Saw it today, like it a lot. But I have a question. What is the significance of "Twilight"? This is what Iguchi's co-workers call him (somewhat derisively). Is it that he doesn't go out with them at night -- always home by twilight? Is it that he is only just barely a samurai -- very low level -- and has even sold his sword to pay for his wife's funeral, so he's really not quite a real samurai? I think it also plays into the setting of the film in the twilight period as the samurai are on their way into oblivion, but it also is specifically about Iguchi.

Those were the impressions I got as well. Simply put, I love this movie (here's my review). I know that a lot of people are going to compare this to The Last Samurai, and for obvious reasons, but The Twilight Samurai strikes me as the antithesis to that movie.

Very much the antithesis of Last Samurai. A much more sympathetic and approachable character. Without the heroic romanticism. Not "a recruitment film for Al Queda."

And now Movieguide declares its love for "Twilight Samurai"...

I can't wait to see what they think of Hero.

Ebert just posted his review. He gives it 4 stars!

Here's the official US website... though it's a bit on the paltry side.

The trailer for Yamada's next film, Kakushiken, is up on the website. Not much to it though, just a few shots and lots of onscreen text.

Kung Fu Cinema has a pretty extensive article on Yamada's next, The Hidden Blade.

Just saw this over on twitch's site... Tartan has purchased the U.S. distro for The Hidden Blade. No release date, but I'm assuming it'll be later this year. Also, it's competing in this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

My review

Nice. Hopefully, it'll persuade more people to check it out!

You like it, I like it , Baehr likes it. A rare convergence. It must be good.

I watched it tonight based on the renewed interest in this thread. My first impressions: A good story about a confusing character that ended up a little too tidy for my taste. An above-average film, reminiscent of a Zhang Yimou film without the showiness. It's a good character drama which automatically makes it better than 80% of all films, but the character seemed too conflicting to grab my interest for more than the running time of the film.

I'm guessing you meant that the character was conflicted, not conflicting. When you say that he was confusing, do you mean confusing or confused?

I'm not sure why the character would be felt to be confusing... nor why his conflicts would keep you from being particularly interested in him. Do you mean to say that you would only be interested in characters who have a certain level of non-conflictedness?

As for the ending... I can only say it seemed messy enough to me. I would never think of calling that tidy. [spoiler]The man has a few brief years of happiness in the end, of which we don't even get a glimpse onscreen[/spoiler], but that's not what I would call tidy.

My sense of a conflicted/ing character came from the fact that [spoiler]he's supposedly content with his life (as the final monologue indicates... "he had no desire to rise in the world"), yet takes two significant monologues to complain about his social status.[/spoiler] As for the tidy ending, [spoiler]it was never explained how the woman was able to get out of her previous engagement. My knowledge of that era in Japan is limited, but it seemed like such a formal and rigorous culture that such a thing would have been unthinkable. But unlike the rest of the film, attention to cultural and class distinctions was passed over in favor of the "and they all lived happily ever after for three years" ending.[/spoiler] I'm unaware if the story is based on an actual individual... if it is, then I wouldn't hold this ending against the film. Both of the above things broke the flow of the film for me, though.

That, and whatever derisive nature the protaganist's nickname held didn't translate. I can't hold that against the film though. In any case, this is probably a film I'll really start to love in about a month.

Maybe I should have just blacked out the whole post...

It's been awhile since I've seen the film, but I thought that the brother, who seemed to be somewhat affluent, was able to pull some strings. Granted, it's not spelled out in the movie, but I thought it was at least implied. I could very well be wrong.

As for the conflicted character stuff you mentioned, the [spoiler]extended monologues where complained about his social status didn't bother me because, IIRC, he wasn't simply bemoaning his status as a lowly samurai, but rather how his lowly status affected those around him.[/spoiler] I think the movie makes it pretty clear that he's not one driven by self-pity, but rather self-sacrifice.

I watched The Hidden Blade, Yoji Yamada's followup to The Twilight Samurai, over the weekend. Of the two, I greatly preferred Twilight Samurai. The Hidden Blade is so similar to the previous film in terms of tone, setting, pacing, character development, etc. that it often like a retread. Indeed, several scenes felt like carbon copies of scenes in Twilight Samurai, just with slightly different dialog and different actors. It's a gorgeous film, visually, it perfectly captures a somber, nostalgic tone, and it has the same attention to detail and nuance that made Twilight Samurai so good... but it just didn't pack the same poignancy or impact for me.

My review is here.

I just discovered this film and liked it quite a bit, especially the attention to details. The film really captured the culture in its physical setting and how its characters interacted with each other, without an excess of Hollywood romanticism. The main character was an honorable family man who proves his heroism in his belief in duty and his devotion to his family. And Tom Cruise was mercifully absent.

I , too, liked the Twilight Samurai. He was "reluctant" but not "compassionless." (Is that a word?)

However, he has not lived long in my memory - not like the great Kurosawa
samurais - Mifune! - and the wonderful 7 in Seven Samurai who risked their lives to save a little village.

