Rating: 
Summary: Read the book, then see the film
Review: It is understandable that people don't quite "get it" when they watch Japanese samurai movies. Having lived in Japan for many years, and having watched hundreds of them, along with NHK's long running "samurai soap opera". I too confess to being confused at times.However, if you want to understand what this film is about, get a copy of the book "Musashi" by Yoshikawa Eiji, one of Japans top novelists (Harper & Row, Publishers/Kodansha International, ISBN 0-06-859851-3). It is the story of Musashi Miyamoto and the film is based on this book. Read it and you will understand more fully the people, places and intricacies of the film. Even though the three-part film is long, it isn't long enough to do justice to the book. Read the book, then watch (or re-watch) the film, you'll be amazed.
Rating: 
Summary: COULD HAVE BEEN MORE REALISTIC
Review: IT'S NOT LOYAL TO THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS.IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE BOOK YOU MAY FIND IT BORING.BUT FOR THE OLD TECHNOLOGY IT'S OK TO SEE HISTORY.IF YOU LIKE TOSHIRO MIFUNE,THIS MOVIE IS REASONABLE.
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Summary: CRAZY HORSE
Review: The first part of director Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy, that is SAMURAI I : MIYAMOTO MUSASHI, won in 1954 the academy award for best foreign movie released in the U.S.. It's a movie filmed in glorious Eastmancolor and shot, for the most part of it, in the japanese landscapes. Set in 1600 A.D., in a civil war period, SAMURAI I relates the first years of samurai apprenticeship of Takezo who, with his friend, Matahachi, decides to go to war in order to obtain fame. Wild, without attach, Takezo will soon turn into a ronin, a samurai without a Master nor a philosophical goal. He becomes an animal and is finally caught by his fellowmen. Saved by a buddhist monk, he will learn Wisdom by reading books. You will find in SAMURAI I several characters and situations one will encounter in numerous other japanese or even american movies. For instance, the Mother and her Daughter, alone in their lost wooden house, who will become extremely dangerous after a few weeks can be recognized a few years later in Kobayashi's KWAIDAN and, why not, in John Milius's CONAN THE BARBARIAN. I've loved SAMURAI I's cinematography that makes us discover the japanese nature and gives undoubtedly an epic atmosphere to the movie. I've loved Toshiro Mifune's madness which leads him to battle against dozens of armed soldiers with only a wooden stick. In fact, I'm very enthusiastic about this movie and cannot wait to see the two other parts of this trilogy. If you are curious about foreign sagas, SAMURAI I is definitely A DVD for your library.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, lousy DVD
Review: The movie is completely wonderful. Unfortunately, the image quality of this DVD is completely unwatchable. Much of the movie is too dark to make out what is happening, day scenes look like night scenes. You are literally better off buying the VHS version of this movie. Unfortunately, the same is true of the other DVDs in this trilogy. I had to return all three.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for Samurai lovers
Review: The samurai trilogy is a must have whether you are a Toshiro Mifune fan or just a lover of all things samurai; it is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: A classic epic
Review: The Samurai Trilogy is one of my favourite all-time movies (or trilogies). This is a timeless epic and a definitive samurai movie. You should be ashamed to watch any samurai movie if you have not seen this trilogy. END
Rating: 
Summary: Swordfighting lover's must
Review: These three movies, like The Seven Samurai, are a must-see for anyone who enjoys iai or kendo. Accurate swordfighting, not just sword-swinging in time to the soundtrack!
Rating:
Summary: Miyamoto Musashi: The Pure Hero
Review: This extraordinary 1955 movie tells the tale of a young man named Takezo. Living in Miyamoto village, Takezo is despised by the other villagers because he is a hothead and quite wild. To escape this village he joins the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son versus the mighty Tokugawa Ieyasu. At the battle of Sekigahara, Toyotomi's forces fall, but Takezo and his friend Matahachi cut on through. They somehow survive their lost cause and make there way to a small hut inhabited by a woman and her teenaged daughter. the daughter comes on to Takezo, but he fends her off. Later after bandits attack, Takezo fights them off with a wooden sword. The mother then comes on to him, but he runs off. The woman then shacks up with Matahachi and the three leave the cabin, so Takezo returns to an empty home. He feels an obligation to go to Miyamoto Village and tell Matahachi's mother and fiance that Matahachi is still alive, but he runs through a guard post so he is hunted down, but not without a fight! This is a great film, that shows the roughness of true samurai, not the polished beings of the Tokugawa period. An extraordinary film, and Priest Takuan is wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting film for Criterion to release
Review: This film (which won an Oscar® in 1955 for best foreign language film) is the first part of a trilogy which is known as the Samurai Trilogy. I find it very impressive for a color film to be released in 1954 at a time where even most American films were still in B&W. At this time, color films were still far more expensive than B&W and Japan was not yet even close to becoming the tech savvy country it is known for being today. The film itself is based loosely on the true story of 17th century Japanese samurai Musashi Miyamoto. He was considered a hero by the Japanese though I disagree because he participated in the massacre of a Japanese Christian community in Kyushu. The films have been likened to a Japanese equivalant of "Gone with the Wind" as it is of a woman torn between two lovers during a civil war.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting film for Criterion to release
Review: This film (which won an Oscar® in 1955 for best foreign language film) is the first part of a trilogy which is known as the Samurai Trilogy. I find it very impressive for a color film to be released in 1954 at a time where even most American films were still in B&W. At this time, color films were still far more expensive than B&W and Japan was not yet even close to becoming the tech savvy country it is known for being today. The film itself is based loosely on the true story of 17th century Japanese samurai Musashi Miyamoto. He was considered a hero by the Japanese though I disagree because he participated in the massacre of a Japanese Christian community in Kyushu. The films have been likened to a Japanese equivalant of "Gone with the Wind" as it is of a woman torn between two lovers during a civil war.
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