1961 film
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima
(my review of the 1962 sequel, SANJURO)
(my review of the first episode of the 2001 tv adaptation, KAZE NO YOJIMBO)
Sanjuro Kawabatake. "Thirty-year-old mulberry field". That's the name our hero, played by Toshiro Mifune, introduces himself by, though he quickly follows it with the admission that it's complete fiction. The field is one he passed on his random treck into this small desert town. As for the age, with a stroke of his stubbled chin he admits he's more than just a tad older than thirty.
The listening party is one of two crime lords, both of whom clash for control of the town with their gangs of ruffians and competing businesses in sake and silk. Sanjuro made quite a splash with his swordfighting skills when some hoods tried to jump him the day he walked in, so both gangs see him as the element which will tip the balance in favor of whomever scores his allegiance. But Sanjuro has a plan, and his multiple pledges of alliance prove as fictitious as his name as he secretly plots to build the rival tensions until their skirmishes break out into a full-on war.
I've heard this samurai film referred to as the ultimate western, and it's impossible to ignore the influence it had on the genre's revitalization in the 60s. The hero is cool, but flawed. The villains tough, but human. The stylistic photography and windswept locations imbue everything with a larger-than-life quality. The violence is sudden and shocking after a tense, drawn-out buildup. And it's all backed by a score that blends traditional period music with a modern, jazzy swing.
After the tension of THE BAD SLEEP WELL, Kurosawa seems to be having some fun here. No it's not as light as HIDDEN FORTRESS, but there most certainly is a twisted sense of glee as we see this one man trick these greedy idiots into taking one another down. And I love how he and Mifune use Sanjuro to examine middle age. While the ronin's a skilled, powerful fighter, he's not as young as he used to be and, between violent bursts, he walks around with a tired slump, groans as he stands, and thinks his way through a situation as far as possible before having to draw the blade. It's an interesting examination of the phase of life, complete with a literal crossroads, both were experiencing at the time.
If I have one complaint, it's that the two gangs were a little too stereotypical in their sneering villainy. A few years earlier, Kurosawa would have really dug into the social circumstances that led them to their situations, but he seems to be over that by now as they're just toys for us to watch in delight as our hero bats them around. I'm not entirely complaining because they are fun to watch and the performers (many of whom are Kurosawa regulars) deliver perfect performances, I just miss the bits of ambiguity which the director was exploring several films ago.
I must give special props, however, to the pair of men who find themselves genuinely allied to Sanjuro. Eijiro Tono and Atsushi Watanabe are probably the only two people in town who remain neutral to the conflict: the tavern keeper and the coffin maker. One benefits from business during peace, the other from battle, yet both are allowed to live their lives free from having to choose one side over the other. They also serve as our inside informants, giving us the initial poop as to who's who and it's to them that Sanjuro gives his promise to clean things up, whether they want it or not.
I liked this movie. While, no, it's not quite as deep as the stuff Kurosawa was doing throughout the 50s, and the plot does drag a bit when our hero finds himself caught, it's a rousing, shocking, surprisingly funny film, and a fascinating indicator of what the western genre would become in the years immediately following.
(trailer)
(purchase DVD)
(purchase DVD two-pack which include the sequel SANJURO)
(purchase DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(purchase Blu-Ray)
(purchase Blu-Ray two-pack which includes the sequel SANJURO)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
December 31, 2008
December 30, 2008
Red Harvest
1927 novel
written by Dashiell Hammett
The Man With No Name, the one who sweeps into a story and causes all sorts of hell before departing, is a convention that goes way back. But rarely has it been used to quite as much effect as here.
The Continental Op heads to the small town of Personville - nick-named Poisonville by the surrounding counties - to meet with a man named Donald Willsson for reasons unknown. Just as he arrives, though, he finds Donald dead and old Elihu Willsson, the infirm industrialist who once ran the town, barking for answers from the scads of gangsters and corrupt officials that no longer pay him any mind. Though the mystery of Donald's death is solved less than a hundred pages in, the Continental Op doesn't take too well to an attempt on his life and talks old Elihu Willsson into funding his one-man-war against the crime in Poisonville.
Thus triggers one of the finest examples of controlled chaos I've read in literature.
The Continental Op really is quite an intriguing character as, alongside his name, we really know next to nothing about him. This is put to good use because his lack of personal definition allows him to easily project the intents of the surrounding cast, which works perfectly as he bends and manipulates the criminals, tricking them into firing at each other instead of him. The rest of the cast lacks much definition beneath what's on the surface, but I still don't mind because the complexity of the plot more than makes up for it. Hammett gives us just enough to show who these people are, then uses the Op to throw them into natural conflicts that ripple outward in brilliant ways.
I'm the first to admit that my knowledge of crime fiction is sparse, but even I could feel the genre conventions being established. Characters who put on a tough face and often have the grit to back it up. Sparse, rapid writing. A town where everybody has a few rotten bones buried in the back of their closets. Honest exploration of why people are drawn to crime. It's all there.
And yet this still manages to rise above many of the stereotypes that have since come along. The hero, as mentioned, is a cypher with no past to show who he is or why he acts the way he does. The lead woman is a beauty sought by many men, yet not only does nothing develop between her and the Op, but she physically holds her own in fights against men without swooning or ducking behind a defender. The villains are never portrayed as sneering, cackling caricatures of evil, just guys doing what they feel needs to be done to keep themselves alive and relevant.
I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I was really impressed. It's intelligent, complex, striking, and everything keeps moving at a steady, gripping pace. If anyone wants to see what American crime fiction can be like, this would certainly be a good place to start.
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
written by Dashiell Hammett
The Man With No Name, the one who sweeps into a story and causes all sorts of hell before departing, is a convention that goes way back. But rarely has it been used to quite as much effect as here.
The Continental Op heads to the small town of Personville - nick-named Poisonville by the surrounding counties - to meet with a man named Donald Willsson for reasons unknown. Just as he arrives, though, he finds Donald dead and old Elihu Willsson, the infirm industrialist who once ran the town, barking for answers from the scads of gangsters and corrupt officials that no longer pay him any mind. Though the mystery of Donald's death is solved less than a hundred pages in, the Continental Op doesn't take too well to an attempt on his life and talks old Elihu Willsson into funding his one-man-war against the crime in Poisonville.
Thus triggers one of the finest examples of controlled chaos I've read in literature.
The Continental Op really is quite an intriguing character as, alongside his name, we really know next to nothing about him. This is put to good use because his lack of personal definition allows him to easily project the intents of the surrounding cast, which works perfectly as he bends and manipulates the criminals, tricking them into firing at each other instead of him. The rest of the cast lacks much definition beneath what's on the surface, but I still don't mind because the complexity of the plot more than makes up for it. Hammett gives us just enough to show who these people are, then uses the Op to throw them into natural conflicts that ripple outward in brilliant ways.
I'm the first to admit that my knowledge of crime fiction is sparse, but even I could feel the genre conventions being established. Characters who put on a tough face and often have the grit to back it up. Sparse, rapid writing. A town where everybody has a few rotten bones buried in the back of their closets. Honest exploration of why people are drawn to crime. It's all there.
And yet this still manages to rise above many of the stereotypes that have since come along. The hero, as mentioned, is a cypher with no past to show who he is or why he acts the way he does. The lead woman is a beauty sought by many men, yet not only does nothing develop between her and the Op, but she physically holds her own in fights against men without swooning or ducking behind a defender. The villains are never portrayed as sneering, cackling caricatures of evil, just guys doing what they feel needs to be done to keep themselves alive and relevant.
I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I was really impressed. It's intelligent, complex, striking, and everything keeps moving at a steady, gripping pace. If anyone wants to see what American crime fiction can be like, this would certainly be a good place to start.
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
December 26, 2008
The Bad Sleep Well
1960 film
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Eijiro Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
It opens with a day of merriment, of celebration, as Public Corporation Vice President Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori) marries off his beloved daughter to his new secretary and son-in-law Koichi Nishi (Toshiro Mifune). Despite a gaggle of reporters in the lobby sharing whispers of some brewing event, the large, formal ceremony goes off without a hitch. But then an ominous cake is rolled into the room. It's modelled after a partner company's office building and, in an office window remembered for a mysterious suicide five years ago, there rests a red rose.
As the majority of the people within the room overlook this oddity and go on with the party, three men, Iwabuchi, Moriyama (Takashi Shimura), and Shirai (Ko Nishimura), struggle to keep a straight face as they know this cake is a message for them.
Within days, the partner company publicly folds under a wave of legal accusations of bribery and racketeering, and everyone at Public does what they can to hide that relationship and the heaps of money that were exchanged behind closed doors. But that's not easy to do when one lone man, tied to that mysterious suicide five years ago, has infiltrated the higher ups and is doing everything in his power to tear their world down around them.
Such begins Kurosawa's revisionist interpretation of HAMLET and ... I'm not sure what else to really say without giving things away. I know I haven't hesitated when it comes to spoilers in the past, but there's such an elaborate web of deception layered through this picture, I'd feel bad if I knew I ruined it for anyone.
I will, however, take the time to applaud Kurosawa for taking a classic story and, instead of just doing a straight adaptation or modernization, totally dissecting the material and rearranging the themes and character arcs and dynamics and even specific moments into something new and fresh, that truly captures the heart of the original story while putting a brand new spin on things. It's a masterful adaptation, and I love how he adds new elements to the mix, such as the corporate hierarchy, where everyone is trained to sacrifice themselves for the good of their superior, or the use of a vigilante who is patient with his goals and sets elaborate traps that win him leverage for the next target instead of an easy kill.
