Rebellion

Audience Reviews

View More

Leia S Mar 11, 2017 Set in 1725 Japan, and made in 1967, isn't it interesting that this film reveals so many universal truths? Difficulties in marriage. The feeling in middle-age that comes when looking back at decisions and events in one's life. The need to stand up for what's right, despite a world that sometimes crushes us so unfairly. At the same time, the movie is distinctly Japanese. There are so many great shots from Director Masaki Kobayashi and cinematographer Kazuo Yamada, including such harmonious placement of people and objects in 'small' moments, that they're almost as if they were Zen rock gardens of their own. There are also of course the big scenes, such as the epic samurai showdown as the wind blows through the wild grass, which is amazing. Toshiro Mifune turns in a memorable performance, and leads an excellent cast. The soundtrack, with music provided by T?ru Takemitsu, fits the scenes and emotions beautifully. There is an undercurrent of defiance running through the movie, from Mifune's outspoken wife (Michiko Ôtsuka) to his son (Go Kato) and daughter-in-law (Yoko Tsukasa) clinging to one another despite cruelty from the local feudal lord. Mifune is calm as he braces for battle exclaims "I, in all my life, have never felt more alive than I do now", and we feel for the honor, for the rightness, of what he's about to do. Great film. See more

Ron S Jan 18, 2017 Set in the early 18th century (Edo era), Kobayashi's taut and elegant tragedy tells of a conflict between a vassal samurai (Toshiro Mifune) and his lord (and the institutional bureaucracy around that lord). It is a tale of injustice met with resistance, showing that resistance is empowering. The plot is carefully laid out: a member of the lord's escort (Mifune) seeks a bride for his eldest son and the lord, dissatisfied with his key mistress (who has borne him a second son), decides that Mifune's son must marry his mistress (a punishment for her). Mifune attempts to refuse but his son yields. Later, when the lord's eldest son dies of illness, the lord wishes to recall his former mistress (mother of his heir) who is now happily married to Mifune's son. This is the final straw for Mifune who has lived in a loveless marriage himself and sees that his son has found the familial joy that was denied to him. Samurai rebellion! Kobayashi uses the widescreen to maximum advantage, trapping the characters in geometric designs formed from the formal structures and settings of old Japan. The black and white images are carefully balanced (or imbalanced) for a special sort of pictorial pleasure. Yet the film feels sparse and the tension builds gradually but ever so distinctly, as with the turn of a screw, until final violence breaks out in true chambara style (there is a subplot featuring Mifune's friendship with Tatsuya Nakadai that allows a final duel, necessary for the genre). The ending is realistically downbeat - can the powerless ever really overcome the forces against them? But Mifune's efforts are heralded; he never felt so alive as when fighting for justice. A classic with a deeper resonance/relevance. See more

Read all reviews

Rebellion

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING