Twilight Samurai A Film Analysis

This essay examines the image of the samurai created by manager Yoji Yamada, as he tries to look at the qualities of the samurai through the biopic of Iguchi Seibei. This 2002 movie histories Seibeis life from the point of the unfortunate decease of his married woman to the period of the nascent Meiji epoch. Through an immaculate in depth portraiture of Seibei as one who defies the norms of being an unflinchingly loyal, ruthless and cold blooded samurai, Yamada tries to showcase the more vague side of the samurai. He tracks this exposure, and as the movie name suggests, attributes it to be one of the grounds why the samurai category finally declined with the altering universe.

Two chief facets of the movie will be explored here. First, there is the portraiture of the counter- stereotype of the samurai. Yamada chose to concentrate the movie on major events of Seibei ‘s life to see him as an intelligent, rational, benevolent and vulnerable individual. A 2nd facet would be how there is turning obsolescence and irrelevancy of the samurai category in the come oning Nipponese society. This is in tandem with the turning Western influence in Japan, where the exposure to Western values enabled the Japanese to believe and move more rationally.

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Twilight Samurai starts on a grave note, having the death of the supporter, Iguchi Seibei ‘s married woman. Her funeral is excessive, but that is contrasted by the subsequent image of Seibei ‘s province of life. He is unkempt, Myxocephalus aenaeus and is fighting to back up his two immature girls and senile female parent. Seibei keeps records at the dried nutrients shop in the kin palace in the twenty-four hours, and hastes place when work ends to care for his household. He does non take part in any of the “ after work activities ” of his co-workers, which earns him the acerb moniker of “ Tasogare ( Twilight ) Seibei ” . There are many calls for him to happen another married woman to shoulder his load, but he is loath to make so. Seibei so hears about the divorce of his childhood best friend, Tomoe, from her opprobrious hubby. Tomoe comes back to see him but her hubby refuses to allow the divorce remainder. Seibei challenges him to a blade battle which the former won, liberating Tomoe from his ceaseless worrying. The triumph calls for Seibei and Tomoe to reunite, but Seibei is excessively ashamed to inquire for Tomoe ‘s manus in matrimony because he feels that he is excessively hapless for her. Meanwhile there is a power battle in the kin and when it eventually ends all the considerations from the resistances were ordered to execute harakiri. One of them ( Zenemon Yogo ) declines to and Seibei is brought to task to kill the non-conforming samurai. Seibei reluctantly agrees and returns to Yogo ‘s abode the following twenty-four hours, merely to happen him intoxicated and unwilling to contend. Yogo tells him about his life as a roving samurai, and inquiries why he must execute harakiri. Seibei empathizes with him and portions his ain adversities with Yogo, merely to trip off the latter ‘s choler which resulted in a blade battle. The benevolent Seibei offers Yogo the path of flight, but his words are ignored. Soon, the battle ends when the weary Yogo is cut down by Seibei. Seibei returns to his house and marries Tomoe, but their felicity is ephemeral when he was killed in the Meiji Restoration war three old ages after.

In the movie, Yamada shows both popular and non frequently seen images of the samurai. However, he highlights the latter in the signifier of Seibei ‘s character. Is the samurai needfully one who is heartless in his intervention of the aged, adult females and kids? Does he kill his enemies and arch challengers ruthlessly? Is he blinded by trueness to his Godhead to the extent whereby he becomes irrational? Yamada begs to differ and challenges these popular beliefs in his movie. Alternatively, Seibei is ambitionless, benevolent, peaceable and rational.

