harakiri ( 切腹 seppuku , 1962 ) is a japanese jidaigeki ( period-drama ) film directed by masaki kobayashi .

the story takes place between 1619 and 1630 during the edo period and the reign of the tokugawa shogunate .

it tells the story of hanshirō tsugumo , a warrior without a lord .

at the time , it was common for masterless samurai , or rōnin , to request to commit seppuku ( hara kiri ) in the palace courtyard in the hope of receiving alms from the remaining feudal lords .

harakiri ( 1962 film )

harakiri ( 1962 film ) <EOT> scene from the 1962 film harakiri of motome chijiwa being coerced into commiting seppuku with his bamboo dagger . english subtitles . urltoken

[ 4 ] harakiri ( seppuku ) , dir . kobayashi masaki , shochiku co . , ltd . , 1962 .

harakiri is a 1962 jidai geki film directed by masaki kobayashi and starring tatsuya nakadai . it was made as a deconstruction of the glorified samurai code of honor usually associated with that genre .

ride the high country ( 1962 ) : sam peckinpah arises and randolph scott and joel mccrea ride off into the sunset .

the 1962 single masterpiece uses ploys of the written word in picturing the past and / or far away to criticize the present .

february 3 ( monday ) film : harakiri ( seppuku ) director : masaki kobayashi ( 1962 , b / w , 134 min . ) altschul auditorium ( 417 international affairs building ) , columbia university ( 118th st . and amsterdam ave . ) 7 : 45 pm

in harakiri ( seppuku , 1962 ) , nakadai plays a masterless samurai who requests permission from a lord to commit ritual suicide on his property . showcasing one of nakadai’s most famous performances , the film is a masterful critique of the struggles of the individual within an overpowering system . it was the winner of cannes jury prize in 1962 and was directed by the great kobayashi masaki , whom nakadai worked with numerous times including on the epic series the human condition .

used repeatedly on motome during his involuntary harakiri ceremony to convey a sense of stomach - sickening horror .

beautifully written , wonderfully directed and amazingly acted . harakiri is a creative , inteligent and awesome film . one of the few movies you can call it perfect .

“this thing we call samurai honour is ultimately nothing but a facade” . so says hanshiro tsugumo in the mansion of the iyi clan one afternoon in the year 1630 . and it’s this facade that forms the groundwork of masaki kobayashi’s “harakiri” ( 1962 ) , based on the novel by yasuhiko takiguchi .

the three men most responsible for forcing motome to commit harakiri out of their contempt for his dishonorable ways are ultimately dishonored themselves , yet like motome two of them have to be forced at swordpoint to commit harakiri in atonement .

the film deals heavily in appearances , namely issue regarding honor or lack thereof . the film in my opinion seems to invite…

i finally had an excuse to watch this monumental film this morning . and i can say without a doubt that harakiri is a classic in every sense of the word . a truly perfect film that earns its prestige humbly . like a samurai bowing in…

so which one is hara - kiri : death of a samurai ? the film is miike’s second period samurai remake in recent years , following his truly excellent 13 assassins . the latter movie is one of miike’s best , so there were pretty heavy expectations on this remake of masaki kobayashi’s 1962 film harakiri . but reviews out of the film’s first appearance on the festival circuit weren’t great . was the chilly reception thanks to over - inflated expectations in the wake of 13 assassins , or is hara - kiri just one of miike’s middling efforts ?

harakiri belongs to one of the best mini genres in film : post - war anti - samurai films . it ' s up there with sword of doom and onibaba as far as i ' m concerned .

a remake of masaki kobayashi ' s harakiri ( 1962 ) , takashi miike ' s new film hara - kiri : death of a samurai retains much of the original ' s plot , imagery , and production design ; even the sets and props appear to be near - replicas of ones in the 1962 film . and yet miike ' s movie is completely its own thing , nothing like kobayashi ' s—owing in part to the directors ' radically different attitudes toward the subject matter , and to the two films ' diametrically - opposed conceptions of space and movement . a big pontificator with an arty style , kobayashi favored complex sequence shots , dolly - ins from behind , smash zooms , and extremely wide angle lenses that warp the space around the edges of the frame , making it appear as though rooms and bodies are constantly expanding and contracting ; his harakiri is an angry , slow - burn anti - chanbara flick—dramatically heightened , spatially wonky , accusatory .

harakiri was remade recently as harakiri : death of a samurai by the infuriatingly inconsistent takeshi miike ( thirteen assassins by him is well worth checking out if you like more action in your samurai movies ) . i have yet to see it , but i cannot imagine it will compare well to the original .

