What it’s about
When noble ronin Asano (Kayama) draws his sword against corrupt elder Lord Kira (Ichikawa) on a ceremonial occasion, he draws the wrath of the Shogunate, whose elders demand him to commit hara kiri (ritual suicide). With the Asano clan disgraced, Chamberlain Oishi (Matsumoto) mounts a plan to storm Kira’s palace and avenge the injustice done to his master.
Why we love it
Based on a tale told (and filmed) numerous times, this brilliant, slow-building, three-hour samurai epic tracks the efforts of 47 loyal ronin to seek vengeance against an arrogant adversary. Weaving multiple storylines into a sprawling tapestry of dramatic adventure and sly political critique, Inagaki creates something closer in spirit to an absorbing melodrama than your standard swordfest. Still, the final battle scene in Kira's palace is stunning to behold. Keep an eye out, too, for Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune, as a masterless (or “freelance”) samurai-for-hire.
Yuzo Kayama, Akira Takarada, Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kumi Mizuno Hiroshi Inagaki