The 47 Ronin: Parts 1 & 2

Rating:
Summary: Chushingura...
Review: ..is a far better reenactment of the story of the 47 Ronin. Along with Seven Samurai, no other 2 films better exemplify the power of the samurai spirit. That aside, Mizoguchi is one of Japan's most celebrated film directors but The 47 Ronin (1&2) is not some of his better works. It's sad that this is the only film of his available on DvD, because it is in no way showing the true talents of this master of cinema.

I enjoy the Japanese legend of the 47 Ronin but this film is far too tedious and lengthy to watch. I fell asleep every time I've tried to watch it. And though more indepth and complex than Chushingura in some aspects, the style of filming so abstract it feels almost ancient. Saying that this film is painfully slow is putting it mildy. Rather, the story unfolds like a 300 hundred page book. At the end of the day you'd be better off just reading the story of the 47 ronin than to bother watching this 4 hour borefest.

With a far better adoptation available (Chushingura directed by Hiroshi Inagaki) I cannot recommend this film. Watch Chushingura instead.

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Summary: take some real time to think this exercise of otherness
Review: don't look for samurai-fights in this movie since it is rather a window into a different time with different people who only slighlty resemble today's norm. this could be indeed an exercise into otherness--hara-kiri, samurai codes of honor, loyalty, etc.

however contradictory this may sound, one may look at the tension between the two main types of behavior depicted in this movie (early 18 century, Japan) as precursor for today's environment: 'working the system' vs. fighting like a samurai. in other words, highly controlled/conditioned/regulated vs. organic/reflex behaviors.

this version of the movie misses on point (out of five) for its poor technical quality. otherwise it is a top creation-- notwithstanding censorship and other similar 'clever' considerations.

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Summary: Window on another World
Review: First, if it's Samurai action you're after - give this masterpiece a miss! What you get instead is an absorbingly quiet, thoughtful contemplation on the conflicting demands of the rules of law, society and human nature. Violence is distanced, stylised - and largely absent (amazing in a wartime propaganda work!)

In pure cinematic terms "47 Ronin" is incredibly beautiful to watch, shot in immensely long takes that establish a natural, breathing rhythm over the whole of its huge length. It is also wonderfully well acted by Mizoguchi's huge cast. The spartan design is very satisfying, presenting us Westerners with a fascinating 'other' world secure and perfect in its own clear hierarchies and customs. The conflict between personal loyalty and the law is rendered with beautiful clarity.

In some ways, although this is not the first Mizoguchi film I'd recommend to newcomers to his art, it may be the purest, most pared-down of all his works - surprising considering its extraordinary length! Although the print is not great, this DVD still represents good value at the price and is recommended.

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Summary: this movie must be seen
Review: for fans of the genre, please watch this movie

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Summary: All talk; no action
Review: I found the film somewhat interesting as it examined the psychology of the participants, but calling it slow was an understatement. Since the film was commissioned by the Japanese army to instill patriotism, I had expected at least some action. In this I was totally disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: All talk; no action
Review: I found the film somewhat interesting as it examined the psychology of the participants, but calling it slow was an understatement. Since the film was commissioned by the Japanese army to instill patriotism, I had expected at least some action. In this I was totally disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Mizoguchi
Review: It is unfortunate that the only film by the incomparable Kenji Mizoguchi available on DVD should be the 47 RONIN. While not terrible, and in some ways interesting, it is nowhere near the quality of such masterworks as UGETSU or SANSHO THE BAILIFF. Painfully slow, stylized to the point of abstract, far too long, THE 47 RONIN feels more like a rough draft than a finished film. Despite its subject, it is unlikely to please anyone wanting an action-packed samurai film. It will also disappoint Mizoguchi enthusiasts.

