Harakiri - The Criterion Collection (切腹 クライテリオン版 Blu-ray 北米版)[Import]

若いころ映画館でみたこの作品が、もう一度見たくなって購入した。 迫力ある画面と思わぬドラマの展開に、最後まで惹きつけられる。小林正樹の演出、橋本忍のシナリオがすばらしい。

アカデミーを受賞したジョーカー 確かに素晴らしい作品でした マーティン・スコセッシが好きな方には 勿論ですが多くの賛同者が出たことが 受賞の原動力となったのは確かです 僕もジョーカーは映画館で観ましたが 素晴らしい作品でした。 そんな僕の感想ですが ジョーカーよりも今作の方が どっしりと胸に刺さりました。 徳川幕府の重鎮 井伊家の上屋敷に 浪人者が切腹させてくれと訪ねるところから 始まるキリキリとした緊迫感と なんとも言えない哀愁 激烈な最期へと畳み掛ける心情の変遷 ジョーカーがアカデミー受賞出来るなら 今作も必ず受賞出来る作品です

昔、観て気になっていた映画です❗️また観たいと思っていましたので満足しました😃

娘婿のむごたらしい死骸を前にして主人公・津雲半四郎が慟哭するシーンがある。自らの刀を何度も床に打ちつけては号泣する。 彼の死に追い打ちをかける驚愕の事実が半四郎を襲ったからだ。なんと彼は有ろうことか「たけみつ」を用いて苦悶のうちに果てていた。彼は困窮のあまり「武士の魂」とされていた大小(刀)まで質に入れていたのだ。なのに己は孫が生死の境をさまよっているのに手をこまねいていた、と自分の愚かさを呪う。無用の長物を後生大事にして、彼に医者代の工面を迫っていた、あゝ。許せ、迂闊な義父を、と。 ここで不意に『太平洋奇跡の作戦 キスカ 』のあるシーンを思い出した。五千名を超える将兵が米軍包囲の島から脱出を試みる。その際舟艇から救難母艦への移乗時に何かと足手まといな銃を兵士はみな海へ投棄していたのだ。菊の御紋が刻印された三八式歩兵銃は 畏れ多くも天皇陛下からの預かりもの だったはずなのだが。一分一秒でも速く脱出するために上官が許可したとのことだった。 悲しいかな人間は極限に追い詰められなければ、本当に大切なもの失ってはいけないものが分からないようだ。今を生きる我々の生活、人生においては、さて、どうなんだろうか？『切腹』は一度はみておくべきだと思った。

回想シーンは作品の流れを止めてしまうことがままあり、独白は説明的に過ぎて退屈するものですが、この映画は回想と独白が無駄どころか、全体の物語を支配する、数ある橋本忍の脚本の中でも斬新な出色の出来です。 動きの少ない舞台にあって、影の移動のみで時間の経過を表す小林正樹の細心の演出、仲代達矢、三國連太郎の若くして円熟を見せる演技、武満徹のオリジナリティあふれる音楽。映画が総合芸術であることを証明した邦画界屈指の傑作。 公開当時から異色作扱いされていたためか、一般の知名度が低いのが残念な名作です。

アメリカで初めて観た。劇場内のどよめきは今でも忘れられない。観賞後知人に言われた。なんというストーリー展開なことか。俳優陣の重厚な演技力と台詞回し、見ている方まで腹に激痛が走るが如くの演出、そしてなんと言っても、重層的に展開するシナリオの見事さ。日々の貧苦に耐えることももう叶わず、座して死を待つよりは武士らしく一層のこと腹かっさばいて果てたい、願わくば当玄関先を晴の死に場所としてお貸し願いたい、などというドラマの始まりには度肝を抜かれる。徹底的に体裁を重んじる武家のこだわりが迎える悲劇、今にも通じる世代を越えた名作、もっと世に知られてよい作品である。松竹映画にしてはかなりグロいところもあるが、作品の品格が芸術レベルに達しているので受け入れられる。

