The 47 Ronin (Genroku chushingura, 1941)
Mizoguchi Kenji
Japan
222 mins, black and white, Japanese (English subtitles)
This is yet another take on the famous story of the 47 loyal retainers, which has been a staple of Japanese drama and film for over a century. Chushingura, as the incident is popularly known, has attracted the attention of several talented directors, with Mizoguchi arguably the most recognizable by Western audiences. I have dwelled on the significance of the story a little in my review of Inagaki's CHUSHINGURA and I will not repeat it here. Instead, I will comment of the differences between the two, and on the quality (or lack of it) of the Image DVD. If, by any chance, you feel compelled to learn more, read Donald Keene's excellent translation of the puppet play.
There are several important differences that I want to highlight. First, Mizoguchi does not give any background about Lord Asano's behavior at the Shogun's Castle. Although it may be necessary for the film (and thus Inagaki's version may be more successful), it is actually more in keeping with what we know, or rather, don't know about the incident. The story about Kira baiting Asano is possible, but it is also possible that it was some sort of other personal grudge. Thus, the odd hesitation of the retainers can be explained, and Kuranosuke's claims that their Lord had brought his end upon himself, are comprehensible. The plot with the petition to restore the clan is also better interpreted in this light. Inagaki makes it out to be as confusion on Kuranosuke's part, the chamberlain unable to make up his mind. In Mizoguchi's version, the petition is a ploy designed to furnish an excuse for attacking Kira, although the chamberlain did apparently underestimate the sympathy Asano's fate would generate. This take might be a result of demands placed on Mizoguchi by the military, who had commissioned him to do the film. The shogun-to-be's concern with the Way of the Samurai and his assistance (by not helping the petition), is also interpreted easily. And so is the solemn ending, when the 47 commit seppuku (actually, in real life, there were only 46 that died, one had gone off to his village to report). This part is simply told in Nagaki's version, and we're shown the garden where the action is presumably taking place. Mizoguchi wants explicitly to demonstrate how the 47 take their fate. If this isn't a morale booster, I don't know what is.
My biggest regret with Mizoguchi's version is that he did not show the raid on Kira's mansion, although for his purposes it would detract from the attention that must be paid to the main point, and would in any case be superfluous. Given Inagaki's brilliant visualization, I feel something was lost anyway. If I had to choose between the two films, it would doubtless be Inagaki's version.
Mizoguchi is slow, really slow. There's actually less action in this film than in "Chushingura," where much attention is paid to the lives of the ronin during the year until their revenge. Yet, Mizoguchi's version is longer. And it shows. The film loses it in several places, although not enough to become boring. There's a lot of travelling shots of interior scenes, something the director is famous for, and a splendid rendition of a Noh drama. All that is fine, but some of the pauses, especially in dialogue, can be somewhat unnerving.
The DVD quality is awful. The picture is shaky, scratched, uneven, and there are freezes, artifacts, and other problems. Considering the time frame involved, maybe it isn't possible to find a better print, but I still think Criterion would have done a better job. The sound is atrocious. There's a lot noise reduction, which produced higher-pitched voices that gurgle at times. The silence where there is no sound is artificial and stands in sharp, and annoying, contrast to the screeching when people talk, especially when many talk simultaneously. The subtitles are readable but not terribly good. It's not that the translation is bad, but I got the feeling they did not translate everything, and some of the text was not really comprehensible, especially near the beginning of Part 2.
Overall, this is not a bad movie, in fact, it is a pretty good one, but there is a version that is superior to it, and which is in arguably better shape in terms of DVD transfer. Still, if you are a fan of the story or of Japanese sensibility, you should most definitely see this film.
April, 1 2001. BLS