SAMURAI REBELLION Movie Review

Rebellion

In this powerful and hugely entertaining blend of social commentary and rip-roaring swordplay, Toshiro Mifune plays a father living under the feudal rules of Japan in the 18th century. But when a neighboring warlord claims that Mifune's daughter-in-law and new grandchild are the warlord's property and demands they be turned over to him, Mifune and his family have no choice but to take a stand against the warlord, the entire feudal system, and hundreds of well-trained samurai. Rebellion (originally released in the U.S. as Samurai Rebellion) is one of director Masaki Kobayashi's most visually splendid and stirring films. In tone, attitude, and plot, it's a first cousin to the same director's earlier (and equally stunning) Harakiri, but it goes further in both its social criticism and in its splendidly choreographed violence. Rebellion’s score is by Toru Takemitsu, whose music for Harakiri is part of an excellent, recently issued compilation CD that includes portions of his scores for Woman in the Dunes, The Face of Another, and Dodes ‘ka-den.

NEXT STOP … Yojimbo, If …, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

1967 121m/B JP Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai; D: Masaki Kobayashi; W: Shinobu Hashimoto. VHS HMV