Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful but Lengthy
Review: First off, I really enjoyed this film. Years ago, I'd heard references to its tale and always wanted to see it. Now that I have, I am not disappointed. The tale of the loyal 47 retainers is a classic. However, the film moves very slowly. And justly so. The first hour alone (the film's approx 3.5 hrs long) is just to set up the actual problem. This is a story that takes time to tell. It's complicated and it's deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The viewer needs time to comprehend the situation. If you're looking for an action film, look elsewhere. Even when the 47 go into action, the fights are over quickly. The cast is strong. If you're a fan of Japanese cinema, you'll appreciate some of the recognizable names and faces. Plus, you can't go wrong with Toshiro Mifune. Visually, the film is lovely to look at. The music is quite good, as well. So, I would recommend this film, but only to the right viewer.
Rating: 
Summary: Valorous and powerful tale of heroism
Review: Here is an exquisite spectacle that embodies the spirit of bushido, newly released in stunning brilliance on DVD. For three hours, the Western viewer is swept to another time and place, one as strange yet vivid as anything imagined in science fiction or fantasy. If I was forced to make a shallow comparison, it might be to John Wayne's "The Alamo" for its evocation of heroic self-sacrifice and in its attempt to humanize sweeping historical events. But Chushingura is far more accomplished and less prone to theatrical bravado. The 47 loyal samurai are bound by duty and devotion, not patriotic fervor. They have no hope for personal survival, but accept their fate calmly and without flowery speechifying. In this lavishly produced movie, they live again -- stalwart and thoughtful, furious and fleeting. A profoundly engaging work that speaks to the core of the traditional Japanese martial spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Valorous and powerful tale of heroism
Review: Here is an exquisite spectacle that embodies the spirit of bushido, newly released in stunning brilliance on DVD. For three hours, the Western viewer is swept to another time and place, one as strange yet vivid as anything imagined in science fiction or fantasy. If I was forced to make a shallow comparison, it might be to John Wayne's "The Alamo" for its evocation of heroic self-sacrifice and in its attempt to humanize sweeping historical events. But Chushingura is far more accomplished and less prone to theatrical bravado. The 47 loyal samurai are bound by duty and devotion, not patriotic fervor. They have no hope for personal survival, but accept their fate calmly and without flowery speechifying. In this lavishly produced movie, they live again -- stalwart and thoughtful, furious and fleeting. A profoundly engaging work that speaks to the core of the traditional Japanese martial spirit.
Rating:
Summary: .
Review: I do have some qualms with this film. I don't mind it being so incredibly slow-moving, I should probably clarify -- in fact, that's a part of what I enjoy about it. I admire movies that take their time. The problem here, is that due to extremely horrendous subtitling, the movie is almost impossible to follow. I have only seen it through once, I can only hope it becomes clearer with repeated viewings. In any case, as long as you get the jist of what's happening, and you are predisposed fondly to old Japanese cinema, there is plenty here to enjoy and enrich -- just be warned, the subtitles are annoying and unclear, and leave you guessing as to exactly what's going on.
Rating: 
Summary: Technical quality unacceptable
Review: I first saw this film in the 60's in a small theater over 3 hours with one intermission. I never left my seat, in fact I started out sitting in the aisle at the back because the theater was full. The photography is gorgeous with brilliant winter scenes backing up intense sword fights in which you aren't sure what happened until someone keels over dead. Political betrayal is revenged while honor ultimately prevails. You are immersed in the feudal Japanese world and yet reminded of much the same thing happening today. Definitely worth seeing and buying once you've seen it.
Rating:
Summary: Samurai honor, political intrigue, romance, brilliant cinema
Review: I first saw this film in the 60's in a small theater over 3 hours with one intermission. I never left my seat, in fact I started out sitting in the aisle at the back because the theater was full. The photography is gorgeous with brilliant winter scenes backing up intense sword fights in which you aren't sure what happened until someone keels over dead. Political betrayal is revenged while honor ultimately prevails. You are immersed in the feudal Japanese world and yet reminded of much the same thing happening today. Definitely worth seeing and buying once you've seen it.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, but like moss, it grows slowly.