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samurai rebellion , without a doubt , is very much on par with harakiri . two films that are , for me , the complete picture of what timeless filmmaking is .

film 14 of 50 on my list of highly regarded films i haven ' t seen .

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space and movement are at the center of the anything - goes auteur ' s new film .

a masterful , heartbreaking mystery drama that unfolds slowly until its final act . harakiri acts as a critique to the period it takes place in and what it truly means to be a samurai . the film itself as a whole is flawless , from direction to even fight choreography , however its driven by dialogue for the most part , which is remarkably engaging throughout the film’s entirety .

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notebook is a daily , international film publication . our mission is to guide film lovers searching , lost or adrift in an overwhelming sea of content . we offer text , images , sounds and video as critical maps , passways and illuminations to the worlds of contemporary and classic film . notebook is a mubi publication .

when harakiri premiered on september 16 , 1962 , japanese audiences saw the familiar cinematic landscape of feudal japan portrayed in expressive , allegorical terms . later described as shakespearean by kobayashi’s admirers , the film communicates its themes in graceful cinematic rhetoric , visually conveying intolerable class regimentation through calculated movements of the frame and theatrical lighting . a limited number of sets , used repeatedly to create a sense of space and sameness to reflect patterns of ritualistic behavior , might become claustrophobic to another filmmaker . kobayashi’s frequent cinematographer yoshio miyajima utilizes fluid tracking shots interspersed with contrasted diagonals throughout to make the position , movement , and subtle contorting of the frame become an essential and telling narrative tool .

which is the most befitting way for a person to die ? is it to die of honour or to die of love . harakiri answers this and many other moral questions in a gut wrenching manner .

as mentioned above , the story abounds with idiosyncratic japanese behaviour . the titular harakiri ( the cruder , though more well - known to the west term for seppuku ) is ritual self - disembowelment that the samurai performed either in acts of contrition , in devout loyalty to their lords , or in protest . it was and is regarded as an incredibly noble act of purity . the film harakiri , however , takes precisely the opposite view , seeing it as the cruel and wasteful symbol of a perverted form of honour .

can screenwriters change the course of film history ? the work of key kurosawa collaborator shinobu hashimoto proves they can .

[ 16 ] eisenstein , “the unexpected , ” ( 1928 ) , in leyda , film form , 21 .

i could not help but think of shakespeare who died in 1616 , only 14 years before this period film .

are eternal so long as our specie exists . this is a very good film , with sharp contrasts to maximize

harakiri , thus , is not a happy or a heroic film . i would describe it almost as feverous ; the camera angles are intensely close at times and at skewed angles others , the soundtrack hums with the rolling , frantic , never quite subsiding thrashing of what i believe to be a biwa lute , punctuated with sudden violent stabs of percussion . it is quite unique amongst the jidaigeki films i have seen . yojimbo is prepared to satirize the samurai but no more . harakiri is filled with a cold and humane loathing for them .

writing of the composition of architectural space in harakiri , contreras does not ignore the question of time . she writes that “ [ u ] ltimately [ harakiri ] is about the interaction of time and space . ” [ 27 ] however , when she writes of the interplay between the visual parameters and the action and figures , contreras describes this dynamic as two axes in the film : static space and moving time . she sees space and time as two poles articulated against each other in a dichotomy between composition and choreography and between stillness and motion . this conception of time and space and how they function in mise en scène cannot grasp the dynamic energies of the film .

" harakiri " was released in 1962 , the work of masaki kobayashi ( 1916 - 1996 ) , best known for " kwaidan " ( 1965 ) , an assembly of ghost stories that is among the most beautiful films i ' ve seen . he also made the nine - hour epic " the human condition " ( 1959 - 1961 ) which was critical of the way the bushido code permeated japanese life and helped create the state of mind which led to world war ii . and he made " samurai rebellion " ( 1967 ) , about a man who refuses to offer his wife to a superior .

harakiri ( or seppuku as it is known in japan ) is my personal favourite film about samurai , and i would argue that from a certain perspective it might be the greatest example of the jidaigeki genre : the issues it raises are universal , and yet because of the social conventions the plot is arrayed around it is simultaneously uniquely japanese .

the op ' s argument is essentially that harikari was biting social criticism at the time it was made . but unlike the rules of the game , the social criticism doesn ' t go over as well today . society has changed too much . saying it was a social criticism explains why it was a good film in its time , not why it should be adored today . there ' s a difference between appreciating a film of a train pulling into a station , for its part of film history , and enjoying it . ( of course , i did enjoy harakiri . )

i greatly enjoy this film as well . i hate to sound like a broken record , but kobayashi doesn ' t get nearly as much credit as he deserves . i hold him up there with kurosawa . i know it isn ' t about harakiri , but you should really watch his magnum opus , the human condition it is a masterpiece .

