Movies about samurai - from dawn to dusk

In the minds of the modern spectator, the classic samurai is a fearless Japanese warrior, with a calm, impassive face. He is dressed in a kimono and masterfully possesses a katana. A similar impression was made about samurai films by such masters as Akiro Kurosawa, Yojiro Takita, Kihati Okamoto. Most viewers are familiar, first of all, with the masterpiece of A. Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" in 1954, the plot of which became the basis of one not less famous remake and a lot of less known ones. Subsequent work Kurosawa in this genre - "Bodyguard" - is also a kind of classic plot about a skillful, clever, invincible single hero, in various ways defeating all enemies. A large-scale and dramatic historical picture "The Shadow of a Warrior", telling about the fate of a small man, by the will of fate that became a double of the deceased powerful daimyo, was published in 1980. The events unfold in the background of the internecine war of Oda and Takeda clans at the end of the 16th century. And the final scene of the famous battle of Nagasino marks the victory of firearms over traditional samurai weapons. It was A. Kurosawa who created the best films about the samurai, the works of the other masters are less noticeable.

Meeting of the West and the East

Over time, Western filmmakers began to make their own films about the samurai. Plots of such paintings are based, as a rule, on the collision of two subcultures - the western and the eastern. They can safely be referred to as the "Red Sun" by Terence Young with the magnificent A. Delon and P. Bronson in the lead roles. The joint American-Japanese series "Segun" consistently, "from scratch" introduces the viewer along with the main character, Englishman John Blackthorn (R. Chamberlain), with customs, customs, culture and life events of medieval samurai.

The crown of this story is, of course, "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise in the title role. The film recreates the events of the uprising of the "traditional" samurai in 1877. The character of T. Kruse, an American who adopted the samurai's original, colorful culture, himself becomes a member of their closed clan. He takes part in the last battle (the battle of Syroama) of rebels with government troops, in which most samurai perish from modern small arms of the imperial troops. Olgren (T. Cruz) assists the leader of the samurai in the traditional suicide (seppoku).

Sunset Samurai

In the last decade, traditional films about samurai very rarely go to the big screen. In a large number of works are published (often in the style of "fantasy"), using samurai attributes, code, style, etc. These are both parts of "Kill Bill" by K. Tarantino, "The Way of the Warrior" by Li Synmu, "The Matrix" by Andy Wachowski and Many other movies. "The ghost dog: the way of the samurai" - the film is quite interesting both in terms of choosing the actor for the main role, and the originality of the plot. Of the new paintings, perhaps, only "Thirteen murderers" Takashi Miike fully corresponds to the category "Movies about samurai."

Unfortunately, this ancient Japanese martial art has become a thing of the past, and the shoguns and samurai warriors have become the property of the cinema. And modern men would have to adhere to the code of honor of Japanese soldiers.