Sanjuro

The original Tohovision aspect ratio is cut down to a semblance of widescreen, evident by the partial kanji lines at the edges of the movie screen in the beginning of the movie.

This may only be annoying to an afficionado and fanatic such as myself, but when you factor in the mastery over the medium that Kurosawa displayed again and again, regardless of genre, you have to feel cheated at the missing slivers of the edges.

If you've seen the movie in the theater, a good art house, with a love for the medium, you will feel unbalanced when reviewing this downsized version, although it isn't as bad as Criterion's butchering of 'Seven Samurai' which is cut down to an unviewable 1.33x1 aspect ratio.

In this movie Kurosawa and Mifune build on the character and mystery of Sanjuro, the bodyguard anti-hero of Yojimbo(Bodyguard). The standing joke with Sanjuro is his identity, which remains a mystery even after politely giving it to everyone who asks.

He helps the righteous, but inexperienced young samurai of a castle-town, who have discovered corruption within the ruling clan. The gruff, but pedagogueic, method with which he out-argues and teaches the young samurai throughout the movie, shows not only his love for justice and soft spot for people who can't help themselves, but also hints at a deeper knowledge of political intrigue and leadership than one would expect of an average samurai gone ronin.

My recommendation is to buy this criterion insult to the masters only if you haven't seen the original tohovision format, or you don't mind the snippets missing on the sides.

Further i wish that this, as well as 'Seven Samurai' and all other Toho produced movies, can be remastered in their proper format. Maybe you would be so kind as to write Criterion and give them a piece of your mind.

For further investigation into the brilliance of Toshiro Mifune and the 'Sanjuro' character I'd recommend 'Zatoichi vs. Yojimbo'


Stupid friends are dangerous   September 7, 2004
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
32 out of 34 found this review helpful

The sequel to Akira Kurosawa's classic "Yojimbo" is very different in tone -- rather than a straightforward grizzled-anti-hero-cleans-up-the-town tale, it's a comic story about the grizzled hero getting stuck on a ship of fools. While it's Kurosawa's lightest samurai movie, it's still a solid action/drama flick with plenty of comedy sprinkled in.

A gang of idealistic young nobles are gathered in a decaying house, talking about how they are trying to battle local corruption. Suddenly a scruffy warrior (Toshiro Mifune) who calls himself Sanjuro Tsubaki, appears and tells them who is lying and who isn't -- and that after confiding in the treacherous superintendant, they're being set up for an ambush.

After he saves their butts and drags the none-too-bright young men into hiding, he begins concocting a plan to save one young man's uncle, who is being held as a political hostage. After rescuing the lord's wife and daughter, Sanjuro and his band of fools continue with their plots to save him from the evil superintendant -- and he teaches his bumbling co-conspirators that exalted social position isn't what keeps you alive...

Kurosawa isn't known for having made goofball comedies, but there's a definite comic flair to this film, from the pampered prisoner offering nuggets of wisdom to the silent "happy dance" that all the young noblemen do. At the same time, there's a poignant note to Sanjuro's regrets about the men he's killed -- including men much like himself.

Even steeped in comedy, Kurosawa's creativity is still intact -- to give the feel that people are running, he shows short, rapid shots of several young men running down different streets. There are a few flaws (a lot of people get cut down without a speck of blood) but only a really determined nitpicker would let it bug them. And the finale is a shatteringly brutal scene, reminiscent of a western shoot-out, where you almost expect Sanjuro to put on a white cowboy hat and spit.

Mifune is wonderful as the grubby, grumpy samurai who is like an "unsheathed blade," and who has more brains than his little gang. He gives the character a lazy, languid air, sort of like an unexploded land mine. His followers are well-acted, though they don't have much individual personality. And small supporting roles -- like the kindly, prim noblewoman and the friendly prisoner in his little closet -- are very well-drawn.

Lurking under the comic flourishes is an intelligent film with likable characters, solid writing, and plenty of action. "Sanjuro" is as good as the film before it, though in a slightly different way.


A Great Adventure   November 22, 1999
Matt Howe (Washington, DC)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful

I love Toshiro Mifune. It's so wonderful to see him play this character. He cracks me up every time he does his little shoulder-twitch character trait. Brilliant!