The movie foremost debunks the myth that a samurai treats the aged, adult females and kids harshly. It is frequently propagated in popular belief that the samurai is person who is absorbed in individuality, giving household sentiments and trueness. In times where personal involvements and household involvements clashed, often the former will supplant, ensuing in bloody conflicts within the household. We are offered a different return on this issue of how a samurai views his household in the movie. Right from the beginning and repeatedly throughout the movie, Seibei is seen to be a ego sacrificing, loving male parent and a filial boy. He has to individual handedly take attention of his two girls and his senile female parent. If he had been imagined to be the tally of the factory samurai, he would hold likely deserted or even killed them in order to concentrate on carry throughing his responsibilities for his Godhead. At this point, Yamada skilfully uses the voice of the aged Kayano ( Seibei ‘s senior girl ) to narrate the narrative, farther strengthening the point where Seibei is remembered for his fancy instead than the usual “ gallantry or honor ” tagged to a samurai. Furthermore, the positions of adult females ‘s societal standings in the eyes of the samurai are established in wide shots. While Seibei ‘s uncle, who likely signifies one who still upholds old beliefs that adult females are inferior and commanded less rights, chides Kayano for larning about Confucianism, Seibei really urges his girls to make serious book acquisition because it will “ authorise them to alter the universe in the hereafter ” . This gives the intimation that at that point of clip, the deeply entrenched thought that adult females are mere workhorses for the household is easy gnawing in the samurai.

The belief that samurais are a ruthless and irrational category of people is besides challenged in the movie. Harmonizing to the Bushido codification of moralss, it is paramount that the samurai has valiant trueness to his Godhead. This would needfully intend that he is none other than a “ religious violent death machine ” , built for the exclusive intent to function his Godhead and kill enemies. Yamada does non deny that a samurai needs to transport out his responsibilities, but he shows it in such a manner that one is coerced to make so. In one of the most affecting scenes in the movie, Seibei was tasked to kill an enemy of his kin by his Godhead because he is known to be a maestro of short swordplay. Alternatively of accepting the order readily, he declines vehemently even though a fine-looking offer of wages was put up. He thinks that there is no necessity for force and non-rational trueness for one ‘s Godhead. Seibei claims that he has lost the desire to exert a blade, and thinks that “ a serious battle and violent death of a adult male requires carnal fierceness and neglect for one ‘s ain life ” . This is said in a slightly sarcastic tone in response to the Bushido codification of moralss. The gradual eroding of the hardcore values that the samurai corporal reflects really vividly in this sentence.

Twilight Samurai besides focuses on the issue that the samurai is a deceasing category in fast evolving Japan. This is in happenstance with the old highlighted point, about the eroding of the deeply entrenched values and fortified beliefs in the samurai. Towards the terminal of the Edo epoch, Japan relaxed the order to forbid foreign ships from come ining its shores. British and Americans began to come into Japan, conveying with them the “ Western ” influence. Yamada plays up this point in his movie where he showcased a Westerner learning a group of Nipponese how to utilize the rifle in the background while Seibei and Tomonojo ( Tomoe ‘s brother ) were discoursing. Possibly Yamada is seeking to impute the increased reason in the samurai through Western influence to the diminution of the samurai category. This point is farther touched on and illuminated by projecting Zenemon Yogo, in the flood tide of the movie. Yogo, a senior consideration in the kin, was forced to execute harakiri when his kin leader lost the commanding power. He inquiries the demand to be unflinchingly loyal to his maestro. Yamada puts rough words into Yogo, where he continues to advert that the manner of the samurai is no longer relevant as the universe changed. He goes on to roast the harakiri, stating that it is absurd. Yogo no longer wants to be an “ errand male child ” with no psyche in his life to talk of. Possibly the ability to believe rationally through exposure to Western values led the samurai to oppugn the values that they uphold. This, coupled with the altering environment in Japan, marked the turning irrelevancy of the samurai category in the society.

It is non easy to make justness to Twilight Samurai in my short essay as it is a sophisticated movie with elusive yet great significances. Clearly, Yamada is critical of what the samurai is popularly believed to be and he achieves great success in disputing the stereotype. He portrays the character of Seibei with great clarity and beguiling deepness, doing it really credible and endearing to the audience. Be it the doting male parent, the filial boy, the concerned lover or the loth warrior, Seibei decidedly embodies the more human side and chase away the untrue myths of the samurai.

( 1558 words )

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