It really is a masterfully conceived story, but I love how Kurosawa plays up the gray areas - much as the play did - in terms of humanizing the bad guys by surrounding them with innocent families whom they genuinely love, which also adds a layer of hesitation when it comes to our acceptance of the hero, because he, at least initially, has no problem making these innocents suffer so he can get what he wants. Once again, Kurosawa's collaboration with writers Kikushima, Hashimoto, and Oguni produces winning material that not only raises worthy questions, but delivers honest, brutal answers that sometimes make us wish nothing had been asked in the first place.
And his direction is at its absolute best, capturing the strained relationship between the public and private images of corporations through clever use of the media in the beginning, with reporters too bored to snap photos as they watch the stiff, formal, smiling party across the room, immediately followed by a clashing montage as scandal after scandal after scandal hits the sheets and newsreels. It's interesting how the media that Kurosawa once vilified with SCANDAL now seems to be held up as a tolerable annoyance and the only means of keeping such massive acts of greed and corporate corruption in check.
I have to say, I didn't expect much from this film. Out of Kurosawa's body of work, this is one I'd heard the least about, so I anticipated something mediocre by his standards. I couldn't be happier to admit the error of my assumption as this stands as yet another hallmark in a line of perfect movies that show Kurosawa at the peak of his career.
(trailer)
(purchase DVD)
(purchase DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Eijiro Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
It opens with a day of merriment, of celebration, as Public Corporation Vice President Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori) marries off his beloved daughter to his new secretary and son-in-law Koichi Nishi (Toshiro Mifune). Despite a gaggle of reporters in the lobby sharing whispers of some brewing event, the large, formal ceremony goes off without a hitch. But then an ominous cake is rolled into the room. It's modelled after a partner company's office building and, in an office window remembered for a mysterious suicide five years ago, there rests a red rose.
As the majority of the people within the room overlook this oddity and go on with the party, three men, Iwabuchi, Moriyama (Takashi Shimura), and Shirai (Ko Nishimura), struggle to keep a straight face as they know this cake is a message for them.
Within days, the partner company publicly folds under a wave of legal accusations of bribery and racketeering, and everyone at Public does what they can to hide that relationship and the heaps of money that were exchanged behind closed doors. But that's not easy to do when one lone man, tied to that mysterious suicide five years ago, has infiltrated the higher ups and is doing everything in his power to tear their world down around them.
Such begins Kurosawa's revisionist interpretation of HAMLET and ... I'm not sure what else to really say without giving things away. I know I haven't hesitated when it comes to spoilers in the past, but there's such an elaborate web of deception layered through this picture, I'd feel bad if I knew I ruined it for anyone.
I will, however, take the time to applaud Kurosawa for taking a classic story and, instead of just doing a straight adaptation or modernization, totally dissecting the material and rearranging the themes and character arcs and dynamics and even specific moments into something new and fresh, that truly captures the heart of the original story while putting a brand new spin on things. It's a masterful adaptation, and I love how he adds new elements to the mix, such as the corporate hierarchy, where everyone is trained to sacrifice themselves for the good of their superior, or the use of a vigilante who is patient with his goals and sets elaborate traps that win him leverage for the next target instead of an easy kill.
It really is a masterfully conceived story, but I love how Kurosawa plays up the gray areas - much as the play did - in terms of humanizing the bad guys by surrounding them with innocent families whom they genuinely love, which also adds a layer of hesitation when it comes to our acceptance of the hero, because he, at least initially, has no problem making these innocents suffer so he can get what he wants. Once again, Kurosawa's collaboration with writers Kikushima, Hashimoto, and Oguni produces winning material that not only raises worthy questions, but delivers honest, brutal answers that sometimes make us wish nothing had been asked in the first place.
And his direction is at its absolute best, capturing the strained relationship between the public and private images of corporations through clever use of the media in the beginning, with reporters too bored to snap photos as they watch the stiff, formal, smiling party across the room, immediately followed by a clashing montage as scandal after scandal after scandal hits the sheets and newsreels. It's interesting how the media that Kurosawa once vilified with SCANDAL now seems to be held up as a tolerable annoyance and the only means of keeping such massive acts of greed and corporate corruption in check.
I have to say, I didn't expect much from this film. Out of Kurosawa's body of work, this is one I'd heard the least about, so I anticipated something mediocre by his standards. I couldn't be happier to admit the error of my assumption as this stands as yet another hallmark in a line of perfect movies that show Kurosawa at the peak of his career.
(trailer)
(purchase DVD)
(purchase DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
Hamlet
1599(?) play
written by William Shakespeare
When King Hamlet of Denmark suddenly dies during a time of war against the invading forces of Norway, his brother Claudius quickly assumes the throne and takes Queen Gertrude as his wife in a marriage hastily designed to keep the monarchy stable. Everything seems to be going well, until young Hamlet, son of the former King, starts to suspect that his father's death was murder. Thus begins a long, tormented journey of madness, despair, and revenge.
Maybe this speaks ill of my somewhat grayer than average ethics, but I actually cared more about King Claudius and his inner circle than I did Hamlet. Sure, he was a murderer and did a few questionable things in the second half, but Claudius started off as a strong, yet fair, leader who took time for his subjects, deftly handled political decisions, deeply loved his new wife, and had a genuine affection for his nephew/step-son. In fact, everybody went out of their way to accommodate the increasingly distressed Hamlet. While I've seen some dismiss the eaves-dropping performed by Claudius and his aide, Polonius, as evidence of their sly, duplicitous nature, I have to disagree. They were concerned, everybody was, with what they saw as the deteriorating sanity of a friend and did what they could, sneaky as it was, to try and understand what was ailing him so as to treat it. Thus making it all the more tragic when this very friend ultimately thanks their kindness by destroying their lives.
And that, frankly, is what Hamlet does. He lashes out, he tests and teases, he avoids blame, he throws out one accusation after another. He is not a good person. In my eye, he's the villain of the piece. Yes, his father was murdered by Claudius, but, in his quest for revenge, Hamlet not only tears apart his own family, but that of the very woman he loves, and eventually leaves his country without a leader to defend it against the invading forces. And it's ironic that Prince Fortinbras of Norway, the very man leading the assault against Denmark, should receive a final act of kindness from our hero, because, in a mirroring quest of revenge, Fortinbras would likely have killed Hamlet's father himself, had Claudius not beaten him to it.
There really are a lot of admirable, brilliant layers to the story, but I just don't care for the hero. Even though his insanity is just a ruse in the beginning, his long-winded monologues are grating and don't get any better as the story develops. I never get a sense of connection or relation to him as a good man who fell from grace like I did with the once noble Macbeth.
And that his entire quest should start with the words of a ghost just never wins me over. If it were a phantom that simply represents his own internal doubts and suspicions, that would be one thing, but this is a ghost seen by others (which never pays off) and his words are the first suggestion to Hamlet that something is wrong. I'm sorry, and I know I'll probably get reamed for comparing this to contemporary plotting, but that's just too much of a contrivance in an otherwise tight play.
Man, I know I'm really going to get some bad feedback for criticising the Great Bard, but I have to be honest about how I feel. As great as the rest of the play is, and it truly is fantastic, the fact that I can't relate to the lead character just leaves it feeling cold, like all of these people have just had their lives torn apart for nothing. But I guess that's the very definition of tragedy.
(read)
(wikipedia)
written by William Shakespeare
When King Hamlet of Denmark suddenly dies during a time of war against the invading forces of Norway, his brother Claudius quickly assumes the throne and takes Queen Gertrude as his wife in a marriage hastily designed to keep the monarchy stable. Everything seems to be going well, until young Hamlet, son of the former King, starts to suspect that his father's death was murder. Thus begins a long, tormented journey of madness, despair, and revenge.
Maybe this speaks ill of my somewhat grayer than average ethics, but I actually cared more about King Claudius and his inner circle than I did Hamlet. Sure, he was a murderer and did a few questionable things in the second half, but Claudius started off as a strong, yet fair, leader who took time for his subjects, deftly handled political decisions, deeply loved his new wife, and had a genuine affection for his nephew/step-son. In fact, everybody went out of their way to accommodate the increasingly distressed Hamlet. While I've seen some dismiss the eaves-dropping performed by Claudius and his aide, Polonius, as evidence of their sly, duplicitous nature, I have to disagree. They were concerned, everybody was, with what they saw as the deteriorating sanity of a friend and did what they could, sneaky as it was, to try and understand what was ailing him so as to treat it. Thus making it all the more tragic when this very friend ultimately thanks their kindness by destroying their lives.
And that, frankly, is what Hamlet does. He lashes out, he tests and teases, he avoids blame, he throws out one accusation after another. He is not a good person. In my eye, he's the villain of the piece. Yes, his father was murdered by Claudius, but, in his quest for revenge, Hamlet not only tears apart his own family, but that of the very woman he loves, and eventually leaves his country without a leader to defend it against the invading forces. And it's ironic that Prince Fortinbras of Norway, the very man leading the assault against Denmark, should receive a final act of kindness from our hero, because, in a mirroring quest of revenge, Fortinbras would likely have killed Hamlet's father himself, had Claudius not beaten him to it.
There really are a lot of admirable, brilliant layers to the story, but I just don't care for the hero. Even though his insanity is just a ruse in the beginning, his long-winded monologues are grating and don't get any better as the story develops. I never get a sense of connection or relation to him as a good man who fell from grace like I did with the once noble Macbeth.
And that his entire quest should start with the words of a ghost just never wins me over. If it were a phantom that simply represents his own internal doubts and suspicions, that would be one thing, but this is a ghost seen by others (which never pays off) and his words are the first suggestion to Hamlet that something is wrong. I'm sorry, and I know I'll probably get reamed for comparing this to contemporary plotting, but that's just too much of a contrivance in an otherwise tight play.