And this film did not have the humor or the warmth of camaraderie that so fills Kurosawa's samurai films.

Yes, thank God he wasn't played by Tom Cruise.

But there you go. Hollywood's efforts vs. the "real thing." (Twilight is included in the real thing.)

Sara

Finally caught up with this, and having had it in my queue for quite some time, I remembered some folks here spoke highly of it, but that was about it. Knew nothing about the plot, had no experience with the director. However, as I was watching, I was struck by the thought that the film appeared to have been made by an older man. This turned out to be true, having since looked up Yamada at IMDB, born in 1931.

Then I got to thinking about why this film was an "old man" kind of movie (which I think is part of the reason I liked it so much). First and foremost, Seibei couldn't care less about pursuing glory for himself. He is filled with a passion for the little things - taking care of his girls, his ailing mother, and doing his job faithfully. He cares little for himself, his appearance, or any recognition he might receive. In fact, when offered marriage, his response is indicative of how much he thinks of the woman in question, more than his own stature in the community.

And I think that all of this is why the film was so effective for me. I sensed the tension of such a reserved personality. No doubt I am used to thinking more of myself than I should, and so to see a character (and really the whole tone of the film) go in the opposite direction, it ends up making the presentation of self-sacrifice that much better.

As theoddone said above, I too found the ending just a bit abrupt, considering the deliberate nature of the rest of the film, but that has not tainted my overall feel for the movie, now several days removed from it.

Don't forget to rate this film by clicking "Film rating", selecting a rating, and clicking "Rate this film". When five users have submitted a rating, the group rating will be displayed.

Just saw this. I have to agree that it was a little too tidy - I mean, [spoiler]the man he was sent to kill hid out in his house for days, and then had the samurai convinced to let him run away, but lost his temper and provoked the samurai into killing him? How unlikely, and how utterly unsatisfying.[/spoiler]

Hmmm... the more I think about this ending, the more I think that the movie is making a sly comment on the futility of bushido, the strict code of honor by which the samurai lived. IIRC, it wasn't until [spoiler]Seibei revealed that he had come with a fake sword that his opponent responded so savagely. Up until then, they seemed to be becoming fast friends. However, the man's sense of samurai honor wouldn't allow him to be insulted by Seibei's "dishonorable" conduct. Even in his pitiful state, he still needed to defend his status as a samurai, something he clearly felt Seibei wasn't (due to the lack of proper weaponry).[/spoiler]

[spoiler]But that samurai had already abandoned, to an extent, the warrior code by refusing to kill himself when ordered. So that explanation doesn't float for me. I mean, sure, that could be why they chose to write it that way, but if so, it's poor characterization, because he wouldn't turn his back on the code just to return to it again.[/spoiler]

I think with the code here we have two elements: [spoiler]the fact that the old samurai won't kill himself, and that he follows it after being offended by Seibei. It seems to me that it is easier to follow the code when someone, in effect, humiliates you. A man who's lived a violent life would naturally react violently to such a move. On the other hand, it strikes me as much more difficult to follow the code when it means taking your own life.[/spoiler] Yes, there's an inner contradicition here, but that's what brings a reality and complexity to a character who otherwise has little screen time. For that reason, I really like this element of the ending.

I added this post earlier to a more general thread. It belongs here.
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I want to say how much I admired this film, which I watched last night on DVD. After completing the puzzling Tristram Shandy earlier in the day, this return to narrative-driven cinema was refreshing. The fact that the movie is so extraordinary elegant in many ways was an unexpected bonus. I felt in love with movies again after watching it.

The ending was a tad sentimental; I wonder if that's in keeping with contemporary Samurai films, or a sop to North American audiences. Even if it's the latter, it didn't detract much, if at all, from the film, which reminded me of Ikiru and any number of films -- Samurai films and Westerns, primarily -- in which progress is beginning to make certain people and professions obsolete.

One drawback: the voiceover narration, which, as is often the case, seemed completely unnecessary, if not offensive. But these are minor quibbles, really. I loved the movie.
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UPDATE: I e-mailed this reaction to my film professor -- he's an expert in Japanese cinema -- and he responded: "Yes, it’s a fine film – I agree about the happy ending., though. It’s a little off-putting. But the film as a whole has a nice classical feel, like something from the era of Kurosawa. He’s got another samurai film on DVD – The Hidden Blade – which is a kind of follow-up film. I recommend it."

I know Hidden Blade is mentioned in this thread as being inferior to Twilight Samurai, but based on the strength of Twilight Samurai, I need to seek out that follow-up film.

I think that might have been me.

I certainly enjoyed The Hidden Blade, if only because, like The Twilight Samurai, the focus is on the characters and drama. It moves at a similar pace, and has the same elegaic tone as well. However, as I said in my review:


I'm very much looking forward to Yamada's third samurai film, Bushi no ichibun, which is about a blind samurai (played by 2046's Takuya Kimura) and his wife who tries to defend his honor.