So, I'm a little late. Life has been hectic, which is nothing new for me. On top of that, I was rather ill, so much so that I missed three days of work, and I actually went to the doctor. It's been nearly two years since I went to the doctor.
I watched Sanjuro, 1962, directed Akira Kurosawa, tonight. Rather, I finished watching it. Ninety-five minutes, and it took me six sessions starting last Friday to watch the thing. It's a very good movie, a dark comedy, but I've been so sleep-deprived from being sick the past couple of weeks that I kept falling asleep.
The movie is about a master-less samurai (I'm sure there's a term for this somewhere) who happens upon a group of young men who are planning to attack one of the corrupt leaders of their town, a leader who has kidnapped the uncle of the leader of the young men. This is an extremely dense movie; more happens in five minutes in this movie than in most movies coming out today.
I'd be shocked to find out this movie has not been adapted for American audiences, but I think it would be fun to try to put it in a modern setting, or even just a different one. Themes of honor, morality, corruption, and justice can live most anywhere in any genre. I'll have to research whether this has been done already. Most likely, it would have been a western if it's been done. For instance, another Kurosawa movie, Seven Samurai, has been adapted into a little American cowboy/western film you might have heard of entitled The Magnificent Seven. I've seen Seven Samurai, and it is fantastic, but I've yet to see The Magnificent Seven (though I do own a copy on DVD).
And I haven't even posted about the last round of music I bought. Again, using my trademarked Anticipated Enjoyment Rating Grid:
| # | Artist | Title | Anticipated Enjoyment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aqualung | Strange and Beautiful | 7 |
| 2 | Sigur Ros | () | 7 |
| 3 | Guns -n- Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 8 |
| 4 | Todd Agnew | Reflection of Something | 7 |
| 5 | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 8 |
Later, I'll have to post about the book I listened to.
2 comments:
Ronin.
(the term for a masterless samurai)
I don't believe the Robert DeNiro movie by the same name was based on Sanjuro, however.
I own the Robert DeNiro movie Ronin, and I love it. Some of the best car chases I've ever seen, and DeNiro, Jean Reno and the rest of the cast are brilliant.
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