Legend of the Eight
Samurai is a Japanese fantasy-adventure
film released in 1983 and directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film follows
the classic motley crew trope of storytelling whereby an unlikely assortment of
characters band together for an adventure. In a nondescript feudal Japan
setting, a princess whose family has been killed flees from an evil queen hell
bent on her death. Princess Shizu’s entire Satomi clan has been killed by the
vengeful spirits of the Hikita clan and she is the last living, and cursed,
member. Relentlessly pursued by queen Tamazusa and her son Yonosuke, Princess
Shizu must assemble eight warriors possessing eight glowing beads signifying
lineage to the dog-warriors who defeated the Hikita clan once before. All the
while, she and her growing team led by Dosetsu, must survive attacks from the
queen. Upon discovering the eight warriors, the band of heroes launch a final
counter-attack on the compound of queen Tamazusa and her legion of soldiers.
___________________________________________________________________________________
The theme of destiny and a predetermined course in life is a
staple of adventures films like Legend of
the Eight Samurai. The eight warriors who defend Princess Shizu against
queen Tamazusa were destined to give their life in service to her. We have seen
this in countless films regarding a team of heroes, and it usually includes
antiheroes who refute their role in the grand plan. The character of Shinbei at
the start of the film is a classic scoundrel, à la Han Solo, who is only out
for himself and concerned primarily with money. When Shinbei hears of the
bounty on Princess Shizu’s head, he sets out to kidnap her and collect the
reward. However, affection for a woman, à la Princess Leia, causes Shinbei to
change his tone. He becomes a leading member of the team pitted against
seemingly insurmountable odds. An unlikely hero whose own self-importance comes
as a surprise to him. The inclusion of fantasy elements just makes the idea of
destiny all the more typical for the story. The influences from the past and for
the future are evident to anyone who has seen more than a few adventure films.
The idea that we are all meant for something bigger than ourselves is one of
those timeless storytelling tools that has always worked to win over audiences.
This Japanese adventure is no exception.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Legend of the Eight
Samurai was the most surprising film selection of the semester to me. Of
all the classic, influential films to come out of Japan, I was not expecting to
watch an 80s B movie with flying snakes. That said, I enjoyed the film. I love
adventure films, love Japanese anything, love a feudal Japanese setting, and
love a good hack and slash film. Better yet, this particular film had
shockingly good special effects for the time. All the creatures and fight
scenes were seriously well put together. The plot was a skimpy good versus evil
tale with all the flourishes of a typical Japanese costume/adventure piece. A
fan of martial arts films, Legend
was right up my alley. The fight scenes were choreographed well, the action was
good and frequent, and the unintentional humor added an extra level of
entertainment. Though it’s a more frivolous film than the others we saw this
semester, it’s in all honesty one of the few I would watch again for my own
enjoyment in the future. Legend of the
Eight Samurai is a light, fun, adventure film with good production value
and plenty of fighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment