The 47 Ronin (aka) The Loyal 47 Ronin of the Genroku Era (1941)
If you're at all familiar with the Samurai genre, you have no doubt heard of the legend of the 47 ronin. This was an actual Japanese historic event that everyone in Japan knows about. This was reenacted in 1962 (47 Samurai) 1994 (47 Ronin) and just recently in 2013 with Keanu Reeves.
If you haven't heard the story, Lord Naganori Asano (Yoshizaburo Arashi) is scolded by Lord Yoshinaka Kira, the Shogun's Chief of Protocol, and in a fit of anger, draws his sword and attacks Lord Kira in a wing of the Shogun's palace. Lord Asano is immediately ordered to commit harakiri and all of his property and possessions are confiscated. The injured Lord Kira (who is related to the Shogun) is not punished at all.
Lord Asano's Senior Counselor, Kuranosuke Oishi (Chojuro Kawarasaki) is helping with the tally of the possessions of Ako castle. The now masterless Samurai are biting at the bit to take immediate vengeance on Lord Kira, but Oishi asks them to be patient and has been petitioning the Shogun to offer equal justice. Vengeance would be coming later when the safety of Lord Asano's wife would be guaranteed and finally an honorable death.
This particular film was made in 1941, so you know this was meant to encourage patriotic fervor, very similar to the propaganda war movies here in the United States. In fact, at the beginning each of the two part movies, there is the sentence, "Defend the homes of those who fight for a greater Asia." You would almost expect the film to have been destroyed by the American occupation censors. Perhaps they couldn't get past the four and a quarter butt-numbing hours of the film's length.
One thing that is missing from this film that we would normally expect from a samurai film is that there is no blood or any show of swordsmanship skills at all. It's strictly a historic costume drama.
If you're at all familiar with the Samurai genre, you have no doubt heard of the legend of the 47 ronin. This was an actual Japanese historic event that everyone in Japan knows about. This was reenacted in 1962 (47 Samurai) 1994 (47 Ronin) and just recently in 2013 with Keanu Reeves.
If you haven't heard the story, Lord Naganori Asano (Yoshizaburo Arashi) is scolded by Lord Yoshinaka Kira, the Shogun's Chief of Protocol, and in a fit of anger, draws his sword and attacks Lord Kira in a wing of the Shogun's palace. Lord Asano is immediately ordered to commit harakiri and all of his property and possessions are confiscated. The injured Lord Kira (who is related to the Shogun) is not punished at all.
Lord Asano's Senior Counselor, Kuranosuke Oishi (Chojuro Kawarasaki) is helping with the tally of the possessions of Ako castle. The now masterless Samurai are biting at the bit to take immediate vengeance on Lord Kira, but Oishi asks them to be patient and has been petitioning the Shogun to offer equal justice. Vengeance would be coming later when the safety of Lord Asano's wife would be guaranteed and finally an honorable death.
This particular film was made in 1941, so you know this was meant to encourage patriotic fervor, very similar to the propaganda war movies here in the United States. In fact, at the beginning each of the two part movies, there is the sentence, "Defend the homes of those who fight for a greater Asia." You would almost expect the film to have been destroyed by the American occupation censors. Perhaps they couldn't get past the four and a quarter butt-numbing hours of the film's length.
One thing that is missing from this film that we would normally expect from a samurai film is that there is no blood or any show of swordsmanship skills at all. It's strictly a historic costume drama.