Miyamoto Musashi kanketsuhen: kettô Ganryûjima (1956)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Hiroshi Inagaki

Writers:

Hideji Hôjô (play)
Hiroshi Inagaki (writer)

Release Date:

November 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Jidai Geki | Third Part | 17th Century | Part Of Trilogy

Cast

Koji Tsuruta	...	Kojiro Sasaki
Toshirô Mifune	...	Musashi Miyamoto (Takezo)
Kaoru Yachigusa	...	Otsu
Michiko Saga	...	Omitsu
Mariko Okada	...	Akemi
Takashi Shimura	...	Sado Nagaoka the court official
Minoru Chiaki	...	Sasuke the boatman
Takamaru Sasaki	...	Omitsu's father
Daisuke Katô	...	Toji Gion
Haruo Tanaka	...	Kumagoro the horse thief
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Priest Ogon
Kokuten Kodo	...	Old Priest Nikkan (as Kuninori Kodo)
Ikio Sawamura	...	Innkeeper
Nakajiro Tomita
Sonosuke Sawamura

Also Known As:

Bushido (USA)
Duel on Ganryu Island
Kettô Ganryû-jima
Musashi Miyamoto Conclusion: Ganryu Island Duel (literal English title)
Musashi and Kojiro
Samurai 3: Ketto Ganryujima
Samurai III: Duel on Ganryu Island (USA)

Runtime:

105 min | Spain:115 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

Toho Company

Goofs:

Continuity: The final duel is fought as the sun sets over the sea. The duellists have light on the sides of their bodies away from the sun - Sasaki has light on his back and Miyamoto light on his face

Quotes:

Otsu: Brace up, Akemi.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Karate Kid (1984)

A wonderful conclusion to the trilogy

I think this is the best movie of the series--and certainly more satisfying than its predecessor.

It is important to note that these movies were made nearly 50 years ago and existing copies on DVD are in poor condition--with fading and sepia tones instead of the vibrant original. This became VERY apparent when I saw the beginning of the 3rd film. The color was nearly perfect for the initial scene and that is great, as it's a beautiful and extremely artistic shot. At times throughout the movie, some of the scenes are once again vivid while others are faded and lose their impact. You can't blame the film for that, but you wish Criterion would try to digitally enhance the prints they've got to improve the colors and get rid of some scratchy cels.

Back to the story, Mifune's character is nearly perfected in his quest to become the ultimate samurai. Throughout the last film and this one, another incredibly great samurai played by Koji Tsuruta is itching for a showdown to the death. But, because Mifune is more mature and no longer needs this for validation, he repeatedly tries to avoid the fight--after all, what does he have to prove? Of course, you KNOW this showdown must take place and it is a very satisfying conclusion. Along the way, Otsu returns and swears her undying love for him. I felt really bad for her, as she has waited YEARS for him and I certainly wouldn't have put her off like he did! Sorry about that.

Oh yeah, anyways the conclusion really delivers and the film makes the trilogy all worth while.