After watching "Sanshiro Sugata", it is just as if the immersion of the eponymous Sanshiro (played by Susumu Fujita) into the new art of judo and Akira Kurosawa's own initiation with film-making blended together in an osmosis that would make a tear run down the sensei's cheek. The film isn't devoid of imperfections but they reflect a certain idealism, a faith in hidden human virtues, a conviction that skills aren't all it takes to make the individual, that quest for wise humility is the essence of Kurosawa's film-making. He never took his style and his directorial flair for granted.
Indeed, watching the film is like following the evolution of an idealistic young man amidst the Meiji era to a fearless fighter until it turns out that's not even the preferred achievement in martial arts, as it requires a dedication that confines to self-abandonment, a humility that Sanshiro needs to nurture in his body. He achieves it after spending hours and hours hanging to a pole in the middle of muddy pool, a self-inflicted punishment in order to reach an unknown truth. Quite a gambit, but you know what they say about the destinations and the journeys?
In fact, that pool scene reminded me of Kurosawa's attempted suicide after the failure of "Dodes'Kaden" in 1970. The master had already changed the face of modern cinema and yet he felt worthless after one fail. His 'debut' film shows a similar dedication to the art, Kurosawa wasn't a newcomer, he had actually worked as an assistant and writer but in a society where hierarchy means something, any man given full reins on a project could get easily carried away. But Kurosawa uses the camera with such delicacy and naturalness, not like toys but storytelling devices, despite a few clumsy bits of experimentalism, you'd think it's John Ford directing the film.
The cruel irony is that the film was made in the midst of the war against America and Kurosawa was asked to go full propaganda with it, he had the right material; the rivalry between the traditional Sanshiro and Higaki (Ryunosuke Tsukigata) who spots a Mephiso-like mustache and Occidental clothes. Kurosawa could go the easy way but chose to deprive the film from any patriotic hubris and make it a character study of Sanshiro and his path toward the mastery of the art of judo. And it was the safe way, the film is set in 1882, turn-of-the-century clothes mixed with kimonos and the Occidental lifestyle was the subject of a selective imitation.
When the film opens, anew rivalry opposes the jiu-jitsu school and the new art of judo and both are willing to obtain the licences to train the new police force. Sugata joins the jiu-jitsu school lead by Master Kodama (Yoshio Kosugi) and is put in a corner by a bunch of laid-back men who look at judo with patronizing suspicion... anyone familiar with Kurosawa understands we're not supposed to sympathize with them. And rightfully so, the same night, they confront Shogoro Yano (Denjiro Okoshi) from the Shudokan Judo school. The fight is reminiscent of these Bruce Lee scenes where he neutralizes the bad guys one by one. Each opponent is thrown to the river and the last to be defeated is Kodama who demands to be killed, to be spared the humiliation.
Sanshiro understands he chose the wrong school. We then follow his initiation that foreshadowed all the films of the genre with three fights (the eternal rule of three) representing one step of Sanshiro's evolution.
The first is merely a test of credibility as it opposes him to Kodama and its consequences show that Kurosawa was more concerned with the drama than the competition. The second is even more interesting, it opposes Sanshiro to Kurosawa's old partner: Takashi Shimura as Hansuke Murai. The fight is spiced up by the growing romance with Murai's daughter (Yukiko Todoroki). This is an adversary Sanshiro will learn to respect, and even like. I loved the eye contact between the two and one can even look at them as potential mentor/disciples friends à la Myagi and Daniel in "Karate Kid". Notice before the fight when Murai sees his shredded kimono and smiles at him, Sanshiro smiles back respectfully. He had already won him before defeating him.
The final fight is standard good vs. Evil climax but it beats all the others with the extraordinary use of the natural scenery which is like a lyrical combination of German expressionism and Oriental poetry. Kurosawa's eye with nature was already foreshadowed by the magnificent blossoming lotus moment that marked Sanshiro's epiphany. And one can't ignore the use of slow-motion and stylistically choreographed fights probably inspired by their use in Riefenstahl's documentary "Olympia" and that make the film certainly the pioneer of all the "Rocky", and"Karate Kid" underdog movies and Bruce Lee film. Kurosawa has always been a genre moulder... and I wouldn't be surprised if the lost footage contained a sport montage. But only God knows what kind of masterpiece it could have been with that missing reel.
But there's so much to appreciate, the drama, the action, the thrills, the melodrama and even the comedy with the running-gag of the three women singing songs that updates us on Sanshiro's reputation. The film is far from perfection but one should look at the talent that made it possible as a lotus at the verge of blossoming and waiting for the right time to improve, how about one without a war.... And maybe the right face. Fujita was good but he was no Mifune.
