Yojimbo

Dispersed Freedom We are in a state of randomness. There are times that we follow our instincts (the gut feel) but there are times that we rationally discern and take precautionary measures to every action we make. This randomness of life is coupled with chances. The film Yojimbo started with a wandering Samurai who aimlessly wander and throws a stick in the air for direction. He took the chance to go beyond his wondering state and followed the path the stick will lead him. His fate led him to a troubled town of rival gangs where he saw war as an opportunity to comply to his desires-to practice his work and to gain personal wealth. There is a stage in life that we have come to adapt ourselves to normality and we seek for changes, we wait for…

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…

Sanjuro, a movie published in 1962, was a sequel to Yojimbo. This movie stars same character as its samurai from Yojimbo. This movie suggests that in this modern world having wisdom is consequential. Sanjuro lacks samurai qualities and does complete opposite of what samurai are known for. This makes everyone question his loyalty but he shows he has great wisdom throughout the movie. He is just very smart and the fact he has capability of analyzing the situation to come up with a solution is…

Yojimbo, directed by Akira Kurosawa tells a captivated Japanese story about a wondering samurai, named Sanjuro who helps a small town get rid of the most troublesome group of gangs by using his cleverness. Kurosawa is known for his composition and movement in his film, but other elements of mise-en-scene is also skillfully. He does a fascinating job with the fighting scene. In the beginning of the scene where a woman and two men are conversing a scheme in a closet, Kurosawa establishes…

Similarly to Stagecoach (Ford, 1939), Yojimbo (Kurosawa, 1961) also features the lone entrance of its main protagonist, Kuwabatake Sanjuro. However, unlike in Stagecoach (Ford, 1939), which features the Ringo Kid’s rather abrupt entrance well into the film, Yojimbo (Kurosawa, 1961) starts right off the bat with its main protagonist. The opening shots of Yojimbo (Kurosawa, 1961) also begin with a closeup of the back of Sanjuro, as he walks down the path to the town. This initial scene already…

Magnificent Seven. Sergio Leone revered Akira Kurosawa’s filmmaking. Credited with inventing the “Spaghetti Western,” Leone adopted a lot of his cinematography and storytelling from Akira. Leone’s film, A Fistful of Dollars, is an unauthorized remake of Akira’s film Yojimbo. The similarities are very apparent between both filmmakers. Both films are about a nameless hero (Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo and Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars) who travel into a town caught in a conflict between to…

Akira Kurosawa was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan on March 23, 1910 and died September 6, 1998 at the age of 88 of a stroke. Kurosawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who to this day is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa began his journey in the Japanese film industry in 1936, after a brief pursuit of painting. Kurosawa debut as a directer after many years of working on films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, with his…

The Samurai Film Maker Akira Kurosawa is considered by many to be one of the most influential film makers of all time. Many of his films have been remade or his concepts repurposed for a new audiences; Seven Samurai was remade into the Magnificent Seven, The Battle Beyond our Stars, Zhong yi qun ying (Seven Warriors) and a Japanese anime series, Samurai 7. Kurosawa’s Yojimbo was remade into a Fist Full of Dollars, Last Man Standing, and another anime series, Kaze no Yojimbo.(Maunula,2014)…

Typically, social studies books are often dreary to read about due to the inexplicable details that are almost always forgotten about. High school students tend to just read through the text and not process the information. Therefore, their academic grades may suffer. Luckily, because of the eye-catching illustrations of comic books, high school students can easily deter the context of the passages of a social studies topic. Interestingly enough, a biology professor learned more about the…

allied under Toyotomi Hideyoshi were served by loyal samurai, but the feudal lords under them could turn their support to Tokugawa, taking their samurai with them. POPULAR CULTURE Jidaigeki has always been a staple record on Japanese movies and TV. Samurai films and westerns share a some of similarities and both have influenced each other over the past years. In Japan, one of the most reowned directors, Akira Kurosawa, incredibly motivated the samurai aspect in western film-making. George…