Man, I know I'm really going to get some bad feedback for criticising the Great Bard, but I have to be honest about how I feel. As great as the rest of the play is, and it truly is fantastic, the fact that I can't relate to the lead character just leaves it feeling cold, like all of these people have just had their lives torn apart for nothing. But I guess that's the very definition of tragedy.
(read)
(wikipedia)
December 22, 2008
The Hidden Fortress
1958 film
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
When the majority of the Akizuki clan is killed during a time of civil war, General Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune) does his best to smuggle the surviving Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) and a pile of gold across occupied borders with the hopes that her house can one day be rebuilt.
If the plot sounds familiar to Kurosawa fans, it should. This is basically a loose, pumped up remake of THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER'S TAIL, which also featured a general smuggling disguised royalty across enemy territory. Also similar to that film is the inclusion of a pair of bumbling peasants who play the part of our down-to-earth guides as we muddle through the broader politics of feuding houses.
Toshiro Mifune once again plays Toshiro Mifune. I'm not complaining, because his trademark fierce loyalty, shifting from a brutal grimace to an approving grin, fits the character well and his physicality makes for some damn exciting action sequences, some of the best Kurosawa's put together. If I have one complaint, it's that more focus wasn't given to the fact that he sacrificed his own sister, disguised as the Princess, to her eventual death at enemy hands. I know his lack of a response is supposed to show his unquestioning dedication, but I just wanted to see something. Anything.
Though she spits out her lines with a bit of forced authority, Uehara really sells her role as an unconventional Princess for Japanese films of this period, one who tomboyishly strides and glares and can hold her own in a fight with two larger men. There's a fierceness, a strength and dignity that rises above her petite frame, which really works for the character and, as much as I wished to have more from Makabe, I like how she expresses doubt and uncertainty towards the sacrifice of those around her. This is especially telling when she asks a scarred samurai why he'd serve a lord who maims him for a loss, when all she cares about is that he tried.
The real stars of the film, though, are Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara), the bumbling thieves who are tricked into carrying the Princess's gold when Makabe draws them into what they believe is a major heist. Despite the fact that they aren't good people and continuously work up schemes to rob the others, the ways they keep failing and are forced to return to the gang with their tails between their legs makes it impossible to not love them.
Also worth mentioning is the fifth member of the group, an unnamed young woman bought out of cruel slavery when the Princess learns she's a fellow survivor of the Akizuki Clan's pillaged lands. Though she comes in late and often slips into the background, Toshiko Higuchi is superb at showing her quiet loyalty to the Princess, most memorably in a hilarious scene where she fends off the two thieves with a large rock. It's a shame Higuchi only did four other movies, because she seems like quite an undiscovered talent.
I see that this is Kurosawa's first time filming in anamorphic widescreen. Other than a couple awkward shots (Yuki superimposed over her family banner, a quartet of people sobbing over a cliffside) he works it like a master. His editing, shot composition, and use of natural locations are all at play as Kurosawa gives us unforgettable imagery like a fierce horse chase, multiple hilarious uses of a steep mound of gravel, a wild fire worshipping festival, and a huge, surrounding army, slowly converging into view from a misty forest.
As far as the writing goes, Kurosawa can do no wrong when paired up with collaborators Kikushima, Hashimoto, and Oguni. The quartet really know how to peel back the layers of a story and its cast and fill them with the rich details necessary to create a true, encompassing world. And the others know how to twist Kurosawa's sentimentality just enough to make it believable, such as the seemingly happy ending that still carries with it a biting, satirical edge.
I really enjoyed this movie. It had me hanging on the edge of my seat in excitement, gaping at the epic imagery, cheering the heroes on, and laughing like hell at the bumbling situations they find themselves in. It's a fantastic film, absolutely fantastic, and should not, under any circumstances, be missed.
And as for the STAR WARS connection, just watch it yourself. There's little influence beyond a couple of scenes and setups, but you'll still get the opportunity to enjoy a great flick.
(trailer)
(purchase barebones DVD)
(purchase special edition DVD)
(purchases DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
When the majority of the Akizuki clan is killed during a time of civil war, General Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune) does his best to smuggle the surviving Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) and a pile of gold across occupied borders with the hopes that her house can one day be rebuilt.
If the plot sounds familiar to Kurosawa fans, it should. This is basically a loose, pumped up remake of THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER'S TAIL, which also featured a general smuggling disguised royalty across enemy territory. Also similar to that film is the inclusion of a pair of bumbling peasants who play the part of our down-to-earth guides as we muddle through the broader politics of feuding houses.
Toshiro Mifune once again plays Toshiro Mifune. I'm not complaining, because his trademark fierce loyalty, shifting from a brutal grimace to an approving grin, fits the character well and his physicality makes for some damn exciting action sequences, some of the best Kurosawa's put together. If I have one complaint, it's that more focus wasn't given to the fact that he sacrificed his own sister, disguised as the Princess, to her eventual death at enemy hands. I know his lack of a response is supposed to show his unquestioning dedication, but I just wanted to see something. Anything.
Though she spits out her lines with a bit of forced authority, Uehara really sells her role as an unconventional Princess for Japanese films of this period, one who tomboyishly strides and glares and can hold her own in a fight with two larger men. There's a fierceness, a strength and dignity that rises above her petite frame, which really works for the character and, as much as I wished to have more from Makabe, I like how she expresses doubt and uncertainty towards the sacrifice of those around her. This is especially telling when she asks a scarred samurai why he'd serve a lord who maims him for a loss, when all she cares about is that he tried.
The real stars of the film, though, are Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara), the bumbling thieves who are tricked into carrying the Princess's gold when Makabe draws them into what they believe is a major heist. Despite the fact that they aren't good people and continuously work up schemes to rob the others, the ways they keep failing and are forced to return to the gang with their tails between their legs makes it impossible to not love them.
Also worth mentioning is the fifth member of the group, an unnamed young woman bought out of cruel slavery when the Princess learns she's a fellow survivor of the Akizuki Clan's pillaged lands. Though she comes in late and often slips into the background, Toshiko Higuchi is superb at showing her quiet loyalty to the Princess, most memorably in a hilarious scene where she fends off the two thieves with a large rock. It's a shame Higuchi only did four other movies, because she seems like quite an undiscovered talent.
I see that this is Kurosawa's first time filming in anamorphic widescreen. Other than a couple awkward shots (Yuki superimposed over her family banner, a quartet of people sobbing over a cliffside) he works it like a master. His editing, shot composition, and use of natural locations are all at play as Kurosawa gives us unforgettable imagery like a fierce horse chase, multiple hilarious uses of a steep mound of gravel, a wild fire worshipping festival, and a huge, surrounding army, slowly converging into view from a misty forest.
As far as the writing goes, Kurosawa can do no wrong when paired up with collaborators Kikushima, Hashimoto, and Oguni. The quartet really know how to peel back the layers of a story and its cast and fill them with the rich details necessary to create a true, encompassing world. And the others know how to twist Kurosawa's sentimentality just enough to make it believable, such as the seemingly happy ending that still carries with it a biting, satirical edge.
I really enjoyed this movie. It had me hanging on the edge of my seat in excitement, gaping at the epic imagery, cheering the heroes on, and laughing like hell at the bumbling situations they find themselves in. It's a fantastic film, absolutely fantastic, and should not, under any circumstances, be missed.
And as for the STAR WARS connection, just watch it yourself. There's little influence beyond a couple of scenes and setups, but you'll still get the opportunity to enjoy a great flick.
(trailer)
(purchase barebones DVD)
(purchase special edition DVD)
(purchases DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
My Own Worst Enemy #9: Henry and the Terrible ... Day
2008 episode
directed by David Straiton
written by Tyler Mitchell, Rafe Judkins, Lauren LeFranc
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
Aw, bugger.
Well, this is it, folks. The last episode of one of the most consistently strong series I've had the pleasure to follow.
With Henry constantly jumping in in the middle of a dangerous situation, Edward decides to put his gentler half through a lesson in survival ... by locking him on a boat with a gun in one hand and a hired assassin rushing up the stairs. This right here is an example of the sharp ideas and sly sense of humor this show steadily offered.
And it's fascinating to see the growth of Henry from a meek office worker who doesn't even know how to hold a gun, to someone who's not only willing, but somewhat capable of holding his own in a situation. It's a sense of genuine development at an earlier point in a series than one is likely to find in other shows, where characters stay exactly the same for as long as possible.
I feel bad for Christian Slater. It's his big comeback and it gets great reviews and a slew of new fans ... only to get the axe right in the middle of big things. His performance of Henry/Edward is amazing as he keeps the differences between the two quiet and subtle instead of broad and garish.
And then there's the scene-stealer himself, Mike O'Malley, as Raymond/Tom, a fellow agent in the program. His smooth, methodical separation of lives is a solid contrast to the chaos that the glitzing Henry/Edward finds himself in, and O'Malley plays the contrast between lovable Tom and chilling Raymond perfectly.
There's no one else I can mention without going off on a diatribe. The entire cast was fantastic, giving life to all of the possible elements the basic plot concept provides. They were well-rounded, colorful, memorable, yet so painfully awaiting the development promised in the future.
I ... don't really know what else to say. It's an excellent series, one of my favorites of all time, and it's maddening that NBC axed it so early and on such a freakin' cliffhanger.
... sigh ...
Such is the fate of the viewing audience.
(watch)
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by David Straiton
written by Tyler Mitchell, Rafe Judkins, Lauren LeFranc
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
Aw, bugger.
Well, this is it, folks. The last episode of one of the most consistently strong series I've had the pleasure to follow.
With Henry constantly jumping in in the middle of a dangerous situation, Edward decides to put his gentler half through a lesson in survival ... by locking him on a boat with a gun in one hand and a hired assassin rushing up the stairs. This right here is an example of the sharp ideas and sly sense of humor this show steadily offered.