仲代さんの演技が秀逸。海外を意識したのか演出にえっ？と思うところもあるが、ストーリーのよさ、俳優陣の演技力。見る価値あり。

白黒画面なのに血の色が感じられるようで圧倒されました。仲代達矢の鬼気迫る演技で思わず一緒に殺陣をやっている気持ちにさせられた。以前、一回観たことが有るのでストーリー展開は覚えていたが、それでも胸が熱くなった。ぜひ一度視聴してください。

I had been wanting to see Seppuku (harakiri) for some time, and as my first rental with zip.ca I was quite exited. I turned it on, and was simply stunned by its sheer power, realism and quality. It featured little of what Kurosawa had brought to the genre, but rather offered a heartwrenching portrait of the futility of a lifestyle that preys upon the helpless. I sat there mesmerized by the brilliance of Kobayashi's direction and Nakadai's performance, together they provided a level of realism that I didn't think was possible with such a robust genre. I felt almost the same way I had after viewing The Wild Bunch. I mean this film totally changes the way I think of a samurai picture, but at the same time it does not detract from anything from the likes of The Seven Samurai or Sanjuro. To say the least I found Seppuku to be an impressive film. I don't give very many 10/10s, but it certainly does deserve that rating. What The Seven Samurai is to The Searchers, Seppuku is to The Wild Bunch. 10/10.

There is no question that this is the best Samurai movie ever made. Masaki Kobayashi's film is an indictment of the hypocrisy of the establishment, any establishment, would it be in feudal 17th Century Japan or in any other time. Dogma, on which the establishment's authority rests, is evil. The established, codified order, with all its smoke and mirrors, must be preserved at all costs, and nothing must be allowed to come in its way. It is the duty of each member of any government, organization, church, or brotherhood not to spare any effort and to go to any length to protect the appearances and status quo, to achieve this essential goal of survival. The end justifies the means, and no lie or deceit can be eliminated if this survival is at stake. In Japan, Seppuku is the formal term for ritual suicide by disembowelment. Harakiri, as it is known in the West, is the common term, which literally means "stomach cutting." It was an integral part of bushido, the code of conduct of the samurai warrior class. Seppuku was ordered by a superior as punishment to redeem some offence, or chosen over a dishonorable death at the hands of an enemy. In both cases, it demonstrated the honor, courage, loyalty, and high moral character of the individual. Except when performed on a battlefield, it was a very formal ceremony, requiring certain etiquette, witnesses and considerable preparation. Harakiri is a particularly painful and rather messy way of ending one's days. In this ritual, the "performer" opens his abdomen, starting from left to right and then finishing from top toward bottom. But there is so need to be left for hours contemplating one's entrails. Another swordsman acting as a "second," called kaishakunin, is standing by to decapitate the departing at a pre-arranged moment in the ceremony. Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, who founded Japan's last great shogunate dynasty in 1603, ordered the practice of harakiri to be discontinued by both secondary and primary retainers. Later on, in 1663, a stronger edict from Lord Nobutsuna Matsudaira of Izu, put an end to the practice altogether. By that time, the ritual had become an idle formalism, and the "performer" was decapitated at the instant he took his sword out of the scabbard, thus avoiding a painful death. In some instances, the sword was replaced by a fan. Hanshiro Tsugomo (Tatsuya Nakadai) comes to the castle of the Iyi Clan to seek revenge for the humiliation and cruel death of his son-in-law, Anjiwa Motome (Akira Ishihama). Kobayashi is a superb storyteller, and in a slow and deliberate rhythm, he develops his story, which could have been taken from the pages of the Iliad or of the Mahabharata. The tension grows, as the Clan members slowly realize that they are in turn being humiliated by this stranger who truly believe in the samurai code of honor: he must be terminated to prevent him to broadcast his truth. The final duel with the master swordsmen of the Clan, Hikukuro Omodaka, on the Plains of Gojin-in, is like a meditation, a ballet of death. The film ends in a spectacular combat, and the coup de grace to Hanshiro Tsugomo's seppuku is fittingly not applied by a gallant swordsman, but a cowardly platoon of muskets. Even to the end, the samurai honor code has been violated by the Clan. The screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto is based on a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi. The cinematography, by Yoshio Miyajima, in black and white, is gorgeous. Many on the shots are haiku-like in the imagery. The musical score, written for an ensemble of ancient instruments and percussion by the renowned classical composer Toru Takemitsu, is used sparingly throughout the film. The music speaks as the dialogs sing. As Toshiro Mifune has long been associated with the success of Kurosawa's films, so are Kogayashi's films enhanced by the brilliant interpretation of Tatsuya Nakadai (also staring in the leading roles in Kurosawa's Kagemusha,and Ran). This outstanding actor contributed further to the success of this director's films, Kwaidan and the Samurai Rebellion. Although taking place almost five centuries ago during the Tokugawa Shogunate, this film is also a strong denunciation of the entrenched cultural legacy of coercive rituals, blind obedience, and chauvinism that resulted in the tragedy of the Pacific War.