[ 30 ] it is pertinent here that film scholar donald richie makes a distinction between the history of western cinema , in which , he argues , painting and photography have been central , and a pivotal focus on the heritage of theatre in classical japanese film , suggesting that we should turn to dramaturgy rather than the pictorial arts in our study of japanese film .

this is not a film for everyone . if you ' re expecting blood and guts spilled - forget it ! it ' s about destitute samurai pretending to commit seppuku in the hope of blackmailing someone . very psychological film , and a vehicle for nakadai to show off his acting skills ( which are immense - way ahead of mifune toshiro ) the film is very annoyingly dubbed into czech , with english sub - titles , an absurd way to present a japanese film . altogether a great disappointment .

hanshiro dishonours the samurai who killed motome , and they all end up committing harakiri offscreen . however , the other ii retainers shoot him as he , cornered , tries to commit honorable suicide , and the deaths of the disgraced retainers are covered up as " illness . " the clan ' s handling of motome and hanshiro ' s harakiri requests—or rather , the version they tell others—increases the reputation of their house throughout the land and earns bennosuke words of praise from lord doi .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

[ 9 ] sergei eisenstein , “the cinematographic principle and the idiogram” ( 1930 ) , in film form : essays in film theory , ed . and trans . jay leyda ( new york : harcourt , brace & world , 1949 ) , 43 .

i love samurai films . they were among the first foreign films which i have watched , but namely i would focus on those of akira kurosawa , particularly seven samurai , which was an influential part of my own life for it brought onto myself a new means of appreciating cinema in all regard . as i were to venture into more samurai cinema , i decided to look into more that were not from kurosawa and that was how i stumbled across masaki kobayashi ' s harakiri for a change . when i finished up , something hit me about harakiri in a way that i wouldn ' t have expected from samurai films . in some strange manner , harakiri was almost a rather philosophical experience . as it continues to reside…

my awards are the same as yours , except for adapted screenplay and foreign film , which i give to jules et jim .

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i think mankind ' s callousness to the arbitrary nature of life is the true villain of this film . i love the ending , where a cruel , proud man is shown how easily his clan ' s honor is undermined , how close he is to the chopping block . the only improvement i can imagine is an official edict to the clan leaders , asking them to commit harakiri .

though it was common at that time for ronin to request permission to commit harakiri in the courtyards of clan residences , saito is somewhat suspicious of hanshiro’s request . there have been recent cases where ronin used their harakiri requests to swindle the clan leaders into giving them money . in an attempt to test hanshiro’s resolve , saito tells him a story of a young ronin named chijiwa motome ( akira ishihama ) , another former fukushima clan retainer who came to the iyi mansion a few months earlier with the same request . already aware of the “harakiri scam” , saito grants chijiwa his request , provided that he performs harakiri immediately . problem was , motome had recently pawned the blades of his swords and had them replaced with bamboo . the iyi clan is angered that a samurai would do this , since a sword is considered to be a “samurai’s soul” . with no chance of escape , and no choice but to uphold his honour as a samurai , motome slowly and painfully disembowels himself with his bamboo blade before having his head lopped off by the kaishakunin .

mcdonald , keiko i . reading a japanese film : cinema in context . honolulu : university of hawaii press ; annotated edition , 2006 .

despite the early modern - era setting , the film contains many of the same tropes of earlier samurai films ( albeit with a lot more bloodletting ) , most notably another koike adaptation that preceded it , the seven - film lone wolf and cub ( 1972 - 74 ) series .

the thing is , i didn ' t have insight into japanese authoritarianism during the edo period before watching this movie . i don ' t think it ' s fair to judge a film based on your own knowledge or insight into certain topics . harakiri shows an example or the result of extreme authoritarianism on a singular family ( sort of similar in that sense to grave of the fireflies ) . it also shows the futility of trying to change it , as shown by the brilliant ending . but this is not what makes a film . what makes a film is it ' s power to move , or entertain . harakiri is beautifully choreographed , has an intense story that is often touching and tragic , and is a powerful indictment of japanese politics . weather you already on the side of the movies themes or not is mostly irrelevant imo , as it presents it ' s case with an emotional narrative that does indeed tell a story you can ' t find anywhere else .

[ 36 ] michael ondaatje , the conversations : walter murch and the art of editing film ( london : bloomsbury , 2002 ) , 50 .