And it's fascinating to see the growth of Henry from a meek office worker who doesn't even know how to hold a gun, to someone who's not only willing, but somewhat capable of holding his own in a situation. It's a sense of genuine development at an earlier point in a series than one is likely to find in other shows, where characters stay exactly the same for as long as possible.
I feel bad for Christian Slater. It's his big comeback and it gets great reviews and a slew of new fans ... only to get the axe right in the middle of big things. His performance of Henry/Edward is amazing as he keeps the differences between the two quiet and subtle instead of broad and garish.
And then there's the scene-stealer himself, Mike O'Malley, as Raymond/Tom, a fellow agent in the program. His smooth, methodical separation of lives is a solid contrast to the chaos that the glitzing Henry/Edward finds himself in, and O'Malley plays the contrast between lovable Tom and chilling Raymond perfectly.
There's no one else I can mention without going off on a diatribe. The entire cast was fantastic, giving life to all of the possible elements the basic plot concept provides. They were well-rounded, colorful, memorable, yet so painfully awaiting the development promised in the future.
I ... don't really know what else to say. It's an excellent series, one of my favorites of all time, and it's maddening that NBC axed it so early and on such a freakin' cliffhanger.
... sigh ...
Such is the fate of the viewing audience.
(watch)
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
December 13, 2008
The Lower Depths
1957 film
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa and Hideo Oguni
based on the play by Maxim Gorky
(my review of the 1902 play)
The Setup:
A tinkerer with a dying wife. An alcoholic actor. A prostitute who dreams of romance. A vendor with the hots for a bumbling cop. A shogun stripped of his fortunes. A gambler. A pilgrim just passing through. A thief in the midst of an affair with his landlord's wife, even though his heart is dedicated to the woman's sister.
This random gaggle of people have formed an odd family of sorts as they all share a cramped shack on the edge of a compost heap.
The Good:
- I'm continually amazed at how Kurosawa manages to take foreign stories deeply rooted in their cultures and traditions and perfectly transpose them to his own society without losing any of their depth or meaning. And unlike THRONE OF BLOOD, here he actually keeps almost every line of dialogue as is.
- The sets, the costumes, the use of weather. These are elements Kurosawa excels at and he does so once again here, using them to show the rotting, tattered, soul-crushing sphincter of the world in which our characters find themselves.
- Everywhere you look in the cast, you find veterans of Kurosawa digging into some of the best material of their careers. Toshiro Mifune. Isuzu Yamada. Minoru Chiaki. Kamatari Fujiwara. Akemi Negishi. Koji Mitsui. Eijiro Tono. Haruo Tanaka. Eiko Miyoshi. Atsushi Watanabe. Kichijiro Ueda. Yu Fujiki. All are at the top of their game and are joined by newcomers Kyoko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura, and Nijiko Kiyokawa, to make one of the best screen ensembles I've seen. And at the heart of it all is Bokuzen Hidari. He's usually cast in small, comical, supporting roles, but here he shines as the wandering pilgrim passing through these lives, using kindness and good cheer to try and boost their hopes and dreams, until stubbornness and cynicism bring everything crashing down. He's always been a beloved element of the Kurosawa "troupe" so it's great to finally see him in a part where he gets to show the true depths of his skills.
- If I heard correctly, there was no score for this film. That's a good decision here. Music in film is generally used to enhance the emotion of a sequence, but its absence allows us to focus more deeply on the blunt feelings already existing on the surface of these down-trodden characters. Oh, and there's a pair of drunken, scat-style musical numbers that are marvelous.
The Bad:
- I enjoyed Toshiro Mifune's performance, I really did. As much as I typically accuse him of stepping just that one inch into over-the-top territory, he played things a bit more low-key and natural this time around. The problem is that his role of the thief was originally written for a much younger man and the theme of youthful impulsiveness just doesn't come through very clear when played by a rugged 37-year-old.
- Kurosawa puts together a marvelous ensemble of regulars, and he couldn't find a part for Takashi Shimura? The sleazy landlord, the tinkerer with the dying wife, the wandering pilgrim, the washed-up actor ... so many great choices. As much as I enjoy the performers who actually do play those roles, Shimura was one of Kurosawa's greatest collaborators and it just doesn't make sense to me that he isn't a part of this.
In Conclusion:
Filled with characters equally hilarious and tragic, Kurosawa gives his company of regulars some of the finest material of their careers as he digs deep into the lowest depths of an overbearing society. Truly one of his best.
(purchase DVD set that also includes a separate adaptation by Jean Renoir)
(purchases DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa and Hideo Oguni
based on the play by Maxim Gorky
(my review of the 1902 play)
The Setup:
A tinkerer with a dying wife. An alcoholic actor. A prostitute who dreams of romance. A vendor with the hots for a bumbling cop. A shogun stripped of his fortunes. A gambler. A pilgrim just passing through. A thief in the midst of an affair with his landlord's wife, even though his heart is dedicated to the woman's sister.
This random gaggle of people have formed an odd family of sorts as they all share a cramped shack on the edge of a compost heap.
The Good:
- I'm continually amazed at how Kurosawa manages to take foreign stories deeply rooted in their cultures and traditions and perfectly transpose them to his own society without losing any of their depth or meaning. And unlike THRONE OF BLOOD, here he actually keeps almost every line of dialogue as is.
- The sets, the costumes, the use of weather. These are elements Kurosawa excels at and he does so once again here, using them to show the rotting, tattered, soul-crushing sphincter of the world in which our characters find themselves.
- Everywhere you look in the cast, you find veterans of Kurosawa digging into some of the best material of their careers. Toshiro Mifune. Isuzu Yamada. Minoru Chiaki. Kamatari Fujiwara. Akemi Negishi. Koji Mitsui. Eijiro Tono. Haruo Tanaka. Eiko Miyoshi. Atsushi Watanabe. Kichijiro Ueda. Yu Fujiki. All are at the top of their game and are joined by newcomers Kyoko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura, and Nijiko Kiyokawa, to make one of the best screen ensembles I've seen. And at the heart of it all is Bokuzen Hidari. He's usually cast in small, comical, supporting roles, but here he shines as the wandering pilgrim passing through these lives, using kindness and good cheer to try and boost their hopes and dreams, until stubbornness and cynicism bring everything crashing down. He's always been a beloved element of the Kurosawa "troupe" so it's great to finally see him in a part where he gets to show the true depths of his skills.
- If I heard correctly, there was no score for this film. That's a good decision here. Music in film is generally used to enhance the emotion of a sequence, but its absence allows us to focus more deeply on the blunt feelings already existing on the surface of these down-trodden characters. Oh, and there's a pair of drunken, scat-style musical numbers that are marvelous.
The Bad:
- I enjoyed Toshiro Mifune's performance, I really did. As much as I typically accuse him of stepping just that one inch into over-the-top territory, he played things a bit more low-key and natural this time around. The problem is that his role of the thief was originally written for a much younger man and the theme of youthful impulsiveness just doesn't come through very clear when played by a rugged 37-year-old.
- Kurosawa puts together a marvelous ensemble of regulars, and he couldn't find a part for Takashi Shimura? The sleazy landlord, the tinkerer with the dying wife, the wandering pilgrim, the washed-up actor ... so many great choices. As much as I enjoy the performers who actually do play those roles, Shimura was one of Kurosawa's greatest collaborators and it just doesn't make sense to me that he isn't a part of this.
In Conclusion:
Filled with characters equally hilarious and tragic, Kurosawa gives his company of regulars some of the finest material of their careers as he digs deep into the lowest depths of an overbearing society. Truly one of his best.
(purchase DVD set that also includes a separate adaptation by Jean Renoir)
(purchases DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
The Lower Depths
1902 play script
written by Maxim Gorky
(my review of the 1957 film adaptation)
The Setup:
A locksmith with a dying wife. An alcoholic actor. A prostitute who dreams of romance. A vendor with the hots for a policeman. A baron stripped of his fortunes. A pair of middle eastern brothers. A cap-maker. A shoe-maker. A tramp just passing through. A thief in the midst of an affair with his landlord's wife, even though his heart is dedicated to the woman's sister.
This random gaggle of people have formed an odd family of sorts as they all share the cramped basement room of a boardinghouse.
The Good:
- There's a surprising naturalism to the piece, as Gorky uses the character of the arriving tramp to allow the others to freshly establish themselves while continuing with their daily routines. And the characters are fleshed out to a degree where their backstory is less important to understanding who they are than the beliefs, desires, and actions of their present.
- Instead of a central plot, Gorky instead gives us a "day in the life" piece that focuses on the basic struggle these characters find themselves in. Sure, there are some major happenings, some characters are lost while others arrive, and the dynamics within the house are severely shaken up, but it ends much as it begins, with these people continuing to live their lives in a social situation that steadfastly refuses to alter.
- I love the ambiguity of the theme. Is he trying to show how hope or perseverance can cause people to rise out of their humble shortcomings? Is he trying to show how a person's dreams are entirely dependent upon the life and class which they find themselves in? It never gives us a clear answer, wavering from one possibility to the next, repeatedly disproving its own theses, and eventually leaving everything in the air for the audience to decide. Which feels real.
- The ending is twisted. Gloriously twisted.
The Bad:
- Can't think of anything.
In Conclusion:
Biting, blunt, and thought-provoking, this is a marvelous work of drama that shows the bonds and tensions that can grown when a group of people are forced to share their lives with one another.
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
written by Maxim Gorky
(my review of the 1957 film adaptation)
The Setup:
A locksmith with a dying wife. An alcoholic actor. A prostitute who dreams of romance. A vendor with the hots for a policeman. A baron stripped of his fortunes. A pair of middle eastern brothers. A cap-maker. A shoe-maker. A tramp just passing through. A thief in the midst of an affair with his landlord's wife, even though his heart is dedicated to the woman's sister.
