Nobody ever talks about Kurosawa's sense of humor, it seems. But there are scenes in this ironic samurai romp that would do Mel Brooks proud--chief among them the brilliant sequence where the two factions TRY to fight each other in the streets but keep retreating from one another out of cowardice.
"Yojimbo" is, in fact, a pretty well-disguised satire that's not usually discussed as such. Though not as cynical as Leone's remake, "A Fistful of Dollars," "Yojimbo" is still a jaded reimagining of the samurai as an irreverant, self-interested mercenary. The war between the silk and sake factions of the small town is in essence a pathetic comedy of errors, and Sanjuro's systematic annihilation of both sides, though probably largely deserved, is a sort of exaggerated, bloody prank.
Of course, Kurosawa's patient, steady-as-a-rock direction helps to create an air of serious drama for the film, which serves to make the satire even more sophisticated.
A special film to say the least--"Yojimbo" is fun to watch on pretty much every level.
"Yojimbo" is, in fact, a pretty well-disguised satire that's not usually discussed as such. Though not as cynical as Leone's remake, "A Fistful of Dollars," "Yojimbo" is still a jaded reimagining of the samurai as an irreverant, self-interested mercenary. The war between the silk and sake factions of the small town is in essence a pathetic comedy of errors, and Sanjuro's systematic annihilation of both sides, though probably largely deserved, is a sort of exaggerated, bloody prank.
Of course, Kurosawa's patient, steady-as-a-rock direction helps to create an air of serious drama for the film, which serves to make the satire even more sophisticated.
A special film to say the least--"Yojimbo" is fun to watch on pretty much every level.