Joiuchi aka Samurai Rebellion (1967) - Masaki Kobayashi 

Sometimes when there's nothing to do, you need to raise a little hell. This may be the theme of Samurai Rebellion better than any other. It is a comment on blind obedience, humanity, the cruelty of tyrants, and a historical explanation of histories wars. Sometimes, like with WWI, a war was started basically because countries had armies, and things were too quiet. Samurai Rebellion starts in a relatively quiet period of Japanese history, where one particular clan has nothing to do. They can't even duel because they're worried that the shame of the loser's family would be too great. So they test their swords on dummies. It is peaceful and quiet and everyone bored as they may be is at least content.

Isaburo (Toshiro Mifune) is regarded as the best swordsman in the clan, along with the gate keeper. He is getting on in years and is soon to retire. His son Yogoro (Go Kato) is not nearly as accomplished, but is a faithful servant to his lord. When the lord's mistress displeases him she is sent out to be married to Yogoro. The family accepts her begrudgingly, but they soon grow to love her. Before she was turned from the castle, Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa) bore the lord a child. It is decided that this child will be the heir to the lord and Ichi is ordered to abandon her new husband and family to return at once, and the family is supposed to actually request her to be returned. Yogoro, Ichi, and Isaburo on the other hand don't accept the plan, and here's where the story gets interesting.

There are numerous times to back down, but Isaboro and Yogoro have their integrity. Isaboro realizes that his life was without passion, purpose, and his marriage was without love. He is alive for the first time when he sees the love that his son has for his wonderful wife. If they won't stand up to their lord, he will for them. Mifune is remarkable in his role here and it is hard to think of another actor who could have had the right persona to pull this off. Odd to think that less than a year later he would be battling Lee Marvin in Hell in the Pacific, but he is every bit the elder swordsman here. He has a purpose, but of course his cause is a bit of a hopless one. No matter how good a swordsman, your chances aren't that good against an entire clan.

This was Kobayashi's first independent film as a producer, and it would be his last successful one. He was one of the four director's to produce Kurosawa's bomb Dodes ka-den, and that severely crippled his producing capabilities. The film is a direct compliment to Kobayashi's supreme masterpiece Hara-kiri, and the two films seem intertwined perfectly.

Grade A -