This random gaggle of people have formed an odd family of sorts as they all share the cramped basement room of a boardinghouse.
The Good:
- There's a surprising naturalism to the piece, as Gorky uses the character of the arriving tramp to allow the others to freshly establish themselves while continuing with their daily routines. And the characters are fleshed out to a degree where their backstory is less important to understanding who they are than the beliefs, desires, and actions of their present.
- Instead of a central plot, Gorky instead gives us a "day in the life" piece that focuses on the basic struggle these characters find themselves in. Sure, there are some major happenings, some characters are lost while others arrive, and the dynamics within the house are severely shaken up, but it ends much as it begins, with these people continuing to live their lives in a social situation that steadfastly refuses to alter.
- I love the ambiguity of the theme. Is he trying to show how hope or perseverance can cause people to rise out of their humble shortcomings? Is he trying to show how a person's dreams are entirely dependent upon the life and class which they find themselves in? It never gives us a clear answer, wavering from one possibility to the next, repeatedly disproving its own theses, and eventually leaving everything in the air for the audience to decide. Which feels real.
- The ending is twisted. Gloriously twisted.
The Bad:
- Can't think of anything.
In Conclusion:
Biting, blunt, and thought-provoking, this is a marvelous work of drama that shows the bonds and tensions that can grown when a group of people are forced to share their lives with one another.
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
My Own Worst Enemy #8: Love in All the Wrong Places
2008 episode
directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton
written by Scott Murphy
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
While on a mission to kidnap a brutal African dictator, Edward discovers a batch of hostages that will surely be killed. One of them is Alexander De Santos (Michael O'Neill), an old flame of Mavis Heller.
Back at home, Edward's relationship with Dr. Skinner takes a stumble when Heller orders it to end, and he finds himself sputtering when Henry's wife Angie says she wants another baby.
The Good:
- Relationships seem to be the central theme this episode, and all are explored to great effect. Henry has long wanted another child, but his certainty flounders in the face of his dangerous new lifestyle. Skinner wants to know how knowledge of their relationship will affect things with Edward, but he brushes it off as something that wasn't serious in the first place. Both of these are relationships born out of Janus and are held up to a mirror of sorts against that of Mavis and Alexander, which was torn apart by the project.
- I like how they initially seem to counterbalance Henry's stumbling covert strike with the earlier, professional one perpetrated by Edward, but then they throw a nice twist in there that shows how well Henry and Raymond are adapting to their situation.
- Bill Duke is wonderful as the brutal dictator. I was initially worried that he was underplaying it in a bit too much of a slump, but I realized just how sly his performance was as his character looped his interrogation back on Edward. Very clever.
The Bad:
- The Electromagnetic Centrifuge Gun is one hell of an awesome toy, but it gives such an advantage that the question will inevitably be raised as to why it's not used more often down the road. And, no, the fritzing screen doesn't count as an example. That's just an obvious plot device.
- I'm surprised there isn't a bit of a payoff at the end with regard to Henry being viciously tortured for the first time. He took it well, but I can't believe he'd hold off on sharing a reaction when all is said and done.
In Conclusion:
It's a damn strong standalone episode that takes a bit of a time out from the developing plot threads to let us see just how well the players play their games. Especially Henry, whose confidence and abilities continue to believably grow with each mission. Sadly, we just have one more to go.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(imdb)
directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton
written by Scott Murphy
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
While on a mission to kidnap a brutal African dictator, Edward discovers a batch of hostages that will surely be killed. One of them is Alexander De Santos (Michael O'Neill), an old flame of Mavis Heller.
Back at home, Edward's relationship with Dr. Skinner takes a stumble when Heller orders it to end, and he finds himself sputtering when Henry's wife Angie says she wants another baby.
The Good:
- Relationships seem to be the central theme this episode, and all are explored to great effect. Henry has long wanted another child, but his certainty flounders in the face of his dangerous new lifestyle. Skinner wants to know how knowledge of their relationship will affect things with Edward, but he brushes it off as something that wasn't serious in the first place. Both of these are relationships born out of Janus and are held up to a mirror of sorts against that of Mavis and Alexander, which was torn apart by the project.
- I like how they initially seem to counterbalance Henry's stumbling covert strike with the earlier, professional one perpetrated by Edward, but then they throw a nice twist in there that shows how well Henry and Raymond are adapting to their situation.
- Bill Duke is wonderful as the brutal dictator. I was initially worried that he was underplaying it in a bit too much of a slump, but I realized just how sly his performance was as his character looped his interrogation back on Edward. Very clever.
The Bad:
- The Electromagnetic Centrifuge Gun is one hell of an awesome toy, but it gives such an advantage that the question will inevitably be raised as to why it's not used more often down the road. And, no, the fritzing screen doesn't count as an example. That's just an obvious plot device.
- I'm surprised there isn't a bit of a payoff at the end with regard to Henry being viciously tortured for the first time. He took it well, but I can't believe he'd hold off on sharing a reaction when all is said and done.
In Conclusion:
It's a damn strong standalone episode that takes a bit of a time out from the developing plot threads to let us see just how well the players play their games. Especially Henry, whose confidence and abilities continue to believably grow with each mission. Sadly, we just have one more to go.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(imdb)
Sanctuary #8: Edward
2008 episode
directed by Brenton Spencer
written by Sam Egan
created by Damian Kindler
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
Det. Kavanaugh (Kavan Smith) seeks out his former colleague, Will, for help when the extraordinary illustrations of a seemingly autistic teen (Michael Eisner) throw into question what was thought to be the suicide of the boy's father.
Meanwhile, Henry is dealing with the fact that his transformations are now common knowledge to the gang, and struggles to decide whether or not he'll undergo an operation that will strip him of all abnormalities.
The Good:
- The central story is a surprisingly poignant one that deals with both the pros and cons of abnormal abilities in a deep, intelligent way, and the mystery of the suicide is cleverly written so that a tale of horror and abuse grows into one of suffering and sacrifice. And I especially like the minor but memorable conflict between Will and Helen as they clash over the subtleties of justice. I hope to see this dynamic explored further down the road.
- Young Michael Eisner gives a solid, memorable performance as Edward, the young man with the special drawing abilities. I like the thought given to the specifics of his powers, how they work, and how they could lose control in a surprising fashion.
- Henry, the mousy computer tech, finally gets to take a bit of the spotlight as he goes through his big inner conflict. Props to Ryan Robbins and the creators for not going into overblown schmaltz and keeping the moments of inspiration and decision quiet, thoughtful, and believable.
- Will's abilities to read a crime scene have largely been overlooked following the debut episode, so it's nice to finally see them back in action. And a visit from Kavan Smith is always a welcome one.
The Bad:
- There's still a bit too much ambiguity in regards to Henry's history and the exact nature of his abilities. Obviously, he seems to be a werewolf, but it's not fully confirmed. And there's some glimpses into his past, but they're brief and vague. I can't tell if this is supposed to be the start of a new mystery (Why?) or if it's just something they never fully fleshed out.
- Though I'm sure it'll be a major feature in an upcoming episode, I wish there'd been a little more development of Ashley's feelings regarding the revelation that her father is John Pruit. It's a big twist for her and, while the clipped scene between her and her mother is nice, I'd like to see more.
- I didn't buy that a computer simulation would give the gang a shocking insight into the mystery that simply looking at the illustrations wouldn't provide. It's a little too obvious of a dramatic device.
- Neither Edward nor his brother were ever introduced to Bigfoot, so you think there'd be a bit of a reaction when he just casually walks around with the group there in the end.
- I wish they'd work on the lighting a bit more in the scenes with digital backgrounds, because they still don't match very well.
In Conclusion:
A solid episode. The minor hiccups are more than made up for by intelligent writing and strong performances.
(purchase)
(official website)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Brenton Spencer
written by Sam Egan
created by Damian Kindler
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
Det. Kavanaugh (Kavan Smith) seeks out his former colleague, Will, for help when the extraordinary illustrations of a seemingly autistic teen (Michael Eisner) throw into question what was thought to be the suicide of the boy's father.
Meanwhile, Henry is dealing with the fact that his transformations are now common knowledge to the gang, and struggles to decide whether or not he'll undergo an operation that will strip him of all abnormalities.
The Good:
- The central story is a surprisingly poignant one that deals with both the pros and cons of abnormal abilities in a deep, intelligent way, and the mystery of the suicide is cleverly written so that a tale of horror and abuse grows into one of suffering and sacrifice. And I especially like the minor but memorable conflict between Will and Helen as they clash over the subtleties of justice. I hope to see this dynamic explored further down the road.
- Young Michael Eisner gives a solid, memorable performance as Edward, the young man with the special drawing abilities. I like the thought given to the specifics of his powers, how they work, and how they could lose control in a surprising fashion.
- Henry, the mousy computer tech, finally gets to take a bit of the spotlight as he goes through his big inner conflict. Props to Ryan Robbins and the creators for not going into overblown schmaltz and keeping the moments of inspiration and decision quiet, thoughtful, and believable.
- Will's abilities to read a crime scene have largely been overlooked following the debut episode, so it's nice to finally see them back in action. And a visit from Kavan Smith is always a welcome one.
The Bad:
- There's still a bit too much ambiguity in regards to Henry's history and the exact nature of his abilities. Obviously, he seems to be a werewolf, but it's not fully confirmed. And there's some glimpses into his past, but they're brief and vague. I can't tell if this is supposed to be the start of a new mystery (Why?) or if it's just something they never fully fleshed out.