SANJURO delves a little deeper into his samurai character. There's some themes about killing and comparisons of his character to a good sword that should be sheathed. Other than that, it is flat-out adventure on the menu!

Again, Kurosawa is a wonderful story teller. I find his work (the three films I've seen so far -- HIDDEN FORTRESS, YOJIMBO, and this one) to be so economical. He can add a wrinkle to the story with one word; one look. He truly transcends the language barrier because the storytelling is so good.

I thought Criterion did another good job with the transfer. The trailer does, indeed, feature Kurosawa directing Mifune in an action sequence, which is interesting. I wish Criterion would use pictures on its chapter lists. When I want to access a certain scene and am unfamiliar with the movie it is hard to do based on chapter names that make no sense to me. Other than that, no qualms about the rest of the DVD.

Next, I'd love to see HIDDEN FORTRESS on DVD. Criterion, are you listening ?


Nine Naive Samurai: And One Experienced Ronin!   August 15, 2006
Ernest Jagger (Culver City, California)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

"Sanjuro," by Akira Kurosawa is a highly recommended film. The film is a sequel to Kurosawa's film "Yojimbo," and as usual, the late, great Toshiro Mifune shines in this off-beat and at times comical follow-up to the earlier film. I have seen this classic many times, yet never tire of the non-verbal wit of Mifune as a completely different kind of ronin. Mifune's continual warnings to the young group of samurai on what direction they should proceed with, in order to help rescue the kidnapped Chamberlain, always falls on deaf ears. Moreover, it is up to him to continually rescue them. The films narrative follows the attempts of nine young impulsive samurai, who while planning to file a grievance of corruption within their clan to the local superintendent, is met with the timely arrival of a ronin named Sanjuro Tsubaki (Toshiro Mifune), who is not your typical ronin.

The Chamberlain of this clan, Mutsuta (Yunosuke Ito) has been kidnapped and is being held prisoner. He is being forced to sign a confession of corruption, lest anything happen to his wife and daughter. The nine young men are very naive, and do not realize that they need their wits about them in order to rescue the Chamberlain. Most of their actions are irrational. Moreover, their attempts to rescue the Chamberlain are ill-conceived. And due to the fact they are ALL naive, they wind up being a headache for Sanjuro Tsubaki (Toshiro Mifune), and a danger to themselves. These nine young samurai, who are led by the nephew of the Chamberlain, continue to make mistakes and never listen to what this ronin tries to tell them. They are not only naive, but arrogant as well. They do not realize that not only are they putting the Chamberlains life at risk, but theirs as well.

Plus, there is the presence in the film of Hanbei Muroto (Tatsuya Nakadai). Who like Toshiro Mifune, is one of the greatest actors that Japan has ever produced. [Films such as Harakiri, Ran, Kagemusha, etal]. You can tell in the film that Hanbei Muroto does not want to clash with Sanjuro Tsubaki (Toshiro Mifune): As he senses that this is no ordinary ronin. But will these two giants of cinema eventually cross swords in a duel? And will the nine young samurai finally wise up and listen to Sanjuro? Or will they meet a tragic end? As usual, CRITERION did an excellent job with the DVD transfer. This is a highly recommended film. I really like Yojimbo; but I give a slight edge to "Sanjuro", because it was one of the first Japanese films that I ever viewed, and there are many great memories for me when I view this wonderful classic. Plus, I really like the comical and nuanced character traits of Toshiro Mifune in this film. As I wrote before, his non-verbal wit is outstanding in the film. Once again the film is highly recommended.


I deducted a star for low bit rate   October 25, 1999
16 out of 22 found this review helpful

This is the follow up to the excellent Yojimbo. The Criterion dvd for Yojimbo is outstanding, unfortunately the Criterion version of Sanjuro doesn't live up to expectations. The bit rate is considerably lower than any other dvd I have viewed, and while the video quality is by no means horrible, discerning videophiles will be unhappy. Unsophisticated viewers probably won't notice the difference, but if you are ordering the dvd version of Sanjuro, it is unlikely that you are an unsophisticated viewer ;) Nevertheless, no Kurosawa fan should be without this, seeing as how it is the only dvd version of this movie. Just don't expect the video quality of Criterion's dvd releases of Yojimbo or Seven Samurai.