The film's story line is a clever and perceptive story, superbly told.
Samurai Rebellion(上意討ち 拝領妻始末)
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Japan · 1967
Rated G · 2h 8m
Director Masaki Kobayashi
Starring Toshirō Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gō Katō, Tatsuyoshi Ehara
Genre Action, Drama
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Isaburo Sasahara is an aging swordsman living a quiet life until his clan lord orders that his son marry the lord's mistress, who displeased the ruler. Reluctantly, father and son take in the woman, and, surprisingly, the young couple fall in love. But the lord soon reverses his decision and demands the mistress’s return.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The Seattle Times by Jeff Shannon
Kobayashi's 1967 hit reflects the social tumult of its time by depicting a defiant swordsman amidst totalitarian excess. The film's escalation of tension is almost unbearable, and Mifune erupts with a ferocity that's as righteous as it is ultimately tragic, for Kobayashi refuses to soften the film's devastating imbalance of power. [16 Jun 2006, p.I22]
The New Yorker by Michael Sragow
No one could seethe better than Mifune, but what gives the movie equal shares of exhilaration and heartbreak is the feeling that pours out of him when his son finds happiness in his own marriage.
Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington
Ferocious action saga about an old samurai (Mifune) taking a stand against his lord's cruelty and injustice. [03 Mar 2006, p.C5]
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Samurai Rebellion can be seen as a statement against the conformity that remained central in Japanese life long after this period. It is the story of three people who learn to become individuals.
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