Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) Sanbiki no samurai (original title)

Director:

Hideo Gosha

Writers:

Keiichi Abe
Hideo Gosha
(more)

Release Date:

13 May 1964 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate...

Plot Keywords:

Magistrate | Peasant | Ronin | Dishonor | Murder

Cast

Tetsurô Tanba	...	Sakon Shiba
Isamu Nagato	...	Kyôjûrô Sakura
Mikijiro Hira	...	Einosuke Kikyô (as Mikijirô Hira)
Miyuki Kuwano	...	Aya
Yoshiko Kayama	...	Oyasu
Kyoko Aoi	...	Omitsu (as Kyôko Aoi)
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Jinbê
Tatsuya Ishiguro	...	Uzaemon Matsushita
Jun Tatara	...	Yasugorô
Toshie Kimura	...	Oine
Yôko Mihara	...	Omaki

Directed by
Hideo Gosha

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Keiichi Abe
Hideo Gosha
Eizaburo Shiba

Produced by
Gin'ichi Kishimoto	....	associate producer
Tetsurô Tanba	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Toshiaki Tsushima

Cinematography by
Tadashi Sakai

Art Direction by
Junichi Ozumi

Production Companies

• Samurai Productions

Distributors

• Criterion Collection, The (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (USA) (TV) (subtitled)
• Raro Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD) (with Seppuku)
• Shochiku CBS/Fox Video (SCF) (????) (Japan) (VHS)
• Shôchiku Eiga

Also Known As:

"Sanbiki no samurai" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16

Company:

Samurai Productions

Quotes:

Sakon Shiba:[Giving Aya, who's being held hostage by peasants, a meager bowl of millet porridge to eat]
Sakon Shiba:For someone accustomed to a life of luxury, it may be hard to believe people actually eat millet porridge. Nevertheless, even though they don't have enough to feed themselves, they've offered this porridge to you. Better have some.
Sakon Shiba:[Putting the bowl up to her mouth, which she refuses to accept]
Sakon Shiba:Eat it!
Sakon Shiba:[Forcefully making her eat the porridge, obviously not to her liking] Then maybe you'll realize why all this has happened.

vivid but disturbing

Gosha was the Don Siegel of Japan, an artist of action, a poet of mêlée. So it is with this newly restored early picture of his, now available from Criterion in blazing black and white. Typical sam fare: clunky plot, great sword work, cool flourishes (like blowing dust giving mythic quality to climactic duel, or the use of blood to punctuate kills, never overdone but extremely dramatic.) Extremely enjoyable, it turns out to be an "origins" tale in which we learn how the three outlaws (if Japanese TV fame) came together. Briefly, seems wandering ronin decides to throw in with peasant reformers who've kidnapped magistrate's daughter for leverage on tax reform, and one way or other, the two others come to his side and ultimately they face off in duels and battles with magistrate's own ronin, soldiers, various thugs and creeps. Lots of racing, slicking, sword fighting in flip-flops and bathrobes. What did somewhat shock me was the utter disregard the movie shows for women. They are used up and tossed aside like Kleenex, with no regret or mourning or much in the way of grief. At least three are murdered or commit suicide, and two more dumped. I know this is emblematic of Japanese society in early '60s, but even so, it seems a little overdone here. I don't like to judge then by the standards of now, but even if gals were objects in '64, by those standards Gosha goes a bit overboard.