A wonderful epic that concentrates on spectacle and drama, but is not solely effects-driven despite having several fantastic sequences. Toshiro Mifune has two parts, one telling of how he earns the name Yamato Takeru, and is given by his father, (he thinks) the sword Kusanagi. One of the sacred Imperial treasures referred to in the alternate title of the film.
Mifune's other role is as the young god Susanoo, which features a marvelous scene of him slaying the eight-headed dragon Orochi and winning the aforementioned blade from within its tail. Akira Ifukube's score combines with Eiji Tsuburaya's effects team to make this a standout despite the technical limitations of the time.
But it is not just in terms of spectacle that this exceeds The Ten Commandments, the Hollywood epic of three years previous that it is in part an answer to. It similarly features a huge cast of extras and enormous sets, but more fully elaborates its creation myth and examines the dramatic origins of divinely moral order through a story of filial piety.
The marvelous cast includes Takashi Shimura & Koji Tsuruta as brothers, and countless other stars. Kazuo Yamada's cinematography is stunning, and includes a running battle across broken plains near the end. Interestingly, the style of swordsmanship in the film is appropriate to the more primitive blades used. But Mifune's dramatic slashing and martial poses convey the intended mythic strength of his character well.
There are some slower dialogue scenes in the Japanese cut of the film. But considering that the US edit cuts out over an hour, it should be ignored. The version that I saw seems comprised of several prints, as the background color and grain of the film stock cuts between varying tones within the same shot several times throughout the film. It is a shame that more extensive restoration has not been done to improve upon this and provide more professional subtitles. Still, the film is so well worth seeing, that it is easily ignored in light of so much great film-making.
Mifune's other role is as the young god Susanoo, which features a marvelous scene of him slaying the eight-headed dragon Orochi and winning the aforementioned blade from within its tail. Akira Ifukube's score combines with Eiji Tsuburaya's effects team to make this a standout despite the technical limitations of the time.
But it is not just in terms of spectacle that this exceeds The Ten Commandments, the Hollywood epic of three years previous that it is in part an answer to. It similarly features a huge cast of extras and enormous sets, but more fully elaborates its creation myth and examines the dramatic origins of divinely moral order through a story of filial piety.
The marvelous cast includes Takashi Shimura & Koji Tsuruta as brothers, and countless other stars. Kazuo Yamada's cinematography is stunning, and includes a running battle across broken plains near the end. Interestingly, the style of swordsmanship in the film is appropriate to the more primitive blades used. But Mifune's dramatic slashing and martial poses convey the intended mythic strength of his character well.
There are some slower dialogue scenes in the Japanese cut of the film. But considering that the US edit cuts out over an hour, it should be ignored. The version that I saw seems comprised of several prints, as the background color and grain of the film stock cuts between varying tones within the same shot several times throughout the film. It is a shame that more extensive restoration has not been done to improve upon this and provide more professional subtitles. Still, the film is so well worth seeing, that it is easily ignored in light of so much great film-making.