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Dramatically compelling and emotionally intense, Harakiri is acertified classic of Japanese film, and a riveting study of samurai codes ofhonor. Unlike Kurosawa's rousing samurai epics, this is an uncompromisinglytragic tale, exposing the hypocrisy of 17th-century Japanese society with itsstory of a family destroyed by the cruelty of feudalism toward warriors inpeacetime. The film is truly Shakespearean in its emotional scope, embodied bythe unforgettable performance of Tatsuya Nakadai (star of Kurosawa's Ran)as an elder warrior seeking revenge for the unnecessary seppuku (ritualsuicide) of his beloved son-in-law. Director Masaki Kobayashi begins at story'send, then recounts the narrative (adapted from a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi) astold by Nakadai's character. The effect is almost unbearably suspenseful,leading to an explosive climax of supreme defiance and samurai swordplay,erupting from a battle of wills, called bluffs, and hotly defended honor. Forconnoisseurs of samurai action, Harakiri is not to be missed. --JeffShannon ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A powerful film giving deep insights into samurai heritage.
My first viewing of this film was in a Japanese history course at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. This isn't just another sword-fight movie; this is a deep moral reflection on the choices that all soldiers must make in fulfilling their duties. The beautiful imagery, acting, and ironic twists are high art. The influences this film must have had on Anime are unmistakable. But this is not a young person's movie; this movie is about death.

The Sword is the Soul
While Kurosawa was settling back into commercial comfort, making samurai comedies, Masaki Kobayashi was approaching the genre with more serious intentions. A "glorification" of feudal values was defintitely not Kobayashi's concern, having been a survivor of Imperial Japan's violent and, luckily, abortive bid to dominate Asia. Kurosawa was too sickly to serve in the Imperial Army, or so the legend goes. Kobayashi focuses directly on feudalism precisely because he realized that it had never been completely eradicated. The same values that had driven Japanese soldiers to commit atrocities throughout Asia were still principally intact in postwar Japanese society. Feudalism was tacitly alive and kicking, and Kobayashi knew just how to expose it. 'Seppuku' (the original title) is a frontal attack on Japanese institutionalized feudalism, as expressed in its inherent cronyism, its stupid adherence to the samurai ethic. Although the last fifteen minutes of this film are electrifying, wherein a lone, masterless samurai is set against a mob of lesser swordsmen (by now a familiar scenography in Japanese film), it is his selfless revenge on the clan that forced his impoverished son-in-law to commit seppuku with a bamboo short-sword that lays waste to the very root of Japanese feudalism.

This is my all time favorite Samurai movie, where is the DVD
Please, oh, please ... someone mentioned that this movie is
out somewhere on DVD, even though it is on widescreen edition.
That is too bad, but I would gladly settle for it. I really
liked this movie ... for many years after I saw this
masterwork, I assumed it had been directed and produced
by Akira Kurosawa ... but it is not, and it is the best
one I have seen ... though Kurosawa is great and I have
lots of his movies.

Please anyone, point me to where I can get a DVD version
of this movie ... it needs to go in my collection to educate
people about Japanese movies!

DVD where are you?!
I finally found a DVD version of this masterpiece, it was a 2003 release filled with all sorts of extra. One big problem, FULL SCREEN! Who in their right mind would put this movie on DVD and put it on FULL SCREEN! Somebody is tauting us fans big time!

It's a great movie, but one that demands to be viewed, if not on the big screen, then at least letterboxed DVD format!

Arguably the finest film ever made in Japan
I had never seen this film until I found a copy at a local Hollywood outlet in Albuquarque, New Mexcio, a few years ago. I took it home, saw it, and was absolutely bowled over by it. Kobayashi's view of Harakiri bespeaks the age when the film was made as it is quite a materialistic interpretation of Harakiri but nonetheless truthful for that. (Forget the cheap eulogy of samurai-death in the recent Last Samurai.)
This is a film-making elevated to the realm of art. The serenity of a Noh play and the theatrical panache of Kabuki are combined to create this absolutely engrossing masterpiece. This is arguably the finest Japanese film ever made. It is perverse that this work, perhaps outshodowed by numerous Kurosawa films, is almost never talked about in Japan.
This is one of those films that cry out for a release in a DVD format ( It is already available in Japan). ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Matchmaker Matchmaker Make Me A Match
Mr. Hirayama (Chishu Ryu) congratulates his secretary on her wedding and wishes another one the same domestic bliss. But when the subject of his own daughter's marriage is touched - he is in no hurry. She is still a child. One of his friends, Mr. Kawai, sets him right: Michiko is 24. He knows the right suitor, a young doctor, and offers to act as matchmaker. The evening is long (baseball, sake) and one of their buddies, Mr. Horie, brags about his young wife. No "aid" (viagra) needed; His wife buys him just vitamines... The others crack jokes behind his back: old fool, I don't want to be like him...

