Rating: 4.5/5
Criterion Challenge 2022 | 8/52 | 1980s
Hidetora Ichimonji hunts wild boar with his sons — Taro, Jiro, and Saburo — and Fujiya and Ayabe, noblemen of other houses. As they sit at an encampment to celebrate, Hidetora suggests he is getting old. While the jester, Kyoami, entertains them, Hidetora drifts to sleep. Saburo cuts some limbs to plant near their father for shade while he sleeps.
Hidetora runs out of the tent in fright. He had a dream he was in a strange land, all alone. Taro’s voice pulled him back. The dream motivates him to cede the First Castle and his position as head of the Ichimonjis to the eldest son, Taro. Jiro and Saburo receive the Second and Third Castles but are supposed to support Taro.
Saburo calls the plan absurd, insulting his father’s senility. He knows the brothers will not work together in harmony. Jiro and Taro give him every opportunity to take it back, but Saburo only pushes harder. So, Hidetora exiles Saburo. When Tango, Hidetora’s servant, defends Saburo, Hidetora also exiles him.
Fujiya and Ayabe follow Saburo and offer him a marriage to his family. Tango declines to participate, claiming fidelity to Hidetora.
Toro’s wife, Lady Kaede, faces resistance from Hidetora’s concubines as she demands they bow to her. She is not content to only have a portion of the kingdom. The Ichimonji’s murdered her family before Toro took her as his wife. So, she encourages him not to settle for co-ruling with his brothers and to take his father’s place.
The battle to be Daddy’s number-one warlord begins!
Hidetora is a warlord — his rule did not come by negotiation but by bloodshed. Why would he think his sons would behave any differently?
The colors are beautiful and vibrant. The costumes are also elegant and stand out against the landscape. They help to distinguish the characters in the several wide shots where faces are not easily visible. Most of the film is wide-angle long-shots.
The location shots are breathtaking. Truly! The rolling hills, the elaborate castles, and the scale at which the filmmakers shot everything set the tone of men trying to play gods of their corner of the world. Several scenes feel like classical woodblock prints in color and composition.
The movie uses the billowing of clouds to indicate the passage of time.
The story errs closer to the source material, King Lear, than to historical accuracy in Japan. For example, feudal Japan did not have jesters as Kyoami depicted — he is the Fool from the Shakespeare play. Still, the film takes plenty of liberties with the story, and more so with the characterization. King Lear in the play is pretty much a fool but otherwise just, whereas Hidetora is a violent and cruel leader, suggesting more karmic retribution than a fatal accident.
Like several historical Japanese films, the acting performances have nods to Noe theater. Hidetora is melodramatic, and his makeup skews expressionistic. It’s a bold as fuck choice, but I like how it further emphasizes the change in hand from the old reign to the new.
It also echoes Kurosawa’s feelings, himself being the Hidetora who felt washed up in the 80s. He attempted suicide after the failure of his previous movie, and the up-and-coming Japanese directors considered him a has-been.
Lady Kaede is so unhinged. I love her. I should talk to my therapist about that.
The violence in the war scenes is brutal! Ishiro Honda served as Second Unit Director and his ability to capture carnage translates well to the battles. I can see a few shots that influenced Saving Private Ryan’s opening shot.
It took me an hour to get into this, but once the pieces were in place and the carnage began, I felt like I was watching something special.
Depending on your feelings about Dreams, this may be Kurosawa’s last masterpiece. This may be a war movie, but it is a weird and brilliant rendition of this story that only someone like Kurosawa would try. You might consider Shakespeare a safe move, but this movie is anything but.