Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
17 Dec Harakiri (1962)
Layered Stories in Conflict
This has to be the best movie I have seen in a while. Good luck to me that I would like to pass on to you.
We have two warring narrators. The first begins the film as an entry in his journal as local governor of a wealthy country estate. The film is closed with him finishing his entry, some days later. This official narrative deviates from what we see at the end.
His story: one, then a second unattached ronin appeal to commit suicide in their courtyard. The first of these it is plain is just looking to be paid to leave, but our narrator is very strict about cleaving to that ronin‘s story. If he says he wants to kill himself, well then he must. This poor man had sold his sword and was now carrying bamboo, and it is this that he was forced to use. The resulting death is disturbing.
So midway in the film, we have a samurai who has suffered because he was forced to live his story, forced by the narrator-governor who we later watch not live the story he has created and instead change it to suit.
Now along comes an older samurai with the same request. He is dealt with in the same manner, but insists on telling a story to the assembled household before killing himself. He tells an amazing story: a fall from grace of his master, the dissolution of the household, poverty. His frail daughter and her son lay dying without a few coins for a doctor.
The man‘s son is his daughter‘s husband, and it is he that came and was forced to die. The wife and son do as well, shortly after. Details of that death were told by the governor to the elder samurai earlier, though known because of the mocking way the body was returned.
Until now, we have a classic case of warring narrative. We have the captive audience assembled. One storyteller is an official, so much so that he controls the official version of the film‘s story. The other has power in his gritty, true story.
That story, incidentally is very close to what I consider noir: a random innocent fellow is cast in circumstances that seem full of circumstance and accident. The events of his life are played out not as they would in real life but as they would in a fictional life in a story told by others.
Truth versus power in a struggle for the story of the film, essentially a struggle for the allegiance of the outer audience: us.
The two beings as they face off are perfect in small mannerisms belying tension.
Then slowly, the governor‘s world explodes as we learn new bits of the elder ronin‘s story of recent events. Many die.
We (the audience) and control of all the cinematic effects was won by the ronin. Our governor is seen at the end writing the official account to be seen by his master that for his safety eradicates all story on both sides. The main actor, the winner, features in some of Kurosawa‘s best work as well.
Posted in 2015
Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.
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