Sen no Rikyu (1989)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Kei Kumai

Writers:

Yasushi Inoue (novel)
Yaeko Nogami (novel)

Release Date:

1 June 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Years after the death of legendary tea master Rikyu, his disciple Honkakubo attempts to resolve the mystery of the master's death...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Eiji Okuda	...	Honkakubo
Toshirô Mifune	...	Rikyu Sen-no
Kinnosuke Nakamura	...	Urakusai Oda
Go Kato	...	Oribe Furuta
Shinsuke Ashida	...	Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Eijirô Tôno	...	Kokei
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Toyobo
Tsunehiko Kamijô	...	Soji Yamagami
Taro Kawano	...	Sotan Sen-no
Teizo Muta	...	Daitokuya

Also Known As:

Death of a Tea Master (USA)
Sen no Rikyu: Honkakubo's Student Writings

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Kyoto, Japan

Company:

Seiyu Production

Movie Connections:

Version of Rikyu (1989)

A flame in the wind

It seems to me that the film is one of the best of Mifune's films (if not THE best). One can read about the Japanese culture for years, but the film makes one feel the very essence, the very soul of Japan. It is a kind of 'satori' in itself, as one has no need for words, it's a kind of living-in. I think that the scene when Mifune's character is performing a tea ceremony in front of the army that is to go to battle next day and most probably perish is unsurpassed in beauty and laconic, but forceful expression.

It is also a story of conflict between art and power, and one more proof of the independence of art and of an artist's courage. The film shows that one can rebel in one's art, and the effect will be much greater than any other form of rebellion. It is also a tale of human dignity and the tragic solitude of a man in the transitory world. This is not a film for enthusiasts of sword-brandishing and rivers of blood, it is a film for those who can see beyond the lines.