opening scene by itself is fantastic. it opens by showing the sword of Toshiro Mifune's character, Isaburo, which is so thin and precise in its construction that when no longer focused upon it becomes invisible to the camera -- this, of course, being where we first see Mifune himself preparing to strike upon a hay-dummy, which gets cut clean in half. simply witnessing the culture of this film immediately intrigued me -- further proving that Japanese filmmakers of this era, particularly those like Kobayashi and, though he didn't direct this film, Kurosawa. Kobayashi masterfully portrays the story of Isaburo who tells his son to marry a controversially thought-of woman who recently attacked their warlord. after a few months or years (I'm not exactly sure how long) following their wedding, Ichi, Isaburo's son's wife, is demanded back by the new warlord because she is the father of the dying, or now dead, warlord's son. Isaburo's family, after long debate, refuses, and a catastrophic rebellion ensues.

This film is possibly the most realistic samurai film I've ever seen, it has the most realistic emotions and the samurai aren't constantly hiding their feelings through threatening gazes, but actually have personalities and traits that any other real person would have. the camera angles and cinematography are incredible, the directing is masterful, and the performances are outstanding.