Review: I have read book adaptations of the 47 Ronin story and would strongly reccomend this course to any one intending to see this film. I t will help to fill in some of the gaps in the story and answer some basic questions like, "Why is no one seen riding a horse in the film?" I thought that the story moved a tad too slowly in parts. In others, it rushed through establishing narratives for interesting characters, particularly the one played by Mifume! I also somewhat expected the Kira character to be evil and decadent, but also a seasoned and brave swordsman, not a broken down old man. In the aftermath on the raid on Kira's compound, I looked forward to another 1/2 hour of movie showing the popular support for the Asano warriors and the subsequent mass seppku, and all I get is a little postscript! I understand that the B&W wersion from the 30s is better, but I have never seen it.
Rating:
Summary: Sheer greatness
Review: If you live long enough to see the opening sequence of "47 Ronin", you may die happy: for you have witnessed the greatness of the motion picture form as pure art. Some say that if nothing survived of the life and teaching of Christ but the "Sermon on the Mount", we would still be able to grasp the gist of his message. So it is with "47 Ronin" and motion pictures: if you only ever see the first ten minutes of this flick and never see another movie for the rest of your life, you will be in a position to understand the limitations and advantages of cinema as art. On the surface, the morality play carries some wonderful, solid truths about loyalty. But what lies underneath the surface, and trusted to the care of the viewer's own sensibility, is something more precious: a bit of life, depicted in its glory and misery, through Mizoguchi's iris.
Rating: 
Summary: A Most Expensive Debacle
Review: Inagaki's "Chushingura" was easily the most expensive version of a very popular and well-known epic in Japan. There had been several versions on film, the best directed by Furuda in 1959 (never seen outside Japan). Inagaki was an old favorite among Japanese critics, having directed the trilogy of Musashi Miyamoto, known herebaouts as the "Samurai" trilogy with Mifune. He was coventional, lacking in all but the most rudimentary visual imagination, and yet he was safe enough to invest a huge (for the time) budget, with the biggest box-office star of his day, Yuzo Kayama, in the making of what has become the most popular version of the ancient Japanese legend of the 47 Ronin. It is excellent as "chambara" (sword-film), but severely lacking in every other area. The action scenes, which always had the advantage of grandeur when compared to a simple Western gunfight, carry the film. But the emphasis on ritual, on character development, and on fidelity to the details of the legend, make the film seem rather stodgy.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant and exciting illustration of "bushido."
Review: Lord Asano is a kind, beneficent lord who refuses to bow to the demands for bribes by the shogun's corrupt, greedy emissary, Lord Kira. One reviewer at this site claimed that any frame from this film could be hung in a museum. I agree; the film is that beautiful. The clothes are colorful and stunning. The lighting is gorgeous, the story is deep. The camera movement is brilliant. It circles around Asano in the dramatic and volatile scene where he is driven to strike the despicable Kira with his sword. Asano knows that moment of fury will cost him his life but his rage is uncontrollable or the price is worth it. I'll never forget the scenes where Lord Asano's chamberlain arrives to divulge his plans for revenge to Asano's widow. He spots one of her aides, whom he distrusts, and he therefore changes his story to say he is going to retire to the country. His sorrow at not being able to speak his heart is reflected in the beautifully sad music and the cinematography. He exits her abode to be standing alone (with his assistant) as they walk off dejected in a gentle snow at dusk. A still shot of this moment graces the video sleeve and the DVD box. I never tire of this film. I've seen it many times and hope to see it as many times again. There is so much to see and hear. The first time I saw it, I concentrated on reading the subtitles; the second time I admired the clothes; the third time I marvelled at the camera work. And then there's the music and the melodrama. Every time I find new things I missed the previous times. The real wonder is why this movie only got a 9.7 rating out of 10 at this site
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