Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

1954 [JAPANESE]

Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / History / Romance

15
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 85% · 5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 85% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 10213 10.2K

samurai jidaigeki japanese film edo period miyamoto musashi

Plot summary

Struggling to elevate himself from his low caste in 17th century Japan, Miyamoto trains to become a mighty samurai warrior.

Director

Hiroshi Inagaki Photo
Hiroshi Inagaki

Top cast

Toshirô Mifune Photo
Toshirô Mifune as Musashi Miyamoto
Takuzô Kumagai Photo
Takuzô Kumagai as Villager
Rentarô Mikuni Photo
Rentarô Mikuni as Honiden Matahachi
Kaoru Yachigusa Photo
Kaoru Yachigusa as Otsu
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
861.53 MB
968*720
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 33 min
Seeds 7
1.56 GB
1440*1072
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 33 min
Seeds 18

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by zetes 8 / 10

This review is for at least the first two films of the Samurai Trilogy, and for the third installment unless my opinion of that is different

The Samurai Trilogy is a very good work, very well worth watching. No, they aren't as great as Kurosawa's samurai masterpieces, The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, or Sanjuro, but they are no much less worthy. My only major complaint is that they were filmed in color, which is a lot less good looking and elegant than the black and white of the Kurosawa films. In some scenes, especially those at night, it is very difficult to determine which character is which. The Samurai Trilogy excels in several aspects. First and foremost, Toshiro Mifune may be the single best actor who ever lived. Sure, he was typecast, but he was great in his roles. There is a huge difference in his acting jobs in these films and Rashomon or The Seven Samurai or Yojimbo and Sanjuro. His character here is very complex. The second reason to watch is for the great secondary characters. They are all quite complex. There will be characters you'll love and long for, and other characters whom you will hope will be killed by Toshiro. These secondary characters are extraordinarily complex at times. Third, watch it for the novelistic unfoldings of the story. Well, it should be novelistic, since all three films were based on a single novel. Don't worry about the three movies repeating in any way. Also, it is a good idea to watch all three in a row (I watched the first two tonight, and plan to watch the third one tomorrow night; hey, it's late!). The story is constantly developing, and you don't want to forget anything. I give each segment of the samurai trilogy a solid 8/10 (unless the third installment is particularly great or awful; i will most likely post a comment for that film by itself).
Reviewed by kluseba 8 / 10

A careless teenager warrior becomes a careful adult ronin

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is the first part of the Samurai trilogy by director Inagaki Hiroshi featuring lead actor Mifune Toshiro based upon based the novel by Yoshikawa Eiji about the famous philospher, duelist and author of The Book of Five Rings. This movie won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.It tells story of teenager Takezo who dreams of fame and glory in battle but fails miserably along with his unstable childhood friend Matahachi. Manipulated by beautiful Akemi and her egoistic mother Oko on an isolated farm, the two men are separated as Matahachi follows the two women and ends up marrying Oko while Takezo attempts to go back to his village where he is perceived as a criminal and rejected by distant family members. He attempts to inform Matahachi's mother Osugi and fiancee Otsu that his friend is still alive but they plot against him and Takezo ends up being a fugitive.The most fascinating thing about the movie is the development of the main character from careless teenage warrior Takezo to careful adult ronin Miyamoto Musashi. Mifune Toshiro plays this role very emotionally and energetically as if the character had been specifically created for him. He has often incarnated quite emotional characters and is a war veteran himself which helped him empathize with the historical figure he portrays.Despite a few inaccuracies in relation to the source material and actual historic events, the movie convinces with a detailed plot filled with intrigues, jealousy, love, redemption and revenge. The motives of the different characters aren't always clear and might sometimes even change which makes the movie entertaining and unpredictable. The manipulative Akemi and the unstable Otsu are memorable characters that are going to play important roles in the two sequels as well. Priest Takuan also plays an essential role and provides philosophical depth to the movie that is equally action film and period drama.One must also point out the movie's stunning cinematography. The movie was shot in Eastmancolor and is one of the first Japanese colour movies. This technique gives the film an epic touch and accentuates the gorgeous Japanese landscapes, villages and temples seen throughout the movie. The film manages to bring the late sixteenth and early sevententh century to life which makes it timeless despite its age.Even though the movie has aged very well, some elements are somehwat antiquated by today's standards. The portrayal of Japanese women in particular isn't very flattering as they are all shown as being very egoistic, manipulative and unstable. The fight sequences are choreographed with care but look somewhat stiff at times.Still, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is one of the very best jidaigeki or samurai films ever made. The settings are breathtaking, the plot is intriguing and the characters are increasingly fascinating. Anyone who likes action movies, period dramas or Asian cinema in general should watch this film as well as its two sequels that tell the most important events in the life of a legendary figure.
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