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Cushingura
[Film Review]
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I
have been contacted many times since
MI Magazine got up and running, asking
if and when I was going to review
Chushingura, It was always going to
happen and it took a little longer
than I had planned.
Chushingura is "Big" some
will argue the best Samurai movie
ever made, some will say it falls
just short of the timeless Seven Samurai
which was directed by the legendry
director Kurosawa. I am torn between
the two and have them at equal first
place. Chushingura is Japanese for
loyalty and the full title is Chushingura:
Hana no maki yuki no maki and runs
for a butt numbing 3 hours.
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Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, who readers will
know as the man responsible for those three
great movies Samurai I, II and III. The cast
is incredible and is a who's who of famous
names including Tatsuya Mihashi ("Tora
Tora Tora") Takashi Shimura ("Seven
Samurai") and Toshiro Mifune ("Yojibo")
and many more.
The
story of Chushingura is a very well know
story in Japan and has been told many times
in many different ways, including; theatre,
dance, movies, books and manga. It is the
story of the 47 ronin, and is a story based
on actual events that took place in Edo
"Tokyo" in 1701.
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The
story is based on events in the Shogun's
court and how a greedy official named Kira
brings about the death of the young Lord
Asano.
When
Lord Asano refuses to hand over money to
Kira, the official tells Lord Asano that
he will not help him in any way regarding
official etiquette. Without Kira's help
Lord Asano will surely show disrespect and
will be disgraced. In a desperate scene
Lord Asano finally bows to the anger within
and strikes out at the court official Kira.
Bringing
the Shogun's court into chaos was an extremely
serious crime and Lord or not, the ultimate
price would have to be paid. What follows
is a plot to bring about the death of the
corrupt official by Lord Asano's loyal men
who have been left masterless.
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It
would take an awful long time to pin point
stand-out moments in this movie and in truth
it would not be fair to this movie. The
sheer beauty and majestic way Inagaki brings
this sad tale to the screen leaves the viewer
in total awe of his filmmaking ability.
Scene after scene we are taken on a journey,
which conjures every emotion, and at the
same time given the most amazing visual
display of costumes and scenery.
The
windscreen and amazing colours add more
enjoyment to an already perfect movie and
the acting is unquestionably supreme. This
was a joy to watch and it will surely be
a very long time before a movie of Chushingura's
quality will be equalled.
Without
doubt one of the best movies I have seen
and five-star all the way.
by
Paul Swainson
http://www.misogi.com.au
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