Michiko greets her father ("you're drunk"). This beautiful young girl is not the subjugated "little woman" but a proficient housekeeper on her way of becoming a shrew. She has no intention to wait on her little brother Kazuo. She shrugs off Mr. Kawai's warning that she may become an old maid...Hirayama's class comrades nearly exhibit Mr. Sakuma, their old math teacher as warning what can become of a man who neglects the duty to marry his daughter. Sakumas daughter, Tomoko, restrains herself and remains polite when her father's former pupils deliver the staggering old man in his miserable noodle-kitchen. Only after they left this faded and careworn woman allows herself to cry...

Koichi, Michikos elder brother,is married to Akiko who is just as self-assured as her sister in law. When her husband bosses her around she bosses him back. Koichi touched his father for 50 000 yen - for a washing machine - and golf-clubs that his wife will not allow him to keep ("golf is a luxury for a little clerk like you"). He is sulking...Hirayama asks his daughter if she does not want to marry. He feels that he has taken advantage of her. She remains obstinate, claims that she is contented with her life, does not want to "speak about it". Hirayama asks his younger son if he "has somebody". Yes, Kazuo replies, and he suspects that Michiko "has somebody" too. Michiko visits Koichi and Akiko. Her father's matchmaking is getting on her nerves, although she is not disinclined to marry. She finds one of Koichis colleagues, Mr. Miura sympathetic...With his father's approval Koichi puts out a feeler: "Would you like to marry?". Too late! Mr. Miura was, in fact, interested, but thought that Michiko was not - and now he has another sweetheart. Michiko keeps her countenance while her father and her brother break the news gently to her. She cries only in secret. But there is still hope: Mr. Kawai's candidate, the young doctor...Too late again! His union to another girl is as good as settled...April Fool! Mr. Kawai couldn't resist his little joke...

...And the marriage does take place: Michiko is a beautiful bride and Hirayama a proud father who wishes his daughter: "Be happy". He does not plan to move in with Koichi and Akiko because "young people belong together. The old should not trouble them". He will stay at home together with his younger son. He gets drunk in a bar. People ask him if he comes from a funeral ("Something like that" he replies). Kazuo awaits him at home. "You're drunk!" "Go to sleep!" he orders his old man. Mr. Hirayama is sitting on a chair and has a look at his empty house. Now he is truly alone.

Masterpiece - what hackneyed word to describe Ozu's last film. Neither did he make use of classic sources (like Kurosawa) nor did he invent the "eastern". The problems his protagonists face are everybody's problems: How to grow up and find happiness without angering your parents, how to grow old and surviving it without angering your children...Ozu is at his best when he describes the generation gap. How did other directors capture the moment when a parent has but one duty: let go. Different perhaps; Better is impossible. Ozu is as good as Wilder when mixing drama & comedy: Hirayama meets an old wartime comrade in a bar. They deplore that the younger generation is influenced by american culture. What if Japan had won the war? ( We'd be sitting in New York. Americans would wear japanes hairdos. And they would play the shamisen while chewing gum"). The talk about aphrodisiacs and contraceptives was probably too "adult" for western audiences of the time, but sometimes dissonant parts amount to a harmonious total.

Ordinary people, extraordinary film-making
Some have called director Yasujiro Ozu the poet of the everyday. Most of his films deal with ordinary people leading ordinary lives. But what is not so ordinary is Ozu's ability to capture the essence of human relations. His characters seem so real to us, because they are reflections of ourselves and the people we know. In Ozu's final film, Samma No Aji (which literally means "the taste of mackerel"), a widower knows his only daughter must eventually leave home and marry. We watch, as he tries to deal with his growing sense of isolation and loneliness. He becomes nostalgic for the good ol' days. He hangs out at a bar run by a woman who reminds him of his late wife. A popular World War Two song, Gunkan Machi (Warship March) pervades the film. In contrast to this, his married son and daughter-in-law represent the new Japan. They are more concerned about material things like golf clubs and new appliances. There are sad moments in this film, but funny ones as well. One of my favorite scenes takes place in the bar. The widower, who was a naval officer during the war, and a former shipmate are talking. The shipmate says if Japan had won the war, American women would now be wearing geisha-like wigs and chewing gum while playing the shamisen (a Japanese musical instrument). There is no melodrama in this movie, just an honest portrayal of family life and human relations. And it's that honesty that makes watching an Ozu film such a memorable experience.

mu
You have a review by 'unhelpful' which is in need of a footnote or two. His gripe about the price relates to an earlier edition. I'm sure he'll be happy to allow that the new 20 dollar version isn't going to upset anyone in terms of price. The Japanese-release version of An Autumn Afternoon (sanma no aji) is in fact no longer than the American release. I don't know how he made that mistake.