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i think you bring up good points about the armor and what it symbolizes . i think it would be a good idea to use what you think the armor symbolizes and tie it into the greater themes of the film , such as ritual suicide and the honor it represents . the ritual suicide portrayed in the film is part of the samurai code and it is committed as a way to die with honor . the time period in japan that the film takes place was a relatively peaceful time that left many samurai wandering the land in poverty . samurais go to the house estates and ask to commit harakiri on the land as a way to die honorably , but many of them are just looking for handouts .

[ 34 ] this also gives us a way to understand the extraordinary variability of film reception and experience , and even our fluctuating experience of a film at different viewings : that we are made up of a multitude of affective / mimetic interfaces that are constantly evoked and remade with each new experience .

i definitely agree that the opening sequence is significant in this film , and would make for a great place to start in your analysis . you did a good job of finding the " texture " of the film , and you were wise to focus on the mood and music of the scene . i think by doing this , you ' ll give yourself an interesting window into the film that otherwise may be quick to ignore . i ' d make sure to tie all aspects of the film to the beginning , at some point , to further indicate why the opening is significant enough to write about .

" the ballad of narayama " is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…

to remake or not to remake , that is the question “ ichimei ” or “hara - kiri : death of a samurai” is takashi miike ‘s 2012 remake of the extraordinary 1962 classic “ seppuku ” ( or “ harakiri “ ) , that one directed by masaki kobayashi . if you feel like this might be a little too ambitious of a project for someone like miike , fear not . his last project was “13 assassins” ( which was reviewed right here on amp ) , a similar type of film with parallel themes and a striking resemblance in terms of visuals . the story goes as follows : a ronin requests an audience with the regent of a powerful samurai clan . once he is permitted to enter the grounds , the wandering warrior makes a startling demand : he requests the use of the clan’s courtyard in order to perform hara - kiri ( suicide by disembowelment ) . now , this is where the story gets even stranger… as the conversation continues , the regent reveals an

bookends : the film begins and ends with a shot of the red armor on display , and narration from the ii clan ' s official chronicle of events .

baby jane came in 31st for the year . i think it’s a good film , but not great – a mid range * * * film . the problem for me , is that it is a little hard to take it too seriously on the pure film level , and i’m not a fan of camp , so i don’t really find very enjoyable on that level either . i do think davis is good , but she also misses out on a best actress nom from me .

even though i had read about ride the high country on and off for years i had never actually viewed the film until last night on dvd . i came away with a deep admiration for what was accomplished both by actors joel mccrea and randolph scott but also by director sam pekinpah . many film critics consider this to be their best work in their respective fields . given the careers of these individuals that is saying a lot ! beautifully photographed this motion picture had been overlooked by many in the years immediately after its initial release in 1962 but also , i suspect , by many filmgoers today . that is a shame . i encourage all to take the time to watch this motion picture which represents the ending of a certain noble form of the western genre as well as the careers of scott and mccrea . in this regard the final death scene is both touching and poignant .

the film has a steady , hypnotic momentum ; the director , masaki kobayashi , wrings as much drama out of facial twitches as he does out of sword fights .

but it is still relevant , and it is still powerful , making it an even more resonating film than it could ever possibly be if it weren ' t .

harakiri is one of the greatest films ever made , imo . absolutely everything that could go right while making it went right . incredible performances ( tatsuya nakadai is a very versatile actor , sadly not so many people know about him because most associate samurai film actors with mifune ) , awesome b & w cinematography , pure passion and raw emotion radiating from each frame , effective aperiodic string soundtrack which will linger in the mind for a long time , suspenseful battle scenes and an excellent ending .

something most people i speak to about it don ' t know is that the film is a powerful allegory for a japanese attitude towards authority post - world war ii .

that’s a well - cut trailer for a film that has been reported to be a bit dull . miike is almost always good for an exciting sequence or two , and there’s clearly enough material to cut into a compelling two and a half - minute presentation . it’s enough to make me want to catch the full film , despite the reviews .

sublime i was introduced to kobayashi with the human condition and absolutely loved it . having been a lover of japanese cinema i was shocked by my ignorance of this great director . harakiri is a masterpiece and a joy to watch from the very first frame to the last . i kept thinking throughout the film whether i have ever seen a better black and white cinematography . the sets are designed to perfection . it made me laugh when kobayashi mentions the " roofs " in the interview . what a discovery !