This has got to be one of the greatest artistic illustrations of rebellion against an oppressive and cunning authority. A timeless ordeal that has marred humanity since our infancy is brought here (in HARA KIRI) to the most stunning, effective and thought-provoking representation I've ever witnessed on film. The premise and the narrative are simple enough for anyone to comprehend, yet wrought with limitless subtlety to keep the thinker thinking for a very long time. This film will infinitely test the Draconian thinker as it's difficult for the rationalist to bend under passionate distress. But when humanity presents itself naked and powerless, even Samurai code is put to the test. This film is a terrific representation of both sides of a uniquely human equation. On one hand, we are bound to the authorities which we invent. On the other, we are bound to the humanity with which we are born. As honorable as it is to remain tenacious for a belief, it's just as honorable to fight relentlessly for survival. It's just plain wrong, however, for authority to manipulate the very honor for which it is regarded in order to spite or punish those who struggle to live. I can understand and respect punishment, but I will never respect or agree with punishment that is handed out fraudulently. An early character is this film commits hara kiri, believing that given his present circumstances, hara kiri is the most honorable and respectable way die. Unbeknownst to him, however, his superiors are using hara kiri as a means of punishment, made all the more brutal and inhumane through the use of a bamboo blade. Had the character committing hara kiri disclosed his situation to his superiors, or had his superiors asked the character to disclose his situation, the hara kiri and ensuing revenge plot might have been avoided entirely. But unfortunately, our unwavering fortitude under invented systems of belief and authority can and will inevitably lead to tragic ends. As far as the picture is concerned, Criterion nails it. Unless you're a raging cinephile, ignore the cropping criticisms. The experts at Criterion wouldn't crop unless it were absolutely necessary to improve the overall aesthetic virtues of the transfer. Regardless, the cropping is insignificant; the cinematography remains among the best ever. I was floored by some of the close-ups; they're really shocking. It's obvious after seeing this film where modern Japanese filmmakers find their inspiration. This is about as beautiful as black and white gets, the most beautiful b&w film I've seen being THE WHITE RIBBON on BD. This transfer comes pretty darn close to that, and this film is how old again? Criterion are good at respectfully handling grain. So, no issues there. There are spots and scratches every now and then, but they're extremely few and insignificant. If it weren't for their occasional appearance, it would be difficult to discern the age of this movie. The audio is mono. What more can be said about it? Yes, it's as true to the source as you're going to get, and it's extremely clean, but it's still mono. I hope you enjoy this film as much as I did :)