Ozu's Late-Late Masterpiece
This film is so painfully beautiful, as Ozu's sad farewell (he died of cancer), that I found it hard to believe that New Yorker, who owns exclusive rights to so many of Ozu's films, found it necessary to cut it by almost twenty minutes. The Japanese-release version of An Autumn Afternoon is listed at 133 minutes. In Japan, the video, from Shochiku Video, sells for about $30. New Yorker retails for about twice the price, in a bowdlerized version. Save your money for future releases.

Sublime Swan Song
Ozu's final masterpiece is a such a wonderful way to end one of the most distinguished careers in filmmaking. Chisu Ryu is once again superb as a lonely widower trying to grapple with giving away his only daughter in marriage. Although the film runs the gamut of familiar Ozu themes, you never ever tire of the Ozu trick of a "good two hours spent with your neighbors". His beauty of filmmaking, which is drenched in simple joys of everyday living makes him one of the greatest humanists of world cinema, along with Ray and Renoir. Put simply, this film is "stunning visual poetry". This is an absolute "must have" for all you Ozu fans out there, and recommended for all lovers of world cinema. ... Read more

Description

Inspired by a classic 18th-century puppet play, Double Suicide is the heartbreaking tale of a married shopkeeper in love with a prostitute.Bound by duty, and too poor to pay her way out of bondage, Jihei asks Koharu to enter a suicide pact, the only way they can be free.Masahiro Shinoda's moving adaptation is at once faithful to the original and extremely innovative.Puppet masters and stage hands appear on screen, changing scenery and manipulating the actors' movements.Even Shinoda, his cameras, and crew are visible at times.These backstage views brilliantly accentuate how the characters' lives are dictated by outside forces.The superb cast is led by Shima Iwashita, who plays both the merchant's lovely mistress and his plain wife.The beautifully composed suicide scene brings the timeless love story to a shattering conclusion. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Post modern classical Japanese puppet theater
Masahiro Shinoda's "Double Suicide" is one of several cinematic adaptations of famed Japanese playwright Chikamatsu's classic Bunraku puppet play "Shinju Ten no Amijima (Double Suicide at Amijima.)" Bunraku is one of three traditional Japanese theater styles, and includes black clothed puppeteers onstage manipulating their miniature charges. The story is the struggle between ninjo and giri, personal feelings and social duty. This struggle is the dominant theme of Japanese theater, bringing to life the oft-quoted expression "the nail that sticks up must be hammered down." To act from personal emotions is devastating.

Shinoda combines classical theater with stunning modern film techniques and cinematography. The nod to the origin of the story is found in the black clad puppeteers who hover in the background. It is a most excellent film in every way. It is all the more exceptional for its essential "japaneseness," far more so than Kurosawa's westernized films. The artificialness of Japanese theater is also captured well, as opposed to the attempted naturalness of western theater.

I do agree that this Criterion Collection DVD is beautiful, but sadly lacking for extras. In many other films the lack of extras would not be so important, but "Double Suicide" is a film that craves exploration. A filmed sample of the original Bunraku production, for example. Some background on
Chikamatsu. Those not familiar with Bunraku might not understand the dark, background puppeteers or be confused by the artful melodrama.

Still, even with such a barebones production, and excellent film and and an excellent DVD.

A gift to life and cinema
With the barrage of bad summer films it pleased me to no end to view Criterion's issue of Masahiro Shinoda's Double Suicide. For many years I have been attracted to the well-known image of the two dead lovers lying side by side but had not actually seen the film. Prior to viewing the DVD I rented the early VHS release. The transfer was dull and murky. It's as if the video format was intent on hiding the beauty of this film. Criterion's DVD is like a shining light in a dark void. The disc is absolutely beautiful. Toichiro Narushima's stark photography is crisp and sharp. One can even see the faces behind the kurango's sheer black veils. The clear soundtrack does justice to Toru Takemitsu's haunting score. The English subtitles are enhanced and easy to read. The disc does not come with any extras (which explains my 4 star rating instead of 5). But it does come with an informative essay by Claire Johnston. She confirmed my thoughts about many of the films details and filled in what I did not know. It's rare that one sees a film as inventive and beautiful as Double Suicide. I urge all interested film lovers to seek out this DVD.

Stunning
A number of reviewers of Criterion discs have commented that it's too bad that some of their discs have lots of extras while some (such as Double Suicide) have none.

My response is to judge the film on its own merits. If it weren't for Criterion, I probably never would have heard of this film, and I certainly never would have seen such a luminous transfer. The film is beautiful and strange, and warrants multiple viewings.

Critics of the lack of extras should also note that the more "bare-bones" Criterion discs are priced less than the fully-packed ones.

I think Criterion did a really great job with this wonderful film.

