Customer Reviews

Sanshiro Sugata (AKA Judo Saga) [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All of the artistic flair and sweeping imagery that defines the typical Kurosawa film is evident in this his inaugural film effort. How easy it would have been at the height of Japan's success in WWII to make a cliche ridden film slavishly paying homage to nationalism. Yet Kurosawa manages to make a film dedicated to martial arts with self restraint and humility as its theme. Quite a remarkable stance from a novice director. Japanese censors were not pleased and at times the results show in abrupt editing. Under US occupation the film was once more suppressed due to its martial content. Fortunately this film has survived due to Kurosawa's subsequent efforts. Man's inner turmoil juxtoposed against the forces of Nature have been staple images for Kurosawa and the final sequence of this film sets the standard. Susumu Fujita is superb in the lead role. Every bit as handsome as Toshiro Mifune, one can only lament that he did not feature in more films. A very interesting film from an intellectual POV. The fact that it is also a superb drama makes it all the more enjoyable.

See it - you won't be disappointed. Definitely a must see if you're a Kurosawa fan! Despite being his maiden film, Kurosawa's mastery clearly shines through. Indeed, there is even a certain purity in his artistry in this early effort.

As is the case with all his films, and maybe even more conscientiously so in this case, every scene, every shot is so exquisitely crafted, with so much sense and purpose: the camera staying on a scene a deliberate amount of time, the assiduous panning of the camera, the close-ups of the facial expressions - they were all so carefully crafted so as to create the subtlest of nuances. Even if you do not like the story, each scene is itself a visual piece of art.

The only problem is the not so smooth transitions between episodes, but that is just a small flaw in this highly enjoyable film. Even though this film was only Kurosawa's first full directorial effort, he already showed a technical skill far exceeding many others. I can only surmise that from there on, he honed his skills to perfection in `Rashomon' - the film which remains for me the best ever in technical and directorial artistry.

`Sugata Sanshiro' impresses and inspires me enough to write about it the day after seeing it. `Rashomon' too of course, but I never get to write about `Rashomon' because I do not think I can find the words to do justice to this marvellous masterpiece.

Martial arts films have come a long way since this curious historical drama, the first feature film directed by the up-and-coming Akira Kurosawa. Filmed and edited during wartime, it dramatizes the story of the late 19th Century development of judo as a breakaway form of the jiu-jitsu school of martial arts. Without the benefit of Hong Kong style wire-works or the flashy acrobatics of Bruce Lee, et al, the combat looks mostly like wrestling or sumo... Which, perhaps, back in the 1880s, it was. Takashi Shimura introduces his role as an older wise man, in custody over the spiritual growth of a younger firebrand; the plot has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet tone to it, as the young champion of judo falls in love with the daughter of a rival school's sensei. Fans who have seen Kurosawa's glorious later films will notice right away the relative lack of grace here, yet as a directorial debut this is pretty stunning and ably introduces the visual poetry and various themes that he would so ably explore in years to come. Also, military censors apparently mucked with the movie for various reasons, and interrupted the flow of the narrative (most notably in a couple of sequences deleted in their entirety and replaced by silent-movie style placards explaining the absent action, and in the ending, which seems rushed and inexplicable). Still, any Kurosawa fan will find this film quite rewarding.

Akira Kurosawa in his first Opus when he just was in his early thirties (33) allow us to understand his mercurial vigor, untamed epic vision around what in hands of a conventional filmmaker would have been a simple story between two gangs. But here we have the incandescent flame of the genius, through multiple visual sequences; the shoes on the floor, the first sequence under the moonlight or the fascinating sequence - that I have seen it over and over - of the preceding storm just before the final battle.

An absolute must for all those hard fans of this genius.

"Sanshiro Sugata" tells the story of the rise of Judo, and the efforts of it's practitioners to replace the leading martial art, Jujitsu. There is a tournament, with the winner of the tournament hired to train the police force in martial arts. Young Sugata is determined to prove his worth, and to ensure that Judo is the recognized martial art of the police force.

Kurasowa's directorial debut is an uneven film to be sure. Judo is a martial art particularly unsuited to cinema. The drama of the holds and throws looks somewhat campy when presented in this format. The personal dramas that unfold are much more engaging yet still somewhat melodramatic. It is hard for me to say that I enjoyed the film.

But still, buried in here are some moments, some images, that forecast the greatness to come later. There is an excellent showdown at the end, with a little of the spirit of "Sanjuro." Sugata himself displays that most desirable of Japanese traits, persistence. Nice things happen with the lighting and the camera.

Ultimately, I can only recommend "Sanshiro Sugata" to people who already know and admire Kurasowa, and want to examine his roots. It's not a bad film, but it really isn't great either.

This is currently only available on VHS, which is odd, because the 2nd film of this duo is out as a DVD. The quality of the images is not good, but the film is worthwhile, because it is one of the first attempts by a major director, Akira Kurosawa, to show something of the attitude toward martial arts in the Japanese culture. From today's standpoint a little simplistic in terms of action, but the film tells an important story, and represents an attitude that is little recognized in today's high-tech world.