Demonstration of subject-based knowledge and understanding.

This is a simple rework picking up on my tutor’s original comment and simple reworking my initial ideas with a better understanding of wider literature.

The essay focus on Genre and some auteur theory using specific examples from with the film

Demonstration of research skill

Clearly over the initial essay, this is much improved with a clear bibliography and references to a wider research of literature.

Demonstration of critical and Evaluation skills

The reworked essay follows key areas common to all three movies and focus on comparing the styles of Leone and Kurosawa, how they both play homage to the traditional western,

The passage regarding score is a little light, however, I wanted this to be touched on but was restricted by word count and it does “hang” without giving the reading fulfilment but it does pose further question to inspire a reader.

Communication

Overall this much better structured essay which I hope the assessor will enjoy reading compared to the random eclectic collection of ideas and personal thoughts thrown together in the first draft.

The films of Japanese auteur director Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) came out of the aftermath of the Second World War; a time when Japan was suffering from its military defeat and economic struggles. Kurosawa was a great fan of American Westerns, and he was greatly influenced by American directors of this genre such as John Ford, Howard Hawks and Abel Gance (Cousins, 2011). The striking use of the landscape, and the framing of masculine heroes against the wide American sky are features that Kurosawa admired in American western films, and he married this with his own understanding and knowledge of Japanese martial arts. Instead of the canyons and cacti of American Westerns, Kurosawa shows his heroes against the more diminutive landscapes of Japan, in which the protagonist appears larger than life, as seen in this screenshot from Yojimbo:

Screenshot from Yojimbo (Kurosawa, 1961)

Kurosawa draws on Japanese literary themes to create films that are like heroic epics (Villarejo, 2013). The significance of the Samurai culture is shown in the detailed mise en scène, complete with traditional Japanese architecture and the elaborate costumes of the Samurai. The characterisations of honourable behaviour, is somewhat alien to a non-Japanese audience, and this is another reason why the films certainly do not look like the American western titles that so inspired Kurosawa. Nevertheless, there are some elements in common, such as the recognition of the human side of these ancient stories. Kurosawa’s characterisation sometimes inserts ironic or comic touches, showing a character who is lazy for example, and this reminds the audience that the world of the Ronin is to some extent idealised, and that the reality of human experience can never live up to the high standards that the warrior ethos demands. These deep themes, that a part of Japans military history, are given a new twist in Kurosawa’s work. For me, it is this bittersweetness that reminds me of the American western genre. Samurai and cowboys are both obsolete categories in the modern world, and yet there is something fascinating and enduring about the way these films try to capture the fading glory of the past.

An example of how Kurosawa blended this mixture traditional and modern was in how he vividly shot The Seven Samurai with the most advanced long lenses available, edited it superbly so that the viewer is drawn into its well-orchestrated and motivated action (Cousins, 2011).  This director clearly had a deep appreciation of film as an entertainment form, as well as a historical or artistic production (Nowell-Smith, 1997). Kurosawa was popular in Japan because of his traditional, Japanese themes, such as the nature of the Ronin and his struggle to overcome his own weaknesses as well as the challenges he meets in the world. His inclusion of elements of the American Western appealed also to non-Japanese audiences, however, and it is this fusion of different elements that makes him stand out as an internationally famous film director.

The very long running time of Seven Samurai (1954), at 198 minutes, forces the audience to think about the action that is taking place on the screen. The director is not in a hurry to get through the plot, and this gives him time to explore a variety of deeper themes, such as for example, the futility of violence and the pointlessness of honour feuds that go on from generation to generation without any kind of resolution. Screenshots such as Figure 2 below, show the intense focus on character, inviting the audience to weigh up the decisions that are being made, and identify with the characters’ strengths and weaknesses.