Speaking of faces, it's interesting to look at the cast of the film when they were young in the 20s or 30s, and see them all dressed in Occidental clothes that contrast with their more traditional fashion in the film. That might give you an idea about how serious the Meiji was.
Indeed, watching the film is like following the evolution of an idealistic young man amidst the Meiji era to a fearless fighter until it turns out that's not even the preferred achievement in martial arts, as it requires a dedication that confines to self-abandonment, a humility that Sanshiro needs to nurture in his body. He achieves it after spending hours and hours hanging to a pole in the middle of muddy pool, a self-inflicted punishment in order to reach an unknown truth. Quite a gambit, but you know what they say about the destinations and the journeys?
In fact, that pool scene reminded me of Kurosawa's attempted suicide after the failure of "Dodes'Kaden" in 1970. The master had already changed the face of modern cinema and yet he felt worthless after one fail. His 'debut' film shows a similar dedication to the art, Kurosawa wasn't a newcomer, he had actually worked as an assistant and writer but in a society where hierarchy means something, any man given full reins on a project could get easily carried away. But Kurosawa uses the camera with such delicacy and naturalness, not like toys but storytelling devices, despite a few clumsy bits of experimentalism, you'd think it's John Ford directing the film.
The cruel irony is that the film was made in the midst of the war against America and Kurosawa was asked to go full propaganda with it, he had the right material; the rivalry between the traditional Sanshiro and Higaki (Ryunosuke Tsukigata) who spots a Mephiso-like mustache and Occidental clothes. Kurosawa could go the easy way but chose to deprive the film from any patriotic hubris and make it a character study of Sanshiro and his path toward the mastery of the art of judo. And it was the safe way, the film is set in 1882, turn-of-the-century clothes mixed with kimonos and the Occidental lifestyle was the subject of a selective imitation.
When the film opens, anew rivalry opposes the jiu-jitsu school and the new art of judo and both are willing to obtain the licences to train the new police force. Sugata joins the jiu-jitsu school lead by Master Kodama (Yoshio Kosugi) and is put in a corner by a bunch of laid-back men who look at judo with patronizing suspicion... anyone familiar with Kurosawa understands we're not supposed to sympathize with them. And rightfully so, the same night, they confront Shogoro Yano (Denjiro Okoshi) from the Shudokan Judo school. The fight is reminiscent of these Bruce Lee scenes where he neutralizes the bad guys one by one. Each opponent is thrown to the river and the last to be defeated is Kodama who demands to be killed, to be spared the humiliation.
Sanshiro understands he chose the wrong school. We then follow his initiation that foreshadowed all the films of the genre with three fights (the eternal rule of three) representing one step of Sanshiro's evolution.
The first is merely a test of credibility as it opposes him to Kodama and its consequences show that Kurosawa was more concerned with the drama than the competition. The second is even more interesting, it opposes Sanshiro to Kurosawa's old partner: Takashi Shimura as Hansuke Murai. The fight is spiced up by the growing romance with Murai's daughter (Yukiko Todoroki). This is an adversary Sanshiro will learn to respect, and even like. I loved the eye contact between the two and one can even look at them as potential mentor/disciples friends à la Myagi and Daniel in "Karate Kid". Notice before the fight when Murai sees his shredded kimono and smiles at him, Sanshiro smiles back respectfully. He had already won him before defeating him.
The final fight is standard good vs. Evil climax but it beats all the others with the extraordinary use of the natural scenery which is like a lyrical combination of German expressionism and Oriental poetry. Kurosawa's eye with nature was already foreshadowed by the magnificent blossoming lotus moment that marked Sanshiro's epiphany. And one can't ignore the use of slow-motion and stylistically choreographed fights probably inspired by their use in Riefenstahl's documentary "Olympia" and that make the film certainly the pioneer of all the "Rocky", and"Karate Kid" underdog movies and Bruce Lee film. Kurosawa has always been a genre moulder... and I wouldn't be surprised if the lost footage contained a sport montage. But only God knows what kind of masterpiece it could have been with that missing reel.
But there's so much to appreciate, the drama, the action, the thrills, the melodrama and even the comedy with the running-gag of the three women singing songs that updates us on Sanshiro's reputation. The film is far from perfection but one should look at the talent that made it possible as a lotus at the verge of blossoming and waiting for the right time to improve, how about one without a war.... And maybe the right face. Fujita was good but he was no Mifune.
Speaking of faces, it's interesting to look at the cast of the film when they were young in the 20s or 30s, and see them all dressed in Occidental clothes that contrast with their more traditional fashion in the film. That might give you an idea about how serious the Meiji was.