- Though I'm sure it'll be a major feature in an upcoming episode, I wish there'd been a little more development of Ashley's feelings regarding the revelation that her father is John Pruit. It's a big twist for her and, while the clipped scene between her and her mother is nice, I'd like to see more.
- I didn't buy that a computer simulation would give the gang a shocking insight into the mystery that simply looking at the illustrations wouldn't provide. It's a little too obvious of a dramatic device.
- Neither Edward nor his brother were ever introduced to Bigfoot, so you think there'd be a bit of a reaction when he just casually walks around with the group there in the end.
- I wish they'd work on the lighting a bit more in the scenes with digital backgrounds, because they still don't match very well.
In Conclusion:
A solid episode. The minor hiccups are more than made up for by intelligent writing and strong performances.
(purchase)
(official website)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
My Own Worst Enemy #7: Down Rio Way
2008 episode
directed by Michael Watkins
written by Daniel Knauf
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
Henry has a gun in his hand and is face to face with the man who killed Edward's parents, but he doesn't know if he can pull the trigger.
Meanwhile, Raymond finds himself in an awkward position when he poses as Tom to deal with the other half's wife, Mary, who claims she hit a man with her car after a wild night on the town.
The Good:
- It was inevitable, given the nature of this show, that Henry would find himself in the position of having to kill someone, I just didn't expect it so early. They play his inner conflict out beautifully, especially the scene where he receives the gun and grows more and more panicky as he's instructed on how to use it.
- We finally get a flashback of Edward just before his involvement with the Janus program and it's marvelous how, in the span of just about a minute of screen time, they manage to show that he was neither the Edward nor the Henry personalities as we know them to be now, but a balance between the two.
- Mike O'Malley rules. Raymond has never set foot in Tom's house before, nor actually met Mary in person, so you can imagine his hesitation and annoyance with finding himself in his present dilemma. And O'Malley plays it out beautifully, smoldering over the domestic situations and methodically investigating and covering up his wife's crime.
- The subplot about our heroes' divergent reactions to the first car of Henry's son is fun.
The Bad:
- I know they don't want to do anything so extreme as have Henry pull the trigger this early in the series, but the way they get around it, while beautifully filmed, feels like too much of a cop-out.
- As much as I enjoy John Heard, I wish they would have cut his two scenes in the wake of the cancellation news, because that would have allowed at least one major plot thread to come to a close. As it is, we get yet more questions that will likely never be answered.
In Conclusion:
While it's frustrating that most of the developing mysteries are likely to go unresolved in the remaining two episode, this was yet another fantastic chapter in the series, presenting two of the characters with ethical conflicts that beautifully play off the central concept.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Michael Watkins
written by Daniel Knauf
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
Henry has a gun in his hand and is face to face with the man who killed Edward's parents, but he doesn't know if he can pull the trigger.
Meanwhile, Raymond finds himself in an awkward position when he poses as Tom to deal with the other half's wife, Mary, who claims she hit a man with her car after a wild night on the town.
The Good:
- It was inevitable, given the nature of this show, that Henry would find himself in the position of having to kill someone, I just didn't expect it so early. They play his inner conflict out beautifully, especially the scene where he receives the gun and grows more and more panicky as he's instructed on how to use it.
- We finally get a flashback of Edward just before his involvement with the Janus program and it's marvelous how, in the span of just about a minute of screen time, they manage to show that he was neither the Edward nor the Henry personalities as we know them to be now, but a balance between the two.
- Mike O'Malley rules. Raymond has never set foot in Tom's house before, nor actually met Mary in person, so you can imagine his hesitation and annoyance with finding himself in his present dilemma. And O'Malley plays it out beautifully, smoldering over the domestic situations and methodically investigating and covering up his wife's crime.
- The subplot about our heroes' divergent reactions to the first car of Henry's son is fun.
The Bad:
- I know they don't want to do anything so extreme as have Henry pull the trigger this early in the series, but the way they get around it, while beautifully filmed, feels like too much of a cop-out.
- As much as I enjoy John Heard, I wish they would have cut his two scenes in the wake of the cancellation news, because that would have allowed at least one major plot thread to come to a close. As it is, we get yet more questions that will likely never be answered.
In Conclusion:
While it's frustrating that most of the developing mysteries are likely to go unresolved in the remaining two episode, this was yet another fantastic chapter in the series, presenting two of the characters with ethical conflicts that beautifully play off the central concept.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
December 6, 2008
Throne of Blood
1957 film
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
based on the play MACBETH by William Shakespeare
(my review of the 1603? play)
The Setup:
In a time of feuding houses, Washizu, a general to the Lord of Spider's Web Castle, turns what promised to be a crushing military defeat into a decisive victory. While on his way to receive praise from the Lord, Washizu gets lost in a fog and encounters a forest spirit who tells him he will quickly rise the ranks until he himself is Lord of the Castle.
The early parts of the prophecy soon prove true, leaving Washizu in a very prominent position. While he's content with his current success, his wife is fearful that he's being set up and urges him to commit murder in order to not only fulfill the prophecy, but guarantee their safety.
After much deliberating, Washizu performs the task of killing his Lord, blames the fleeing prince for the crime, and assumes the mantle of Lord of Spider's Web Castle. But leading a house is no easy task when you are constantly looking over your shoulder, fearful that a friend who knows too much may turn on you.
What Doesn't Work:
- Washizu. Sadly, Toshiro Mifune took one of his over-the-top, snarling approaches to the character and played him as a brutal thug of a man right from the start. Like Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING, the descent of a normal, upstanding man into a brutal monster just doesn't carry any weight if he's a little unhinged from the moment we meet him. Since his character arc is the centerpiece of the story, it's a pretty major failing.
- Unfortunately, the other major character of Lady Washizu is just as ill portrayed. In a performance influenced to a radical degree by Noh drama, Isuzu Yamada plays the part far too stiff and formal and doesn't have the charisma of Mifune to at least make it watchable. Yes, there were tiny moments where she nicely broke through the mask, but they were few and far between and much of the original character's texture was lost.
- In an addition to the original story, Lady Washizu gets pregnant. While this does tie into a broader plot involving heirs, it was an unnecessary addition that not only alters certain motivations, but keeps Lady Washizu off screen, thus further hurting her development.
- There's a scene near the beginning where a pair of horsemen are lost in the fog. It's beautifully filmed and certainly captures their desperate confusion, but it goes on far, far too long.
- Near the end, Kurosawa puts together a pair of huge, beautifully shot armies, but does nothing with them. The play has a huge clash and siege, but Kurosawa cuts it out here, leaving hundreds of extras with little to do.
What Does Work:
- Despite lacking any of the original text, it's a marvelous adaptation of the original play, perfectly transposing it from one culture to another.
- The elaborate costumes and sparse, striking sets are simply superb, giving the film a look that balances cinematic stylization and historical authenticity.
- Kurosawa knows how to shoot and cut stuff well. I'm not the most technically proficient when it comes to camera lenses and angles, but the telephoto work he does here is among the best we've seen so far. And, aside from that dragging scene in the fog I mentioned earlier, his editing is spot-on, keeping every element of the story distinct and making certain it moves at a solid pace.
- I love the way Kurosawa drenches the entire film, the entire reign of Washizu, in a soup of sun sucking, geography blurring fog. It perfectly captures the ill weather often metaphorically mentioned in the play, while also giving the entire story the sense of a supernatural spectre, a tragedy playing out before our eyes across the boundaries of time.
- Masaru Sato's traditional Noh score is the best for a Kurosawa film yet. The reed pipes, drums, and chanting are absolutely haunting and seem to carry the crushing weight of destiny that Mifune's performance lacks.
- Despite misguided performances from the two leads, Minoru Chiaki is absolutely wonderful as Miki, a fellow general of Washizu who has doubts about his old friend's actions, but stays loyal until his timely end. I've failed to mention Chiaki in past reviews, but he truly is a fantastic addition to Kurosawa's troupe of regulars, equally at home with roles that are humorous or dramatic, lovable or menacing. Here, he's marvelous as a man always cast in his best friend's shadow, yet who never wavers in his support. Oh, and he makes a freaky ghost.
- Aside from a few unnecessary ghost samurais waving spears, the scenes with the forest spirit are fantastic. It seems like a bit too broad of a change to replace three cackling hags with a deathly still, whispering old woman, powdered to the point where she glows, but it works.
- The assault by the "very woods themselves" is a brilliantly eerie, epic moment.
- Washizu's piercing finale is certainly one of the most memorable scenes I've witnessed on film.
In Conclusion:
While, no, it's not one of Kurosawa's best, it certainly is an intelligent, beautifully made film and a remarkable adaptation of the original play. I think that the problem with the lead roles being influenced by Noh traditions is that the surrounding, supporting cast played their parts in a much more grounded, naturalistic style. This creates a sense of disconnect, an air of disharmony that mars what otherwise could have been Kurosawa's next masterpiece.
(trailer)
(purchase barebones DVD)
(purchase special edition DVD)
(purchase DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
written by Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
based on the play MACBETH by William Shakespeare
(my review of the 1603? play)
The Setup:
In a time of feuding houses, Washizu, a general to the Lord of Spider's Web Castle, turns what promised to be a crushing military defeat into a decisive victory. While on his way to receive praise from the Lord, Washizu gets lost in a fog and encounters a forest spirit who tells him he will quickly rise the ranks until he himself is Lord of the Castle.
The early parts of the prophecy soon prove true, leaving Washizu in a very prominent position. While he's content with his current success, his wife is fearful that he's being set up and urges him to commit murder in order to not only fulfill the prophecy, but guarantee their safety.
After much deliberating, Washizu performs the task of killing his Lord, blames the fleeing prince for the crime, and assumes the mantle of Lord of Spider's Web Castle. But leading a house is no easy task when you are constantly looking over your shoulder, fearful that a friend who knows too much may turn on you.