MEN IN BLACK
Come on, raiders of unusual images, Masahiro Shinoda's DOUBLE SUICIDE is a movie for you. Shot in black and white in 1969, this Criterion release will satisfy your delicate taste deceived by the clichés Hollywood serves you by the dozen each week of the year. In DOUBLE SUICIDE, one and only actress plays the two main feminine characters and, believe me or not, I didn't notice it until the end of the movie. Adapted from a 1720 ( ! ) japanese doll drama, DOUBLE SUICIDE relates the tragic love story of a courtesan and a paper merchant. The establishment, symbolized in the movie by the family and the moral code of the bourgeoisie, will lead the two lovers to take a dramatic decision.

The story is melodramatic but Masahiro Shinoda's cinematography transforms this simple story into a universal drama by adding a prologue and an epilogue that I let you discover by yourselves. Another interesting idea from the director is to imagine that the men who traditionally handle the puppets would appear on the screen. Invisible for the characters, these men dressed in black will cross the path of the heroes and become for us a symbol of the Fate that doesn't leave the slightest chance to the unfortunate lovers.

I don't recommend this movie to those of you who are not familiar with japanese movies but I'm sure that the curious ones will appreciate DOUBLE SUICIDE and its stunning cinematography. Superb copy with only a Claire Johnston essay as bonus feature.

A DVD zone rising sun.

A fantastic movie, a luminous tranfer, but lacks extras...
Double Suicide is director Masahiro Shinoda's stunning cinematic adaptation of a classic Japanese bunraku puppet drama. The film is striking in its visual look -- puppeteers (or kurago) appear on stage with the actors, as if to assist them in their actions and choices and guide them along to their inescapable fates.

Shinoda's amazing film has never looked better than it does on Criterion's DVD release of the film. If you love the look and feel of a black-and-white movie, your jaw will hit the floor when you feast your eyes on the amazing transfer on this disc.

Unfortunately, there are no extras or supplemental material included - no trailers, commentary, documentaries, or text pages. There is a great essay in the liner notes by film critic Claire Johnston, but I was hoping for more extensive background material on the film. Once one gets spoiled by many of Criterion's other fantastic discs (Brazil, Chasing Amy, Seven Samuari, etc.), it can be hard to accept a DVD that has "just the movie".

Nonetheless, the fantastic quality of both the film itself and its gorgeous transfer makes me recommend the disc to movie-lovers everywhere! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An unseen view of Japan
MacArthur's Children is the story of Japan in the first weeks and months after the end of World War II. We see what the effects of the war have been on school children in one small area of Japan. We see what the effects have been on adults as well. We see how the returning soldiers are received. We see them in the uniforms they left the army in, sometimes in rags and minus an arm or leg. We also see survivors, civilian and military try to rebuild their lives. War time hoarding and profiteering from the end of the war are shown.

War crimes comes into the mix when a former navy officer is tried for shooting survivors in the water after he sank their ship. He has a young daughter who is a principle charecter in the film. At times, the film revolves her. She has a civilizing effect on some of the rowdier boys in her class.

The American presence is benign. A small group of US soldiers arrive to destroy weapons left over from the war. The officer tries to keep the peace between the soldiers and the locals by having his soldiers learn the basics of Japanese courtesy; ie, no shoes in the house, etc. and then suggests a baseball game to bring the town and soldiers closer together.

I think this is a good attempt to deal with complex issues coming of out World War II. It is not a box office smash but I think it will be good for home video libraries. I think this is a good movie for teenagers and adults. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Gonza the Spearman
This is a classic Samurai Film, depicting the highs and lows of Samurai life that delight and confuse us in this modern world. This is one of my all time favorites and is a must for any serious Samurai Film collector. 5 Stars.

This is what I would call an elegant picture
The first half of the movie has a slow pace and is contemplative, which provides time for reflection and allows the viewer to be prepared for the main story. In a way, it helps by contrast the development of the scenes that follow, and also helps to build the main story until it culminates in the surprising, emotional, and elegant, finale. I should not say anything more about the story. The acting is superb. The three leads are excellent: The Samurai, his wife(Shima Iwashita), and the Spearman(Hiromi Go).

Ms. Iwashita ("An Autumn Afternoon", "Harakiri", "Double Suicide") is the perfect japanese wife of a Samurai. She has poise and class, and she is very delicate in the manner she speaks and conducts herself. Her inner beauty is so overpowering that would soften the heart of any man.

This is a singular movie unto itself, unlike other movies of the genre, it is very unique, and has a story that is intricate but simple at the same time. After watching it, one is left reflecting on the effects of the prevailing value system of our society and how it interacts with our own convictions and beliefs. And one comes to the realization that the same analysis can be applied to each period of history, worldwide.

Beautiful and tragic
This exquisite movie gives a moving glimpse into another culture. The importance of the tea ceremony in 18th century Japan is very alien to modern viewers, but the deep-felt emotions of the characters are not. The acting, cinematography, and story are all splendid. ... Read more