" the film has a steady , hypnotic momentum ; the director , masaki kobayashi , wrings as much drama out of facial twitches as he does out of sword fights . "

how are the quintessentially " japanese " themes these movies raise ( esp . honor , duty / obligation vs desire ) seen / experienced by those who , let ' s say , are not really " into " japanese culture , history , or films ? would they , as expressed by harakiri for instance , still have the same impact ?

set in 1844 , 13 assassins follows the seven samurai template , featuring a band of samurais who come together to overthrow a despotic lord for the greater good of society . miike’s version benefits from a far more generous budget , with a wonderful attention to period sets and costumes and some inventively choreographed fight scenes . his subsequent stab at remaking a genre masterpiece , with hara - kiri : death of a samurai ( 2012 ) , a reworking of the 1962 kobayashi classic , was an altogether more sedate affair : the first jidaigeki shot in 3d , it was only distributed in its flat version in the uk .

it ' s been around a year since i saw harakiri but the authoritarianism demonstrated was very basic . 1984 ( the book ) is something i can more easily relate to , because i can understand why someone wouldn ' t stand up to 1984 ' s authority . the trial ( book or movie ) is another great anti - authority story .

i ' m rarely a fan of frame narratives , but harakiri allows the viewer to experience an honorable man ' s decline so vividly , so humanly . everything is obvious and we anticipate the progression of misery , sickness , and death , but the expert scripting , the awesome direction , and the sadness of tatsuya nakadai ' s eyes sell it .

[ 8 ] jonathan rosenbaum and adrian martin , eds . , movie mutations : the changing face of world cinephilia ( london : british film institute , 2003 ) , 5 - 6 .

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consider the iconic image of the film , when tsugomu fights a swordsman of the clan on a windy moor . at the climax he assumes an odd stance with the sword , pictured here :

this is an amazing japanese classic written and filmed without flaw . the action unfolds in story - telling within story - telling . this is a film about truth . whose truth ? that is the unfoldment . in a perverted way , this amazing piece of work has become predictive of western corporate banking . perhaps you ' ll see what i mean at the end of the film .

great film , as good a film as i ' ve ever seen ! as good a purchase as i ' ve ever made , it ' s in czech , so you have to fiddle around with it to get japanese audio and english subtitles , but it is worth it at a good price for such a quality groundbreaking film , i went off of roger ebert on this one and i am so glad i did , fantastic story , great acting by nakadai as in ran , and it ' s just a classic , up there with seven samurai , yojimbo imo .

following the collapse of his clan , an unemployed samurai ( tatsuya nakadai ) arrives at the manor of lord iyi , begging to be allowed to commit ritual suicide on the property . iyi’s clansmen , believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position , try to force his hand and get him to eviscerate himself—but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor . winner of the cannes film festival’s special jury prize , harakiri , directed by masaki kobayashi is a fierce evocation of individual agency in the face of a corrupt and hypocritical system .

their three best warriors pretend to be ill so that nobody will find out they had their samurai topknots taken , instead of immediately committing harakiri to atone for their disgrace . after hanshiro ' s rampage , the clan covers up the whole incident because they can ' t admit to the world that some half - starved ronin managed to inflict such casualties on their ranks .

adapted from the same source novel in 2011 by notorious auteur takashi miike , the original – winner of the 1963 special jury prize at cannes – still stands as a startling moment in japanese cinema . the masters of cinema series is proud to present , for its 50th anniversary , the uk home viewing première of harakiri in a dual format blu - ray + dvd edition .

following the collapse of his clan , an unemployed samurai arrives at the manor of lord iyi , begging to be allowed to commit ritual suicide on the property . iyi ' s clansmen , believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position , try to force his hand and get him to eviscerate himself , but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor . winner of the cannes film festival ' s special jury prize , harakiri , directed by masaki kobayashi is a fierce evocation of individual agency in the face of a corrupt and hypocritical system .

" this stunning film is a sombre tragedy ( . . . ) giving off deep rage against militarism , political systems and beliefs that do not allow for a rational human outlook or future change "

keisuke kinoshita in 1958 and shohei immamura in 1983 ) are superb . both are adaptations of a book by shichiro fukazawa which complicates the line of descent . similarly the coen brothers claim that their film

soundtrack duties for miike’s film are provided by superstar composer ryuichi sakamoto . whilst i admire sakamoto’s work with nagisa oshima ( merry christmas mr lawrence ( 1983 ) and gohatto ( 1999 ) ) , this soundtrack has too much melodramatic swelling strings for my liking . far superior are the disconcerting twangs and shimmering gongs of the original film’s soundtrack . this was written by the innovative and influential experimental composer toru takemitsu . amongst his other impressive body of film work are soundtracks for kurosawa’s ran ( 1985 ) , kobayashi’s kwaiden , and best of all : hiroshi teshigahara’s the woman in the dunes ( 1964 ) .

