The Bad Sleep Well

Rating:
Summary: More than noir, and actually quite different from Hamlet
Review: This film is really unique (even for Kurosawa) in that it captures all of the mystery, suspense, and angst of a noir, while maintaining the very same majestic gravitas as *Seven Samurai*, *Throne of Blood*, *Ran* or any of Kurosawa's great medieval epics.

Indeed much of Kurosawa's best work carries a highly distinctive and supremely confident muscular swagger which can be found here in the stirring (and rather addictive) musical motif, the altogether patient and very deliberate pacing, and the seemingly effortless transitions he makes between the tragic and the comic.

*The Bad Sleep Well* often gets described as a variation on *Hamlet*. The key word here is "variation" (rather than "version" or "adaptation"), for while Kurosawa might have begun with Shakespeare, the final products really don't turn out to be in any sense all that similar. There is no Gertrude, no Rozencrantz and Guildenstern, let alone any gravediggers (just to name a few), and there is very little structural resemblance between the stories (inasmuch as *Hamlet* can be said to have any sort of structure). For example, the finale doesn't conclude with virtually *everybody* getting killed--after all, in Kurosawa's framework the bad sleep well (and consequently live happily ever after). Also, Nishi's character is much less ambiguous than Hamlet's; while he may at certain junctures fail to take his plan for revenge the entire way, he doesn't come close to sharing the overall indecision and confusion of Hamlet. But these sorts of differences actually make the complex interrelationship between the two works all the more intriguing and thought-provoking.

The film's story might eventually become "clear as a bell," but it certainly does not start out that way. Don't get discouraged if during the first twenty minutes (or even half hour) you're having trouble figuring out what's going on, or who's who, esp. during the opening wedding sequence. But I think such initial confusion might be intended, because it really does set your mind aworking to help put the pieces of the puzzle together and to understand the various characters' motivations. (It should be noted, by the way, that the selfless and straightforward acting in Kurosawa's films is amongst the best you will ever see.)

I wouldn't recommend this as someone's first or (God forbid!) only Kurosawa. But if you've been struck by something you've seen of his already, then you most certainly will not want to miss *The Bad Sleep Well*.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie, bad DVD
Review: This is a wonderful movie, but do not buy this DVD. The technical information omits the publisher, but it's Mei Ah, a Hong Kong company that produces a number of Kurosawa films. Unfortunately, they seem to add subtitles by translating the Japanese into Chinese and then translating the Chinese into English. The result is some of the worst subtitles I have ever seen. The transfer quality is poor too, but the subtitles are the real killer. If you want to see this movie, get the VHS or wait for somebody like Criterion to publish a high-quality DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Mildly interesting film for die-hard Kurosawa fans only.
Review: Unless you are a die-hard Kurosawa fan or an Ed McBain fan, this film is not a great one. Nowhere near the brilliance of other Kurosawa modern-day films like High & Low, Stray Dog or The Lower Depths; all 3 of these are far superior, see them instead. Luanna Brown's editorial review is right on the money. The opening wedding scene is very tedious and the film is about 40 minutes too long. This would have been better at 90 minutes, insted of 150. Mifune is awesome as always, and in fact all the performances in this film are very good. Interesting at best, but hardly one of Kurosawa's best (I wouldn't even put it in the top 20) but still entertaining.