Mizoguchi is best known for his combination of the "one-shot, one scene" shooting method (in which most scenes are staged in a single, uncut shot) with a ravenously beautiful sense of composition. Some of this visual flair appears in 47 RONIN. When Lord Asano commits hari-kiri, for example, the camera moves to a high angle looking down on the enclosed space, while one of his loyal vassals weeps outside the closed gate. Or when the wife of Chamberlain Oishi, the leader of the ronin, leaves him with their two youngest children, the camera sits in a typically understated Mizoguchi long shot, Oishi standing helplessly alone and motionless in mid-ground, his wife and children disappearing into a forest in the background, his eldest son running laterally across the frame. It is a heart rending image of loss.

But unlike the director's best work, in which you're carried from one exquisite image to the next on a tide of volcanic, nearly unbearable feeling, these moments are isolated, emotional islands in a sea of stiff, almost inert scenes. In top form, Mizoguchi moves you beyond tears. Your throat goes dry and you can barely breathe for the intensity of feeling. Here, there's no release and barely any build up. As just one example the most important moment, when the ronin finally get their revenge on Lord Kira, occurs off-camera. It's almost as if Mizoguchi were *trying* to keep us removed.

If you have never seen a Mizoguchi film and would like to, you might want to rent one of his other titles on VHS. If you're thinking of buying the disc for the sake of having the 47 RONIN in your collection, I still don't recommend it, since the transfer is mediocre, made from damaged, sometimes soft visual elements and a wobbly, variable soundtrack. If you just want to have a Mizoguchi DVD, I suggest you wait until Criterion (hopefully) releases UGETSU and SANSHO THE BAILIFF.

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Summary: Capolavoro formale
Review: Mi scuso di scrivere in italiano, ma il mio inglese sarebbe ancora più inconprensibile.
Le recensioni di questo DVD sono in generale negative, ma a mio parere si basano su un malinteso: qualcuno cerca un film d'azione di samurai, ma chiunque sappia chi sia Mizoguchi non può essere deluso dalla mancanza di duelli e simili. Più strano è che amanti di questo regista sconsiglino questa edizione (daccordo, dal punto di vista tecnico l'immagine e soprattutto il sonoro sono scadenti, ma di fronte alla possibilità di vedere un simile film questo mi sembra di secondaria importanza), è vero: il soggetto, controllato dalla censura militare, è lontano dalla sensibilità dell'artista (sebbene, ma sarebbe un discorso complesso, vi sia un'erosione dall'interno dell'etica del bushido), e la morale del film è discutibile per non dire esecrabile, ma, e qui sta il punto, è qui raggiunto forse il punto più alto dell'uso del piano sequenza nel cinema di Mizoguchi e forse mondiale (conoscere questo film, e i precedenti come Storia dell'ultimo crisantemo del 1939, relativizza molto lo stupore di fronte a Citizen Kane); la lentezza, da alcuni stigmatizzata, di questo film, raggiunge, per chi abbia la pazienza e l'apertura mentale per apprezzare questo capolavoro e commuoversi per la bellezza fulminante delle immagini, l'assoluto.

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Summary: I am a big fan of the 47 Ronin but this stinks!
Review: Ok, this was made for a propaganda film during WWII. So The story was changed a little to inspire patriotism. But this a story about revenge and braking the law. And a little too much artistic license was taken. The shots are long and drawn out (although this was the norm back then) and the average shot length is 5-10 minutes. Unlike today which it is about 7 seconds. So you say you can deal with this to see the movie of one of the greatest stories ever written. And hope for some action too.

Wrong. The grand last battle In which the ronin of Ako take revenge (and Kira's head) is completely cut. in it's place Mrs. Asano-Sama receives a letter the day after from oshi saying that they took revenge.

I could not even finish this I was so put out.

I implore you. Do not buy this. There are many other GOOD Samurai films!

Rating:
Summary: Film description is wrong
Review: The 47 ronin didn't earn people's respect by committing mass suicide; they earned their respect by avenging their lord. Seppuku was ordered by Shogun Tsunayoshi for disobeying the shogunate's order afterwards. The description is misleading.