" film development " is what we at urltoken are calling the process of thinking about films with the idea that the films themselves are thinking . very simply : what is a film thinking about , how is it thinking about that , and what may be the value of that thinking ? read more . ( click the red x - upper right corner - to make this notice vanish forever ) .

with takashi miike ’s remake hara - kiri : death of a samurai next week i thought it was as good an excuse as any to look back at the many gorgeous posters for masaki kobayashi ’s 1962 original . one of the most startlingly beautiful of all samurai movies , harakiri is an exercise in stylistic bravado , a masterpiece of widescreen high contrast black and white . i recently stumbled across this unusually stark vertical polish poster—like one of kobayashi’s frames upended—by marek freudenreich ( he of the amazing crossword skull stage fright ) on a polish culture site which was reviewing a 2008 show of his work . this little - seen design set me off on a search for other posters for kobayashi’s masterpiece , the fruits of which you can see below . above : the enormous italian style b  4 - foglio ( 55 " x 78 " ) by alverado ciriello . above : the italian style a 4 - foglio ( 55 " x 78 " ) , also by ciriello .  above : the french grande ( 47 " x 63 " ) signed by “ainelare .

after completing his story , saito sternly questions hanshiro’s sincerity . hanshiro assures him that he is indeed sincere in performing harakiri . but before doing so , he requests an audience with saito and the iyi retainers to tell a story of his own : a story that will challenge the belief system of the entire iyi clan and the fatalistic code of bushido that they continue to adhere to .

lawrence of arabia becomes only the third film ( following gone with the wind and casablanca ) to come in 1st place in the top 1000 for the year and also win best picture at the oscars .

the implications of contreras’ separation of time and space , evident in her account of shots in which the camera and figures rarely move , are thrown into stark relief in its application to the action sequences . it is with the duel scene that contreras’ discussion of the film reveals most clearly the inadequacy of a pictorial approach to addressing the dynamism of the film or to giving an insight into why it is so thrilling .

[ 13 ] donald richie , “notes on the film music of takemitsu toru , ” contemporary music review 21 : 4 ( 2002 ) , 5 - 16 : 9 ; takemitsu , confronting silence , 102 .

is well made , enjoyable , and was critically well received . however , being almost identical , and in almost every way inferior to its original template , there is little to justify its existence . miike’s calling card has always been originality . when you can call a miike film ( whether you liked it or not ) unoriginal , it seems a somewhat sad betrayal of this surreal and boundary pushing film maker’s sensibilities .

subverting authority on the basis of human moral decency , harakiri endures as kobayashi’s most powerful film , and an uncommonly singular statement against samurai honor . given the ingrained presence of samurai in japanese cinema , and the samurai’s influence over japanese principles from their feudal period to present , kobayashi’s filmic assault transcends history to find modern parallels in their social infrastructure . under his direction , japanese warriors revered for centuries as symbols of military composure and nobility become hardened figures of corruption and emotional indifference , further outlining how systems of authority concern themselves only with the collective’s need in prioritized ranks , and rarely ever consider the individual .

you ' re completely reducing the film to it ' s societal criticism by saying it shouldn ' t be as adored today . you are also incorrect to say " society has changed too much " . harakiri is still as relevant now as it was then , perhaps not in your country , but the world is filled with authoritative governments and political corruption . and even if it didn ' t , as a time period piece it still marvelous excels . and hell , even if it ' s themes were completely stricken from the movie , it would still be a tense , powerful , and tragic story .

the story : one afternoon , a shabby , starved ronin ( or unemployed samurai ) by the name of hanshiro tsugumo arrives at the mansion of lord iyi in edo ( tokyo ) . a former retainer of the fukushima clan , hanshiro ( like many other former samurai who , according to the code of bushido , dedicated their hearts , souls and swords to serving their masters ) was cast aside and forced to seek employment elsewhere . with no purpose in a time of peace , and little to no reason to live , he requests permission from lord iyi’s senior counselor , saito kayegu ( rentaro mikuni ) , to perform harakiri in the forecourt of the mansion . harakiri , or seppuku ( the film’s japanese title ) , is a ritualistic act of suicide which begins with self - disembowelment with a short blade – either a knife ( tanto ) or short sword ( wakizashi ) – and concludes with the decapitation of the samurai in one stroke ( kaishaku ) by a swordsman ( kaishakunin ) selected by the samurai himself .

hikokuro is one of the three men most responsible for motome ' s suffering , as he was the one who argued that he should be made to commit harakiri , and refused to chop off his head until he had dragged the bamboo bladea across his stomach . yet compared to hayato and umenosuke , hikokuro does a much better job of actually living up to the bushido code he claims to live by .