What Doesn't Work:
- Washizu. Sadly, Toshiro Mifune took one of his over-the-top, snarling approaches to the character and played him as a brutal thug of a man right from the start. Like Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING, the descent of a normal, upstanding man into a brutal monster just doesn't carry any weight if he's a little unhinged from the moment we meet him. Since his character arc is the centerpiece of the story, it's a pretty major failing.
- Unfortunately, the other major character of Lady Washizu is just as ill portrayed. In a performance influenced to a radical degree by Noh drama, Isuzu Yamada plays the part far too stiff and formal and doesn't have the charisma of Mifune to at least make it watchable. Yes, there were tiny moments where she nicely broke through the mask, but they were few and far between and much of the original character's texture was lost.
- In an addition to the original story, Lady Washizu gets pregnant. While this does tie into a broader plot involving heirs, it was an unnecessary addition that not only alters certain motivations, but keeps Lady Washizu off screen, thus further hurting her development.
- There's a scene near the beginning where a pair of horsemen are lost in the fog. It's beautifully filmed and certainly captures their desperate confusion, but it goes on far, far too long.
- Near the end, Kurosawa puts together a pair of huge, beautifully shot armies, but does nothing with them. The play has a huge clash and siege, but Kurosawa cuts it out here, leaving hundreds of extras with little to do.
What Does Work:
- Despite lacking any of the original text, it's a marvelous adaptation of the original play, perfectly transposing it from one culture to another.
- The elaborate costumes and sparse, striking sets are simply superb, giving the film a look that balances cinematic stylization and historical authenticity.
- Kurosawa knows how to shoot and cut stuff well. I'm not the most technically proficient when it comes to camera lenses and angles, but the telephoto work he does here is among the best we've seen so far. And, aside from that dragging scene in the fog I mentioned earlier, his editing is spot-on, keeping every element of the story distinct and making certain it moves at a solid pace.
- I love the way Kurosawa drenches the entire film, the entire reign of Washizu, in a soup of sun sucking, geography blurring fog. It perfectly captures the ill weather often metaphorically mentioned in the play, while also giving the entire story the sense of a supernatural spectre, a tragedy playing out before our eyes across the boundaries of time.
- Masaru Sato's traditional Noh score is the best for a Kurosawa film yet. The reed pipes, drums, and chanting are absolutely haunting and seem to carry the crushing weight of destiny that Mifune's performance lacks.
- Despite misguided performances from the two leads, Minoru Chiaki is absolutely wonderful as Miki, a fellow general of Washizu who has doubts about his old friend's actions, but stays loyal until his timely end. I've failed to mention Chiaki in past reviews, but he truly is a fantastic addition to Kurosawa's troupe of regulars, equally at home with roles that are humorous or dramatic, lovable or menacing. Here, he's marvelous as a man always cast in his best friend's shadow, yet who never wavers in his support. Oh, and he makes a freaky ghost.
- Aside from a few unnecessary ghost samurais waving spears, the scenes with the forest spirit are fantastic. It seems like a bit too broad of a change to replace three cackling hags with a deathly still, whispering old woman, powdered to the point where she glows, but it works.
- The assault by the "very woods themselves" is a brilliantly eerie, epic moment.
- Washizu's piercing finale is certainly one of the most memorable scenes I've witnessed on film.
In Conclusion:
While, no, it's not one of Kurosawa's best, it certainly is an intelligent, beautifully made film and a remarkable adaptation of the original play. I think that the problem with the lead roles being influenced by Noh traditions is that the surrounding, supporting cast played their parts in a much more grounded, naturalistic style. This creates a sense of disconnect, an air of disharmony that mars what otherwise could have been Kurosawa's next masterpiece.
(trailer)
(purchase barebones DVD)
(purchase special edition DVD)
(purchase DVD boxset of 25 Kurosawa films)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
Sanctuary #7: The Five
2008 episode
directed by Martin Wood
written by Damian Kindler
created by Damian Kindler
(previous)
(next)
This is a fun show. Clever, quirky, generally well made. But one of my main gripes so far is that whenever they try to tie things to genuine history, they play so fast and loose with their research that they may as well have made the situation up from scratch. In the past, this was demonstrated with the sloppy way they made John Druit into Jack the Ripper. Now, we get a whole new situation when Helen runs into her old flame Nikolai Tesla.
Here, he's painted as a former colleague of John and Helen, a part of the experiment that led to John's shift. The problem? John's Jack the Ripper episode places this in London. Tesla was firmly rooted in the U.S. at the time and was in the middle of the public spotlight. They further claim that the same injection that drove John mad turned Tesla into an immortal vampire. Strange, then, that he should look so young when he was still very much in the spotlight when he died of old age. I know this may come off as griping, but is it too much trouble to ask that the writers at least read the wikipedia entry for a person and actually try to fit the continuity of their lives? I'm just sayin'.
That aside, though, this was an entertaining episode with Helen and Tesla dashing through the catacombs of a European city, Cabal forces on their tail. Despite lacking much historical detail, or an accent of any kind, Jonathon Young plays his role with much suave panache, and his chemistry with Amanda Tapping feels genuine.
Meanwhile, John Druit pops up out of nowhere and snatches Ashley. For her help, of all things. I was wondering when they'd bring him back and they truly do a wonderful job of tying his plot thread to the other, using both to explore some major secrets in Helen's past.
Oh, and there's a fun subplot about Will and Bigfoot being left alone to babysit both the Sanctuary and a sick Henry. The banter is nice and the thrills surprisingly thrilling when an unknown Abnormal starts stalking the halls.
Though it's still not the best show out there, this series continues to surprise me with the little layers and quirks that reveal themselves over time. Now, if only they could just do a tiny bit of research ...
(purchase)
(official website)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Martin Wood
written by Damian Kindler
created by Damian Kindler
(previous)
(next)
This is a fun show. Clever, quirky, generally well made. But one of my main gripes so far is that whenever they try to tie things to genuine history, they play so fast and loose with their research that they may as well have made the situation up from scratch. In the past, this was demonstrated with the sloppy way they made John Druit into Jack the Ripper. Now, we get a whole new situation when Helen runs into her old flame Nikolai Tesla.
Here, he's painted as a former colleague of John and Helen, a part of the experiment that led to John's shift. The problem? John's Jack the Ripper episode places this in London. Tesla was firmly rooted in the U.S. at the time and was in the middle of the public spotlight. They further claim that the same injection that drove John mad turned Tesla into an immortal vampire. Strange, then, that he should look so young when he was still very much in the spotlight when he died of old age. I know this may come off as griping, but is it too much trouble to ask that the writers at least read the wikipedia entry for a person and actually try to fit the continuity of their lives? I'm just sayin'.
That aside, though, this was an entertaining episode with Helen and Tesla dashing through the catacombs of a European city, Cabal forces on their tail. Despite lacking much historical detail, or an accent of any kind, Jonathon Young plays his role with much suave panache, and his chemistry with Amanda Tapping feels genuine.
Meanwhile, John Druit pops up out of nowhere and snatches Ashley. For her help, of all things. I was wondering when they'd bring him back and they truly do a wonderful job of tying his plot thread to the other, using both to explore some major secrets in Helen's past.
Oh, and there's a fun subplot about Will and Bigfoot being left alone to babysit both the Sanctuary and a sick Henry. The banter is nice and the thrills surprisingly thrilling when an unknown Abnormal starts stalking the halls.
Though it's still not the best show out there, this series continues to surprise me with the little layers and quirks that reveal themselves over time. Now, if only they could just do a tiny bit of research ...
(purchase)
(official website)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
My Own Worst Enemy #6: High Crimes and Turducken
2008 episode
directed by Adam Kane
written by Mark Rosner
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
When Edward steals a valuable hard-drive which he hopes to exchange for information about the death of his parents, Henry finds himself in a sticky position as he grapples with whether or not to help in the committing of high treason.
What Doesn't Work:
- There's a subplot involving Angie's father, an adopted man who just uncovered information about his birth parents, that offers nothing to the story but a heavy-handed way of exploring Henry's thoughts on how people never truly know who they are.
- The flashbacks to young Edward and his parents are about as cheesy and cliche as they could be. And, since Christian Slater was already an easy-to-impersonate icon at that age, was it really so hard to find an actor that, even if he only vaguely resembled the part, could at least adopt some of the same mannerisms? He's not that hard of a guy to emulate.
- I know Edward is the super-spy to end all super-spies, but everything came together far too perfectly in the conclusion. There's a terribly lacking sense of consequence that would have offered a wonderful opportunity for exploration in following episodes.
- Adam Kane's direction is a little bland. Still good, just not as sharp as what we've previously seen from the show.
- It still sucks that the series has been cancelled.
What Does Work:
- I love the central plot, of Henry finding yet another reason to suspect the motivations of Edward, because it ties so beautifully into the core concept of the series. And it helps that it's just as well executed here as it has been previously, with Henry once again awakening in the middle of an alien situation that causes the questions to explode in both his and our minds.
- Despite my gripe about Edward's super-spy abilities in the episode's conclusion, there's a wonderful scene in the first half where he and Raymond have to break into a government facility to test its security. It's amazing how they took a nicely choreographed heist sequence and strengthened it further with Edward executing his own little personal side mission.
- Henry finally learns about Edward's relationship with Dr. Skinner in a fantastic sequence that opens a whole can of ethical worms.
- While the flashbacks are sloppy, I love the idea of Edward's parents because it finally humanizes him, gives him something outside of the spying world that Henry doesn't share. And I love how they show a little bit of selfishness on Henry's part because he keeps railing about how Edward is affecting him and his family and his life, but when he learns about Edward's parents, he casually dismisses them as people he never knew. It's a realistic way of showing how people often miss the point of their own arguments.
