Reoccurring Themes In The Film 'Yojimbo'

I believe that Yojimbo is one of the most ideal examples of a film that successfully overcame the different cultural borders because of how the plot embodies universal themes that were very much relatable and applicable to audiences regardless of which cultural society they belonged to. These reoccurring themes may somewhat be a depiction of or a response to what a certain society was currently experiencing during that time. The theme of ‘old versus the new’ was an underlying theme that was not easily identifiable in the film. Yet, it represented one of the greatest dilemmas that were being experienced by different societies during that era. This theme was prominently displayed through the duel of the sword wielding Sanjuro and the gun-slinging Unosoke. Though in the film, Sanjuro won the duel, representing the triumph of traditional values over contemporary ideals, this theme more or less posed a question to the audience of whether or not change would bring forth a positive or negative effect to society. Another would be the theme of ‘triumph over adversity’, which I perceive to be not only of grave importance during that era but also in our society today. The theme represents the idea of an individual succeeding and overcoming all the obstacles that are in his way. This greatly contributes to …show more content…
The theme contributes to the realistic idea that not all evil doings can be mended by good means, wherein there will come a time when the only logical step to take is to eradicate evil through evil as well. This theme can be seen in the movie through Sanjuro’s character, an outlaw that was not restrained by any laws or rules, which allowed him to act independently, and how he constantly tried to instigate a confrontation from the two opposing criminal gangs in order for them to expunge each other and to establish peace in the