Chushingura

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Audience Member The first and last 30 minutes are incredible. The opening is stark, unfair, and you really get into the story. Then there's a good few hours of filler, until the well filmed finale. This tale of the 47 Ronin is a bit bloated, but has its good moments. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Chushingura (1963) is sometimes called the Gone with the Wind of Japanese cinema. It is not as such a Samurai film in that the loyal samurai do not engage in a battle until the last 15 minutes of the film. It is about the responsibility of loyalty opposed to the responsibility of good governance. Halfway through the film, some Dutch traders wander into a tea house (all dressed up in pink taffeta and lace). The young son of the principal samurai asks, "Would those Dutchmen think what we are doing is right?" In an emotion-filled voice, a Japanese gentleman asked me the same thing at intermission -- "Do you think they are right?" and I answered in an equally husky voice -- "Yes!" Seen from a different perspective, the film is an exquisite display of Japanese artistic sensibilities. Every scene (but one) is shot straight on, with everything in the frame maintaining a sense of what it was like to be a Japanese person in 1701, whether a lord or a commoner. Then there's the music of the soundtrack, heard first when the opening credits roll. It is so touching that I tear up. Oh, just watch it a few times and post your own review. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] A good film, even if I was confused at times. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member For centuries, the story upon which this film is based has been extremely famous in Japan but little-known in the wider world. The 1962 movie "Chushingura" is the most famous of literally dozens of cinematographic retellings. It focuses on some of the individual samurai who set out to avenge their dead lord. The character work is quite good, especially for some of the younger samurai and for the detestable villain whom they hope to kill. Despite being on many of the movie posters, Toshiro Mifune has a relatively minor role, though it is an interesting one. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Sometimes labled as The Gone with the Wind of here but it's still a solid Samurai flick. I liked this one despite some of the mixed review...Slow yeah most times but i got past that. Some very good acting and narration. Some wicked fight scenes and ECT. Nice costumes and music and landscapes... It's a good film overlooked and a suggestion for any fans of cinema here and mostly samurai. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting retelling of the Japanese story that's not as successful in its middle portion (where the samurai slowly become more destitute but still plot retribution) as Mizoguchi's version. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Chushingura

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