This could be an alternative title for this masterpiece. Few films ever had on me such an effect as "Harakiri" and made me so much think about human life and how fragile it is as well as about happiness and how precious - and always too short - are the moments we enjoy it. I will not reveal anything about the story, but I think it is worthy to describe the first 30 seconds, which immediately nailed me to the seat by making me realise that I was watching a unique master piece. So here they are: it begins with an old book in Japanese being opened somewhere in the middle and a calm voice reading: "This day of year 1630, in the morning, men came from the village to present gifts of fish to the castle. No other official business occurred. However, later that day, a well spoken and polite although malnurished and poorly clothed ronin presented himself at the gate with a most unusual request..." What follows is the story of a tragedy so heartbreaking that even Victor Hugo in "Les Miserables" didn't manage to equal it. It is also the story of an unjustice so disgusting that it would probably make Dickens and Zola weep like teenage girlies... And finally it is the story of a vengeance so mean and terrible that it makes "Death Wish" series look as a Disney movie in comparison -and even more remarkable is the fact that this revenge doesn't include ANY deaths and, still better, not even one drop of blood is spilled... Curious, isn't it? Well, the only way to find the solution of this riddle, is to watch the movie. What was written above doesn't mean that this film is easy to watch - the title is not metaphoric, so be prepared to at least one scene that is purely horrible! Some swordfighting is also involved, but if this is what you are looking for in samurai movies, don't bother even beginning watching this one - the sword fighting is so much NOT the point here! Masaki Kobayashi is one of the major Japanese movie makers and "Harakiri" is his masterpiece. It easily matches every Kurosawa movie, and - I hardly can believe that I am writing it - it can be even better than "Seven Samurai"! Both movies are of course very different, but if I had to choose only one to preserve for posterity from certain destruction, I would face a really tough choice. And all my life I considered "Seven Samurai" as THE perfect movie - until I finally saw this one... All actors are doing great in "Harakiri" but it is of course Tatsuya Nakadai who has the greatest responsability and plays the hardest part as (yes, you guessed right) this mysterious "well spoken and polite although malnurished and poorly clothed ronin". This kind of acting is clearly inspired somewhere very high (or somewhere very low) but clearly it is not permitted to regular earthlings to reach such level of perfection... At every minute of the movie Tatsuya Nakadai could spoil it by any kind of little mistake - but he never made one. I really do not see what else could I tell, so just one little warning. This is not a movie for a Friday evening with your girlfriend. First, she will probably run away after first 30 minutes to cry in her room. If she doesn't, dump her - she is certainly not a human female at all and probably devours males after mating. And if by any miracle you manage to watch this movie together until the end, you can certainly expect that she will need lot of cuddling later, but that will be it. I can not imagine any romance developping in the 24-48 hours following the watching of this movie... "Harakiri" will give you a great satisfaction (pun very much intentional), but not one of Friday evening variety. This is an important and unique movie. At least once in a lifetime everybody should watch it.

Some good reviews and good attempts to summarize the plot. I urge that no one be put off by the anticipation that it will be confusing or overly complex. The story is told largely in flashback, and somewhat out of sequence, but it makes perfect sense to tell it that way, somehow. It is in no way hard to follow, and the exposition unfolds perfectly. This movie is very strongly made up of Japanese cultural influences and history, yet the themes and underlying conflicts are universal. This is a human drama, told through strong empathetic characters. Hanshiro is one of the most admirable characters I have ever seen depicted...from his (anecdotal) heroism at Sekigahara, his honorable action when the clan is disbanded, raising his son, to whom he exhibits great love and loyalty, to the fact that when reduced to making umbrellas, he seems to be a painstaking and diligent craftsman. AND he gets to be a doting grandpa, babytalking and mugging to his little grandson. Then when he has lost it all, he acts, again, with honor, in the only way left to him. Much is made of Kobayashi's undeniable attacks on authoritarianism, but it is also undeniable that to the end Hanshiro is the MOST honorable and the MOST true to the ideals bushido would have an individual uphold. The failure of bushido, as with any system of ideals, is in the imperfect humans who try (or do not) to uphold them, not necessarily in the ideals themselves. This is a wonderful film, beautifully composed and well-acted. The actor portraying the Chamberlain does a fine job, in particular. Hanshiro's rebellion is directed fully at him, and in the end, it is difficult to tell what effect the exposure of so many dishonorable actions has had on him. SPOILER!!! (as if you don't already know...) One thing that has been little mentioned is the bleakness of the ending...in the end, the scribe notes only that on that date, one samurai committed honorable bushido in the House of Iyi, and a large number of retainers died of illness. Indeed, the narrator records that publically, the Iyi clan got away with everything, covering up the truth. The last shot, of the armor restored, soulless and imposing, is chilling. The more so noting the date of the action was 1630, and the code and society that drove Hanshiro to his desparate action was to continue for over two centuries.