The 47 Ronin (1941)

In 1701, Lord Takuminokami Asano has a feud with Lord Kira and he tries to kill Kira in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to commit suppuku and deprives ... See full summary »

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Kenichiro Hara (screenplay), Seika Mayama (play)

Stars:

Chôjûrô Kawarasaki, Yoshizaburo Arashi, Utaemon Ichikawa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chôjûrô Kawarasaki	...	Kuranosuke Ooishi
Kan'emon Nakamura	...	Sukeimon Tomimori
Kunitarô Kawarazaki	...	Jurôzaemon Isogai
Yoshizaburo Arashi	...	Lord Takuminokami Asano
Chôemon Bandô	...	Sôzaemon Hara
Sukezô Sukedakaya	...	Chûemon Yoshida
Kikunojo Segawa	...	Gengo Ootaka
Shotaro Ichikawa	...	Yahei Horibe
Enji Ichikawa	...	Tadashichi Takebayashi
Kikunosuke Ichikawa	...	Gengoemon Kataoka
Shinzô Yamazaki	...	Seimon Ooishi
Sensho Ichikawa	...	Matsunosuke Ooishi
Shoji Ichikawa	...	Magoemon Seo
Iwagoro Ichikawa	...	Fujiemon Hayamizu
Shinzaburo Ichikawa	...	Matanosuke Ushioda

Storyline

In 1701, Lord Takuminokami Asano has a feud with Lord Kira and he tries to kill Kira in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to commit suppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Lord Kira. Lord Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the dishonor of their Lord. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi asks the Shogun to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses his request and Oishi and forty-six ronin revenge their Lord.

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Plot Keywords:

ronin | samurai | dishonor | corruption | revenge | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 47 Ronin: Parts 1 and 2

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

241 min 222 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Japanese Ministry of Information, under the militarist government, commissioned director Kenji Mizoguchi to make this film as a morale booster for the WWII war effort. But it was a commercial failure, being released in Japan one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The military and most audiences found the first part of the film to be too slow and serious. However, the studio and Mizoguchi both regarded it as so important that Part 2 was put into production, though Mizoguchi was forced to insert some close-ups of the stars which are totally absent from Part I. The film was finally shown in America in the 1970s.

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Goofs

From ~1:40 to ~1:44 an appropriate dialog sequence occurs starting with three men walking a path with one saying "Counselor, the decision has come" and ending with "we need have no fear." That same sequence is duplicated at ~2:22 to ~2:26 with the additional dialog at the end "I want you two to return to Edo at once and inform our brothers there that I will be arriving shortly." This duplicate is out of sequence with the story.

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Connections

Version of Last Knights (2015)

User Reviews

Slow-Paced Immersion in an Ancient and Different Culture

In 1701, Lord Takuminokami Asano (Yoshizaburo Arashi) has a feud with Lord Kira and he tries to kill Kira in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to commit suppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Lod Kira. Lord Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the dishonor of their Lord. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi (Chôjûrô Kawarasaki) asks the Shogun to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses his request and Oishi and forty-six ronin revenge their Lord.

"Genroku Chûshingura" is a Japanese classic movie based on a true story. Kenji Mizoguchi made a too long movie with four hours running time that is actually a slow-paced immersion in an ancient and different culture and code of honor. Unfortunately this beautiful movie is only for very specific Western audiences since it is in Japanese language, shows a different culture, most of the characters are alike (clothing, haircut, biotype) and unusual names that you need to keep in mind. But the movie is worthwhile watching and delights fans of this genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Vingança dos 47 Ronins" ("The Revenge of the 47 Ronin")