This is the first of Tomu Uchida's trilogy of films (1957, 1958, 1959) which make up his version of the 'Daibosatsu tôge' story. There are, of course, other adaptations, but I will confine my comments to this one.
Uchida is one of the greatest Japanese directors, and he shows many of his qualities in this extraordinarily beautiful and visually imaginative film. Individual shots, especially those of Dojo and Inn interiors, are stunningly composed and wonderful for the eye to linger on.
The anti-hero - a wandering ronin samurai whose philosophy and 'silent' school of swordsmanship incline him to the 'dark side' - is an unusual character to find at the centre of a samurai film, and the fighting is confined to a handful of precisely choreographed minimalist "ballets", of great power. Ryonosuke is played by the ageing, almost immobile and reptilian-voiced Chiezô Kataoka, in one of his most compelling portrayals. His alter ego, the young samurai, Hyoma, represents the 'light side' and is perfectly portrayed by the young Kinnosuke Nakamura.
The characters and action around this pair develop a Shakespearean depth and range as the trilogy progresses. Though all is not perfect - the action can seem over-compressed (perhaps due to cuts) which works against the stately and noble pace of the whole five-hour epic. But even if this is not Uchida's greatest film - not quite reaching the consistency of 'Bloody Spear on Mount Fuji' or his five-part 'Miyamoto Musashi' sequence - it is full of breathtaking cinematography, excellent acting and exquisite artistic composition. Hugely absorbing!
