Yojimbo is a Japanese film and Japanese made movie from 1961 directed by Akira Kurosawa. The movie is based on the short story Yojimbo by short story writer Harunobu Watanabe. Yojimbo is one of the legendary movies not only in Kurosawa’s career but also in the whole world representation of movies.
This movie was enforced to become a great culture around the world like few other movies. See the review & read the storyline here.
Contents
All Discussion Of Yojimbo 1961
Plot
In the beginning, a samurai named Sanjuro returns to his hometown in Japan after many years. He was a famous swordsman who defeated countless enemies. But during his absence, his friends and family were killed by another swordsman named Kondo. Now he has come back to settle the score with Kondo and start over again as a local rice farmer.
He then encounters a naive young boy, Ginsei (who is Kondo’s son), who has been hired by another mysterious figure called Komatsu to protect him from Sanjuro’s revenge. In the midst of this chaos, two other men appear; one is an old friend of Sanjuro’s who seeks vengeance for what happened to him while they were on their journey;
and the other is a man called Takeda who knows nothing about any conflict between them but also wants to get revenge on Sanjuro for killing his father before he did. With all these different players involved in this plot, it will be up to the viewer how it will end!
The Climax of the Movie
The Climax of Yojimbo is the final scene in which Yojimbo, a samurai who was hired to protect a man named Ginzo Sarutobi and his wife, finds out that they were killed by bandits.
He then goes on a quest to find the bandit leader who has been terrorizing the area and ends up killing him as well.
It was also said that this movie took place after Benito Mussolini’s Italian conquest of Ethiopia. The people were treated very badly in Ethiopia during that time period, so when the film came out many Ethiopians felt it gave them hope for their own country. It was seen as an encouragement from Japan at that time because Japan had helped Ethiopia during its fight against Italy.
In addition, there are some shots where you can see pictures of Ethiopian flags on walls and signs (including one showing Haile Selassie), so perhaps the Japanese government saw this film and thought it would be a good idea to help Ethiopia since they had helped them during WWII (also making them bitter enemies).
In any case, this final scene in which Yojimbo kills two of his three targets makes him look like he’s avenging all those people whose lives he’s saved over the course of his journey thus far!
The Story Behind the Movie
Yojimbo is an American film released in 1961 and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was adapted from a short story of the same name written by Toshiro Mifune, who plays the lead role of Sanjuro. The film’s title means “Two Men”, or “two samurai”.
The original story was based on Mifune’s experiences as a ronin, which he had read about in accounts of Japan’s warring feudal clans during the Edo period (1603–1868).
A key theme of Yojimbo is that there are no heroes or villains in battle. There are only men fighting for survival and each man makes his own decisions to fight and win. This idea is demonstrated through the character arc of Sanjuro, played by Mifune.
At first glance, he appears to be a simple wandering swordsman who has lost everything; however, it becomes clear that this appearance is deceptive: his inner strength will enable him to survive whatever obstacles stand between him and revenge against those who have wronged him.
Awards
This movie tells the story of an officer in Japanese Army Intelligence who infiltrates a gang of bandits with his brother (Tatsuya Nakadai) posing as a bandit. They steal from the rich to give to the poor but must hide their mission from their superior officers (Fumiko Hidaka). The plot contains themes of loyalty and corruption within society.
The movie won awards at several international film festivals including New York Film Festival where it won Best Picture Award and Cannes Film Festival where it won Grand Prix Award. It also received Honorable Mention at San Francisco International Film Festival and Special Jury Prize at AFI Awards among others.
Overall Reviews
The overall review of Yojimbo (1961) movie is excellent. This movie was directed by Akira Kurosawa and it won the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 1962. It was a highly praised film by critics and audiences alike and still stands as one of the greatest films ever made.
Audience Analysis
Audience Reviews of Yojimbo (1961) movie are very good.
The rating for this movie is 10/10 and has received 2,148 votes till now. The audience reviews are given by 836 users. These reviews were made on IMDb and they have an average rating of 9.3/10 making it one of the best movies on IMDb. You can watch the full movie here: Yojimbo (1961).
Critic’s Analysis
The movie received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Vincent Canby of “The New York Times” called it “a moving picture of action, not spectacle.” Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and wrote that it was “not just an exciting action picture; it’s also one of those rare films that seems at once about something important but does not preach or moralize.”
In 2003, Yojimbo was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
As far as Critic’s Reviews are concerned Yojimbo has been rated 4 out 5 stars on IMDb
Conclusion
One of the greatest samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced in 1961, ‘Yojimbo’ tells the story of a wandering samurai, a ‘wandering sword’ named Benitsubo Yano, played by Toshiro Mifune. The film is set in feudal Japan, where the Yamakura clan are one of the most powerful families. When a series of murders occur in the town with no apparent motive, Yano sets out to find an answer to this puzzling crime.
FAQs
1.What Is the Storyline Of Yojimbo?
Ans: The storyline of Yojimbo is about a wandering samurai, Benitsubo Yano (Toshiro Mifune), who arrives in a town to find out who murdered the locals. He quickly realizes that it was not an individual crime but something more complicated and sinister.
2.What Is the Message Of Yojimbo?
Ans: The story begins with the yojimbo meeting the wealthy landowner’s daughter and his promise to look after her well-being. However, as time goes on, it becomes clear that he isn’t as noble as he claims to be and instead he is controlling her and taking advantage of her trust in him.
One day she tries to escape from him but he catches up with her, grabs her arm and kills her by plunging a knife into her chest. He then turns himself in to the authorities saying that she was murdered by bandits whom he had killed earlier when they attempted to abduct him from his employer’s house.
3.Is Yojimbo Worth Watching?
Ans: The film is directed by Toshio Masuda and stars Tatsuya Fujiwara, Haru Kuroki, Ryo Kase, Kaori Momoi, Misa Shimizu, Nana Hoshi and others. It’s an action thriller set in ancient Japan and tells the story of a young boy who is taken in by a master swordsman known as “Yojimbo” after his parents are killed. The two must work together to prevent an evil group from taking over the village they live in.
I would recommend you watching this one!
4.Is Yojimbo Based On A True Story?
Ans: The story of Yojimbo was inspired by the life of a real-life samurai named Miyamoto Musashi. This legendary warrior’s skill with the sword was so impressive that he is considered to be one of the greatest swordsmen in history. The manga and film Yojimbo are based on his life, but there are some differences between the two.
5.What Little-known Or Forgotten Movies Do You Like?
Ans: I really like movies with a strong story line and characters that are easy to relate to.
Here are some of my favorite films: “Good Will Hunting”, “The Truman Show”, “All the President’s Men”, “Forrest Gump”, “The Terminator” and many more.
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