I have seen 6,035 motion pictures in my life. I have seen many of these more than once. I am not boasting. Nor am I proud that not only have I spent so many years of my life in front of a flickering screen but that I actually know the number of films that I have seen.
With that said, "Seppuku" ("Hara-kiri") makes that whole trip worth while. For every hundred pieces of celluloid tripe you can be fortunate to find a diamond in the rough and for me that was my first experience with this Kobayashi masterpiece. Pure enjoyment, pure excitement.
The film is brilliantly constructed and multi-layered in such a way that the film defies genre classification. To call it a "samurai film" is akin to categorizing "Psycho" as a murder mystery. "Seppuku" could easily slide into the mystery, suspense, drama, or western genres and feel right at home. Perhaps an eastern film noir, if you will.
Kobayashi's telling of the tale incorporates elements of despair, tradition, fortitude, revenge but mostly love, pride and honor in a grand visual style.
The story's setting, direction and Tatsuya Nakadai's strong performance invite the inevitable comparison to Kurosawa and his favorite samurai Toshiro Mifune. All are of such high merit that I would propose ignoring the temptation to compare and appreciate the genius involved in "Seppuku".
For those who have not seen "Seppuku" of course I strongly recommend that you do so but I also suggest that you avoid reading any synopsis and take delight in watching the tale unfold.
10/10 (and not too many of the 6,035 are 10's)
With that said, "Seppuku" ("Hara-kiri") makes that whole trip worth while. For every hundred pieces of celluloid tripe you can be fortunate to find a diamond in the rough and for me that was my first experience with this Kobayashi masterpiece. Pure enjoyment, pure excitement.
The film is brilliantly constructed and multi-layered in such a way that the film defies genre classification. To call it a "samurai film" is akin to categorizing "Psycho" as a murder mystery. "Seppuku" could easily slide into the mystery, suspense, drama, or western genres and feel right at home. Perhaps an eastern film noir, if you will.
Kobayashi's telling of the tale incorporates elements of despair, tradition, fortitude, revenge but mostly love, pride and honor in a grand visual style.
The story's setting, direction and Tatsuya Nakadai's strong performance invite the inevitable comparison to Kurosawa and his favorite samurai Toshiro Mifune. All are of such high merit that I would propose ignoring the temptation to compare and appreciate the genius involved in "Seppuku".
For those who have not seen "Seppuku" of course I strongly recommend that you do so but I also suggest that you avoid reading any synopsis and take delight in watching the tale unfold.
10/10 (and not too many of the 6,035 are 10's)