Yojimbo : Akira Kurosawa

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"Go home to your mother and live a long-life eating gruel”

-Sanjuro [Toshiro]

 

One of the best philosophical directions of human life; either live a long life peacefully or live a lavish short life, I have found in the Yojimbo [1961].


What man is quest for ultimately; especially in the realm of arts & cultures is always a big and unsolved question to me. There may not be an exact answer we can get, not in the past, present and not even in future. Since I have been watching Kurosawan films some contemplation appears in my mind that: literally I have observed that humans are not capable of seeing the complete sequences of lives of a person, a family or group at once. Reading can give a glimpse of them; but films make better because of its advantage of auditory, visual and common engagement with the form.

 



Yojimbo [1961] is one of the thrilling and aesthetically pure in the genre of political allegory I have seen as of today. I have found a sheer semblance with its plot structure and narrative tones with the real political structure of the world. The evil and bad things are spread all over the world like the faded fogs engulf the whole set of the film. Though it was inspired by the western formula, it is also a great rendition of Akira's own personal aesthetics and his world understanding. The densely packed storyline gives us a moral solution to take a side of among evils when the protagonist is a bad also. Men are not really that good if they were, there will be no war, conflict and tension in the political setup in the world.

 

Akira is as always a master of staging and using the three characters in triangular form which is so soothing to watch as well as so impactful to get the essence of a scene and ultimately match it  with the broader theme of the story.




As to the point of Toshiro’s natural and magnetic acting, he is just as overwhelming as Akira’s cinematic direction. It is really a great fortune for me to know Toshiro on the screen. I don’t know what he likes in real life. I feel envious and hapless that I may not work for one like him. But I hope I will come across at least one actor like him in Bangladesh in future with whom I will have a chance to work with.

 

Yojimbo [1961]

Japanese : 用心棒

lit. 'Bodyguard 

Akira Kurosawa.

Japanese, Japan.

 



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