unlike the film’s 2011 3d remake ( yes , ladies and gents… . 3 - d… . remake ! ! ) “hara - kiri : death of a samurai” directed by takashi miike ( who made the incredibly awesome chambara “13 assassins” one year prior ) , “harakiri” maintains a dark , haunting and bitter tone . the first few opening shots set this tone brilliantly . an empty suit of armour is shot from different angles inside a room enveloped in darkness and mist . even when the back wall of the room is illuminated slightly by a back light , the armour still appears dark . this suit is the symbol of the iyi clan and represents their martial valour , and yet in these opening shots ( and sporadically throughout the film ) it’s presented as hollow , ghost - like and lifeless , a remnant of olden , obsolete rules and traditions .

the allegory is not the subtlest in harakiri , but the rare sense of anger in my opinion overrides criticism of it . tsugomu , we learn , was a devoted master swordsman of a clan that was abolished on a whim by the shogunate a decade prior . twelve thousand innocent souls , as tsugomu put it , cast adrift to perish by governmental decree . it is because of this abolition tsugomu and his son - in - law find themselves in the dire straits that necessitate the son - in - law begging money of the cruel lord that begins the film , and the same implacability of the whole that ultimately ends it .

is an original screenplay . this means that miike’s version has no point of origin except for kobayashi’s film . as the setting is the same , miike cannot utilise the disconnect of place or language that allows films such as

at the gate of the official mansion of lord iyi , a shabby ronin named tsugumo hanshiro applies for an audience with the clan elder , saito kayegu ( rentaro mikuni ) . he has been set loose by lord geishu and has no job . he requests permission to kill himself in the clan ' s forecourt . the ritual act is known as harakiri , or seppuku ( which is the film ' s title in japanese ) . it involves using a short blade for self - disembowelment . after the blade plunges in and slices from left to right , a designated master swordsman stands by to decapitate the samurai with one powerful stroke .

film at ovitt family community library : “frozen” ( 2013 ) , noon - 1 : 30 p . m . june 5 , free , 215 e . c st . , ontario , 909 - 395 - 2004 . urltoken

it would be wrong for me to reveal the details of the story tsugumo tells . what i can say is that it is heartbreaking . he explains that motome was not a man trying to avoid death by the excuse of asking for a delay . he was a man whose actual honor humbles saito and other authoritarian bureaucrats . sometimes it takes more courage to do the right thing than to do the traditional thing . following the bushido code frees its adherents from the need to arrive at their own moral conclusions . " harakiri " is a film reflecting situational ethics , in which the better you know a man the more deeply you understand his motives .

joan mellen is the author of several books about japanese cinema , including voices from the japanese cinema and the waves at genji’s door as well as monographs for the bfi on seven samurai and in the realm of the senses . her most recent book is a farewell to justice : jim garrison , jfk’s assassination , and the case that should have changed history . this piece originally appeared in the criterion collection’s 2005 dvd edition of harakiri .

harakiri ’s composer , takemitsu , appears particularly attuned to the discovery of similarity or pattern between modes , to thinking cross - modally—experiencing and thinking of one sense as the other or complemented by the terms of the other . he describes his way of working with film , in which sound and image cannot be conceived separately . he sees images as music : “i love movies because i experience them as music” and sees music as image : “when i hear sound , maybe because i am a visual person , i always have visions . and when i see , i always hear . these are not isolated experiences but always simultaneous , activating imagination . ” [ 13 ]

film at los angeles county museum of art : “ladies in retirement” ( 1941 ) , 1 p . m . june 9 . tickets $ 4 . 5905 wilshire blvd . , los angeles . 323 - 857 - 6010 . urltoken

( 1954 ) . miike uses kudo’s template as a showcase for his own brand of violent action . the film’s set up is essentially an excuse for a 50 minute climactic battle in a booby trapped village . in this part of the film the narrative recedes into the background whilst the the “cinema of attractions” of the action spectacle takes over . the village is a haunted house ride ( a different surprise around every corner ) within which miike blocks out time by combining rapid cut chaotic fighting scenes against graceful balletic movements captured with longer kinetic camera movements . violence is mainly implied , leading up to coup de grace moments of explicit gore which mark the end of sub - scenes ( within this long uberscene ) . the generic template of kudo’s original allows miike to explore his various styles of action film making over an extended period . in my opinion this is enough of a departure from the original film to justify the remake .

