The 47 Ronin (1941)

The 47 Ronin (1941) 

Run-time: 3 hours 43 minutes

This movie should appeal to those interested in Japanese history and culture, but to few others. Anyone looking for an action-oriented samurai adventure should avoid at all costs.

Synopsis:

Lord Asano suddenly attacks Lord Kira in the temple due to a personal grudge. He fails to kill Kira, and the impropriety of his action lands him a death sentence handed down by the shogun. Kira however receives no punishment at all. A plea for mercy is rejected by the shogunate, despite the injustice and severity of the one-sided punishment. Lord Asano commits harakiri (ritual suicide) as sentenced.

Adding insult to injury, Asano's lands and property are seized and his house disbanded. His samurai have suddenly become masterless ronin and carry their master's unjustly applied dishonor. Asano's former counselor, Kuranosuke Oishi, assembles a group of Asano's men to seek revenge against Lord Kira and they wait for their chance. Kuranosuke maintains an appearance of a drunkard and womanizer to throw off suspicion of his revenge plot.

Click for spoilers.

Kuranosuke requests that the shogun restore Asano's house, and in the meantime public sympathy has grown for Asano and his former retainers. Kuranosuke is left with the difficulty that if the shogun restore's Asano's house, the pretense for revenge against Kira is lost. The shogun rejects the request, and so their plan can go ahead.

One year after Lord Asano's death, the 46 ronin and Kuranosuke attack Lord Kira's castle and kill him. They visit their former master's grave (one of the most visually memorable scenes in the entire film) and plan to await whatever punishment is handed down to them from the shogun. All 47 ronin are sentenced to commit harakiri, and now can do so with Lord Asano's and their honor restored.

Background:

This is a propaganda film based on historical events in order to boost war-time morale. Its credits declare that it was commissioned by the Central Information Bureau, and it was made in the thick of WWII and shortly before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

Review:

Disclaimer: I am not reviewing this film as a historic artifact or touchstone of cinema history. My aim is to inform the average viewer rather than the connoisseur.

The film is presented and was originally released in 2 parts, each almost 2 hours long.

Part 1:
The first section has the inciting incident (Asano attempts to kill Kira) within the first few moments and the rest of it deals with the dissolution of Asano's house and Kuranosuke's resolve to take revenge. This is done almost exclusively through wide shots of men sitting in rooms delivering expository dialog, which brings me to my first criticism: "The 47 Ronin" is an adaptation of a play, and might as well have been a filmed stage production. It shows very little and instead tells way too much.

This a pretty bland film in terms of visuals. There is very little variety in the characters, who are all dressed and groomed in typical samurai manner. This makes it difficult to tell them apart other than Kuranosuke and a couple of others. The only visually interesting aspects of the film are the scenes that take place outside washitsu (Japanese-style rooms), as when a former samurai and his son return to aid his former compatriots. These scenes are filmed outside and follow characters as they move around the space.

Despite all this, I made it through the first section of the film due to 2 things:
1. Interest in the story.
2. To see the inevitable action sequence when the 47 ronin would surely take revenge for their fallen master.

The first reason is simple to explain. I did want to find out what would happen to Kuranosuke and the rest of the ronin, despite mostly having been bored by the first half. The second reason would lead to disappointment.

Part 2:
Besides narratively, there is no pay-off. None. I swear to you all of the action takes place off camera. We hear about the raid on Kira's house when a scroll is read aloud by a character unconnected with the events. The only thing close to a fight in the film is the first few moments of part 1 in which Asano attacks Kira. This may make me sound like a man-child to some, but I think that most people who sit down to watch a samurai movie expect to see at least some action. Although the second half is a bit more visually interesting, this all feeds back to my earlier assertion that this movie is practically a filmed play.

This movie has no antagonist. It doesn't adequately set up the shogunate as a corrupt organization. Lord Kira is a non-entity in the film outside of the first scene. We're given no reason to dislike him, and never find out Asano's motivation for attacking him in the first place.

There is an obstacle I mentioned in the synopsis about the request that Asano's house be restored, and how that outcome could derail the plan for vengeance. This may be historically accurate, but it goes nowhere. The request was eventually denied, so that any tension that arose from it is dissipated through no action of Kuranosuke.

Final Verdict: Not recommended

"The 47 Ronin" fails as a movie. It may be considered an important movie historically, but it is a slog, and was so for audiences even in 1941 and '42. Apparently the director intended it to be, since he chose to make a version that focused on the story rather than action, but the story falls pretty flat to a modern westerner also. It's difficult to sympathize with the parties involved when the solution to minor problems is always death to preserve honor.

If you are looking for a great samurai film, please look elsewhere (such as Kurasawa's "7 Samurai"). You'll only like this movie if you're a hardcore nihongo- or cinephile, otherwise you'll only be disappointed.


Note to those still interested in the story: Please go read about the historical events it's based upon. If you still want to see a movie about it, watch one of the many other adaptations.