Figure 2: Screenshot from Seven Samurai

Turning now to Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), it is obvious that this director was a fan of both the classic genre of the American western and Kurosawa’s innovative treatment of this genre.  These two styles influenced his work, and he added his own fascination with very large close-ups, which he used to draw attention to the characters in the film on a visual rather than verbal level. The technique is not the same as traditional Hollywood close-ups in love scenes, for example, or during key dramatic speeches, where the focus is on the dialogue, but it is reminiscent of Kurosawa’s technique. The man with no name in A Fistful of Dollars is characterised by his silence and his striking physical appearance.  The director maintains a degree of mystery around the man’s thoughts and lets the viewer make up his or her mind simply by looking at his rugged face, held by the camera for a long time. This lingering camerawork then contrasts sharply with the fight scenes, which are fast and bloody.

Figure 3 below illustrates the way Leone uses a combination of costume and setting to frame his central character in a memorable way. The backdrop is classic western scenery, but Eastwood’s poncho changes the classic cowboy silhouette into something much more ambiguous. There is an exotic dimension to his appearance, as if he is a kind of international cowboy, no longer pure American hero, but now taking on Latino qualities as well.

Figure 3 Screenshot from A Fistful of Dollars (Leone, 1964)

With A Fistful of Dollars brought creative innovations in the way the film is scored, it has extended melodic lines, often with an inspiring soprano voice, to accompany scenes of very brutal violence (Nowell-Smith, 1997). This juxtaposition is shocking, and adds greatly to the impact of these scenes.

These two directors each appropriate elements of the Western genre in their own way and fuse them with Japanese and Italian dimensions respectively. Both are keen to cross the boundaries of history, geography and language, to depict some universal ideas about what it means to be a man, to fight, and to experience all the ups and downs of human life. It is their ability to innovate while preserving the essence of traditional genres and stories that gives these directors cult status and a permanent place in the history of film.

Bibliography

Cousins, M. (2015). The story of film. 2nd ed. London: Pavilion.

Doughty, R. and Etherington-Wright, C. (2011). Understanding film theory: Theoretical and critical perspectives. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hutchinson, R. (2017). A Fistful of Yojimbo: Appropriation and Dialogue in Japanese Cinema. World Cinema's 'Dialogues' with Hollywood, [online] pp.172-187. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/3126843/A_Fistful_of_Yojimbo_appropriation_and_dialogue_in_Japanese_cinema [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017].

Kurosawa, A. (1954) Seven Samurai. [Film] Japan: Toho.

Kurosawa, A. (1961) Yojimbo. [Film] Japan: Kurosawa Production/Toho.

Leone, S. (1964) A Fistful of Dollars. [Film] Italy/United States: Jolly Film/Constantin Film/Ocean Films.

Nelmes, J. and Wells, P. (2012). Introduction to film studies. 5th ed. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Nowell-Smith, G. (1997) The Oxford History of World Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thomson, D. (2014). The New Biographical Dictionary Of Film 6th Edition. 1st ed.

Villarejo, A. (2013) Film Studies: The Basics. Second edition. Abingdon: Routledge

In summary, I have made some observation points in my analysis of the five films, however, due to my inexperience with academic writing has shone through especially with the lack of referencing, casual style of writing and as consequence of the absence of the referencing a lack of evidence of background reading.

Lack of appropriate background reading was lacking, the essay and idea came mainly “from within in” and I have failed to follow this up wth wider reading, relying primarily on my thoughts, internet reading and the course reader by Amy Villarejo. This means as Andrew has pointed out that I have not followed through on points and the essay reads like a list of bullets points and have missed on writing about the grammar of the films.

A lot of my problem was the lack of available appropriate literature a following on from Andrews Feedback I have purchased:

Introduction to Film Studies

The Oxford History of World Cinema

Geoffrey Nowell-Smith

How To Read a Film: Movies, Media, and Beyond

‘Have You Seen…?’: a Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films including masterpieces, oddities and guilty pleasures (with just a few disasters)

Film Art: An Introduction

David Bordwell

OCA Photography – Introduction to Film Culture

Assignment 1 – Hero’s and Villains ‘re-made’.