- I love how the quenched flames in Tom and Mary's troubled marriage start to reignite over the preparation of a turducken.
In Conclusion:
Not one of the best episodes of the series, but still pretty darn good with a solid plot at its core and some strong exploration of the main cast.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
directed by Adam Kane
written by Mark Rosner
created by Jason Smilovic
(previous)
(next)
The Setup:
When Edward steals a valuable hard-drive which he hopes to exchange for information about the death of his parents, Henry finds himself in a sticky position as he grapples with whether or not to help in the committing of high treason.
What Doesn't Work:
- There's a subplot involving Angie's father, an adopted man who just uncovered information about his birth parents, that offers nothing to the story but a heavy-handed way of exploring Henry's thoughts on how people never truly know who they are.
- The flashbacks to young Edward and his parents are about as cheesy and cliche as they could be. And, since Christian Slater was already an easy-to-impersonate icon at that age, was it really so hard to find an actor that, even if he only vaguely resembled the part, could at least adopt some of the same mannerisms? He's not that hard of a guy to emulate.
- I know Edward is the super-spy to end all super-spies, but everything came together far too perfectly in the conclusion. There's a terribly lacking sense of consequence that would have offered a wonderful opportunity for exploration in following episodes.
- Adam Kane's direction is a little bland. Still good, just not as sharp as what we've previously seen from the show.
- It still sucks that the series has been cancelled.
What Does Work:
- I love the central plot, of Henry finding yet another reason to suspect the motivations of Edward, because it ties so beautifully into the core concept of the series. And it helps that it's just as well executed here as it has been previously, with Henry once again awakening in the middle of an alien situation that causes the questions to explode in both his and our minds.
- Despite my gripe about Edward's super-spy abilities in the episode's conclusion, there's a wonderful scene in the first half where he and Raymond have to break into a government facility to test its security. It's amazing how they took a nicely choreographed heist sequence and strengthened it further with Edward executing his own little personal side mission.
- Henry finally learns about Edward's relationship with Dr. Skinner in a fantastic sequence that opens a whole can of ethical worms.
- While the flashbacks are sloppy, I love the idea of Edward's parents because it finally humanizes him, gives him something outside of the spying world that Henry doesn't share. And I love how they show a little bit of selfishness on Henry's part because he keeps railing about how Edward is affecting him and his family and his life, but when he learns about Edward's parents, he casually dismisses them as people he never knew. It's a realistic way of showing how people often miss the point of their own arguments.
- I love how the quenched flames in Tom and Mary's troubled marriage start to reignite over the preparation of a turducken.
In Conclusion:
Not one of the best episodes of the series, but still pretty darn good with a solid plot at its core and some strong exploration of the main cast.
(purchase)
(official website)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
Macbeth
1603? play
written by William Shakespeare
(my review of 1957 film adaptation, THRONE OF BLOOD)
I'll be honest, the last time I had to read Shakespeare was in high school, and even then I largely cheated my way through with cliff-notes. But my tastes and abilities have improved a great deal when it comes to my reading, so it was with a surprising amount of anticipation that I once again approached the final subject of my Senior Year English class.
The story begins with a simple setup: on the eve of a decisive military battle, Macbeth, a general in the king's army, learns from a trio of witches that he will one day be king ... and proceeds to do everything in his power to reach and defend that title.
While it's since become a traditional character arc, this play does a wonderful job of displaying Macbeth as a fallen hero. As a general, he is praised for his virtue and loyalty and is, in fact, a noble soul who will stop at nothing to serve his friends and leader. But then comes the prophecy, which brings with it details that quickly prove true, and everything changes in the heart of this soldier. With the promise of power comes a craving to obtain it. With the achieved victory comes a paranoia that his secret will be discovered. With each and every friend that he turns on and stabs in the back, his bloodlust and fury grow and grow and grow until this man, who initially stood outside the King's door, doubting and questioning and vowing to turn away and leave the deed undone, becomes a monster, a tyrant, a devil.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is Lady Macbeth. She starts out devious and ambitious, setting up the traps, prodding her uncertain husband on, and even helping out in the deed, literally bloodying her hands alongside his. But, over time, the pressures that drive her husband's quest for power begin to wear on her and she sinks deeper and deeper into a guilt ridden madness.
These two character arcs have been played out time and time again to the point where they are now considered common archetypes, but rarely have they been executed with such skill as they are here. The Macbeths could have led a prosperous, successful life under the rule of King Duncan, but instead commit actions which lead to a strained rule which is destined to collapse.
And with this comes the inevitable question of all prophecies: was it always meant to be such, or did it merely happen because the prophecy was first delivered? While it's an intriguing question, the latter is the likely route here, for it was only with the witches' words that the valiant Macbeth started his turn.
And then there's Banquo, the other man of the prophecy. He would never be king, but his sons would be. It's through him that we both get the promise of the future and the beginnings of Macbeth's paranoia. Since he was present at the prophecy's reading, he already has suspicions against his friend, his new king, and yet stands by him ... only to fall victim to his own loyalty, a virtue Macbeth once shared.
The other major player in the story is Macduff, a fellow general in the King's forces. He fled the country at the time of the assassination to protect the prince from a potential coup but, when Macbeth's power hunger leads to the family left behind, it is Macduff and his allies that raise an army to fight the former friend that deceived them. It's amazing how epic this part of the story gets, with characters running across the stage and descriptions of tens of thousands of soldiers using camouflage to make an entire forest move into battle. Is it any surprise J.R.R. Tolkien took that last part as inspiration?
I know that this is the part of the review that will make most of my literary betters scoff with laughter, but I'll admit that the language of Shakespeare was quite daunting to me in my teens and I was a little afraid of it here. Thankfully, I found it quite easy to read, having a surprisingly naturalistic poetic flow that easily covered for the barest of skeletal scenic descriptions. I won't get into the sentence structure or rhyming scheme because I still can't tell a person what an adverb is. All I do is read the stuff and this read well.
With my high school degree and tendency to read comics and tie-in novels, I'm probably among the least qualified to comment on one of the greatest dramatic works ever to hit the stage, but this is my blog, dammit, and I'll say what I want to say. And what I want to say is: me like.
(read)
(wikipedia)
written by William Shakespeare
(my review of 1957 film adaptation, THRONE OF BLOOD)
I'll be honest, the last time I had to read Shakespeare was in high school, and even then I largely cheated my way through with cliff-notes. But my tastes and abilities have improved a great deal when it comes to my reading, so it was with a surprising amount of anticipation that I once again approached the final subject of my Senior Year English class.
The story begins with a simple setup: on the eve of a decisive military battle, Macbeth, a general in the king's army, learns from a trio of witches that he will one day be king ... and proceeds to do everything in his power to reach and defend that title.
While it's since become a traditional character arc, this play does a wonderful job of displaying Macbeth as a fallen hero. As a general, he is praised for his virtue and loyalty and is, in fact, a noble soul who will stop at nothing to serve his friends and leader. But then comes the prophecy, which brings with it details that quickly prove true, and everything changes in the heart of this soldier. With the promise of power comes a craving to obtain it. With the achieved victory comes a paranoia that his secret will be discovered. With each and every friend that he turns on and stabs in the back, his bloodlust and fury grow and grow and grow until this man, who initially stood outside the King's door, doubting and questioning and vowing to turn away and leave the deed undone, becomes a monster, a tyrant, a devil.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is Lady Macbeth. She starts out devious and ambitious, setting up the traps, prodding her uncertain husband on, and even helping out in the deed, literally bloodying her hands alongside his. But, over time, the pressures that drive her husband's quest for power begin to wear on her and she sinks deeper and deeper into a guilt ridden madness.
These two character arcs have been played out time and time again to the point where they are now considered common archetypes, but rarely have they been executed with such skill as they are here. The Macbeths could have led a prosperous, successful life under the rule of King Duncan, but instead commit actions which lead to a strained rule which is destined to collapse.
And with this comes the inevitable question of all prophecies: was it always meant to be such, or did it merely happen because the prophecy was first delivered? While it's an intriguing question, the latter is the likely route here, for it was only with the witches' words that the valiant Macbeth started his turn.
And then there's Banquo, the other man of the prophecy. He would never be king, but his sons would be. It's through him that we both get the promise of the future and the beginnings of Macbeth's paranoia. Since he was present at the prophecy's reading, he already has suspicions against his friend, his new king, and yet stands by him ... only to fall victim to his own loyalty, a virtue Macbeth once shared.
The other major player in the story is Macduff, a fellow general in the King's forces. He fled the country at the time of the assassination to protect the prince from a potential coup but, when Macbeth's power hunger leads to the family left behind, it is Macduff and his allies that raise an army to fight the former friend that deceived them. It's amazing how epic this part of the story gets, with characters running across the stage and descriptions of tens of thousands of soldiers using camouflage to make an entire forest move into battle. Is it any surprise J.R.R. Tolkien took that last part as inspiration?
I know that this is the part of the review that will make most of my literary betters scoff with laughter, but I'll admit that the language of Shakespeare was quite daunting to me in my teens and I was a little afraid of it here. Thankfully, I found it quite easy to read, having a surprisingly naturalistic poetic flow that easily covered for the barest of skeletal scenic descriptions. I won't get into the sentence structure or rhyming scheme because I still can't tell a person what an adverb is. All I do is read the stuff and this read well.
With my high school degree and tendency to read comics and tie-in novels, I'm probably among the least qualified to comment on one of the greatest dramatic works ever to hit the stage, but this is my blog, dammit, and I'll say what I want to say. And what I want to say is: me like.
(read)
(wikipedia)
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