The has been an interesting exercise to watch five movies; three inspired by two of the others and a more interesting decision as to which two to reflect on together with the “Seven Samurai”. It would have been a much easier decision if had have reflect on any three – but I guess that would have drawn everyone to the low hanging fruit of “Yojimbo” and its two offspring. However, I want to reflect on the two I think that have had the most effect on me, “Yojimbo” and “Fistful of Dollars”.

As I have revealed earlier in exercise 1.2, I came to the Seven Samurai as an admirer of the Magnificent Seven and while not wanting to get into comparisons here between those two films it is significant to mention it as it has a bearing on how I viewed Kurosawa’s masterpiece work.

It is evident when you watch the “Seven Samurai” why it has inspired so many filmmakers; not only the recognised re-make the Magnificent Seven but others such as the Guns of Navarone and the Dirty Dozen. The film explores so many themes, from the cultural significance of the Ronin in Feudal Japan to the motivation of individuals and beyond; all wrapped in a package that any blockbuster Hollywood movie now or then would be grateful to have.

What is does have though above all it imitators is its running time, at over hours Kurosawa allows the plot points to develop slowly, the characters to marinate so that they become rounded individuals. It does not rely on an overly dramatic showdown that many of its offspring have, nor is there a “happy ending” of redemption for the group either in an honourable death or survival. No, what Kurosawa is showing in this film is that violence breeds violence and that for a warrior survival can be a form of death. They become obsolete there are no longer required and because of the class systems in feudal Japan they cannot quietly retire into the community, they have saved. The fact that they are ronin available in the first place is because of this class system, and Kurosawa shows that perpetual cycle to great effect in this movie.

The same director shows a different style in Yojimbo, classed as a thriller – the story is less class based and could be easily transported in any period as has been demonstrated with the two remakes we have studied. Here the director has focused on an individual and his mission to rid a town of two feuding gangs. While still set in feudal Japan, it is quite clearly at a period which is contemporary with the American western, as shown with the use of a Colt 45 or similar. The overall feel of the film is more of a western than the thoughtful subtleties of the directors earlier Chanbara masterpiece.

There are much more comic elements, and the score is heavier and more humorous if not cartoon in style, but overall the Kurosawa has pushed the samurai film away from its origins to show more realistically how brutal death can be in particular by a sword. However, unlike the more real characters that he has produced in the Seven Samurai, the hero is more the of the modern day action hero. Seemingly unstoppable and able to single-handedly bring down the “bad guys” no matter what happen to him, which is in nearly every modern day film, although, somehow I am drawn to a comparison to John McClane in Die Hard; how he can defeat the terrorists despite being barefoot.

In “A Fistful of Dollars” Sergio Leone remakes the Yojimbo while bringing a style to the film which pays homage to both Kurosawa and the chanbara and the great blockbuster American Westerns of the likes of John Ford. “A Fistful of Dollars” was the beginning of the Spaghetti Western and Leone had produced a film which was not a shot for shot remake make of Yojimbo nor has it the same tone. I would describe it as a more serious film than it predecessor. Yes, the overall story is the same, but the development of most charictors is less characteristic than Yojimbo, and the direction leads the way the use of extreme close-ups on the actor’s eyes that became a trademark of the spaghetti western.

A Fistful of Dollars is very much a western, and you can see that influence in the wide shots which bring in the landscape – especially when compared back to Yojimbo; mainly set within the claustrophobic surround of a village.

The overall look of Leone film is very similar in feel to both Yojimbo and Seven Samurai, but this achieved differently. Kurosawa makes great use of light and shadow for the dramatic effect his films; shot in black and white and the contrast gives the grittiness and darkness. Whereas “A Fistful of Dollars” is in full colour, but unlike many of it contemporary American Westerns there is a layer of dust over everything as you would expect in the American West – not the shiny bright colours of Hollywood.

Overall I think these two directors over these three movies have made a great contribution to each genre they represent, in Leones case even helping to give birth to the Spaghetti Western. They have transported them to another level for all that followed to look up to whether within the genre or outside. They have spawned many remakes, sequels and homages some less successful than others but they all owe that existence to the three films we have talked about today.