masaki kobayashi served as a rebel filmmaker in japan’s thriving , defiant postwar cinema , presenting his most vital criticisms of authoritarian powers through jidai - geki , or period pieces , which veiled the director’s censures of contemporary officialdom behind their historical setting . harakiri stands as kobayashi’s most pronounced anti - establishment film , its raw moments of symbolic violence balanced with a narrative whose allusions hold tragic humanist and social implications . condemning his country’s lingering ties to their feudal past , his tale of desperate samurai and corrupt feudal clans challenged its japanese audience to look into their history for a modern precedent , and represents , with unparallel clarity of purpose in his career , kobayashi’s need to defy authority .

anne rutherford teaches cinema studies at western sydney university . she has published on cinematic affect and embodiment , cinematic materiality , mise en scène , indigenous cinema and documentary , and is the author of ‘what makes a film tick ? ’ : cinematic affect , materiality and mimetic innervation . her recent research explores montage and performativity in the work of william kentridge ; and the film work of indigenous australian director , ivan sen . she has also made several short films . urltoken

in other technical aspects miike simply can’t compete . his film is in colour ( 3d in fact , although i watched it in 2d ) , but the tones are oddly murky . only the opening shot of the crimson wood of the palace , and a later pillow shot of maple leaves in autumn , take advantage of the colour palette . kobayashi’s film has a very strong visual identity forged by two reoccurring shots in the courtyard scenes . one is a fixed over - the - shoulder shot from behind the counsellor looking down at hanshiro . the other is a fixed over - the - shoulder shot from behind hanshiro looking up at the counsellor . these shots quickly establish the power relations in the film , and anchor the film between the various flashbacks . miike prefers to keep his camera mobile , constantly circling hanshiro . this gives us a sense of the forces that surround him , bit isn’t as effective as kobayashi’s static camera .

everyone involved in this film , kobayashi , nakadai , hashimoto , miyajima , takemitsu . . . everyone ' s firing on all cylinders . ridiculously good . one of the all time great revenge films . suck on it , tarantino .

oh well . anyway , the photography of this film was gorgeous , especially toward the end of the film where nakadai hunts down some of the samurai . i also love the shots in the courtyard , where we can see every scraggly hair on nakadai ' s face . a great ending fight sequence too , albeit it has a bit of that " why don ' t they all just go for him at once " problem oft found in group fight sequences . "

film at claremont 5 laemmle : “the fixer upper” ( 2015 ) , 9 : 30 and 11 : 15 a . m . june 5 , tickets $ 8 - $ 11 , 450 w . second st . , claremont . urltoken

from audition to ichi the killer and 13 assasins , prolific japanese director takashi miike has regularly awed audiences around the world with his harrowing tale of violence and revenge . now , more than a year after hara - kiri : death of a samurai made its world premiere at the cannes film festival , the heralded drama is at long last gearing up for its stateside release with a sleek and stylish trailer , which you can check out below . a respectful remake of masaki kobayashi film harakiri , hara - kiri : death of a samurai follows the quest of a mysterious samurai , who travels to the doorstep of a feudal lord and requests to commit ritual suicide in the man ' s courtyard . suspicious of the stoic warrior , the lord unfurls the tragic story of an ill - fated ronin named motome , who came to this place before with a similar request , but also with an ulterior motive . unexpectedly , the story the lord

about the post - ww2 anti - authority statement : kobayashi ' s films often feature noble individuals who have to act against the oppresive system , whether it ' s the feudal law in harakiri and samurai rebellion , or ww2 japanese obsessive militarism in the human condition . kobayashi himself was a soldier in ww2 manchuria , and after the war he made lots of films attacking the japanese state / laws , such as the thick - walled room or black river .

of all masaki kobayashi’s attacks on the cruelty and inhumanity perpetrated by authoritarian power ( including the human condition and samurai rebellion ) , perhaps none are more brilliant than his visceral , mesmerising harakiri [ aka seppuku ] . in a magnificent performance , tatsuya nakadai ( yojimbo , the face of another , ran ) stars as hanshiro tsugumo , a masterless down - and - out samurai who enters the manor of lord iyi , requesting to commit ritual suicide on his property .

even if kobayashi ' s first period film is an exemplary tale speaking as much to our own times as to japan ' s feudal era , it is also a ripping yarn , keeping the viewer gripped with its jigsaw structure and intense performances .

in that previous thread , a poster mentioned " something most people i speak to about it don ' t know is that the film is a powerful allegory for a japanese attitude towards authority post - world war ii . " thoughts on that statement ?

a beautiful film set in 18th century japan . the handsome but overly ambitious gonza ( hiromi go ) is one of the matsue clan ' s most talented lancers . although he is already engaged to the sister of one of his fellow retainers , gonza agrees to wed the daughter of his lord to better his position . the fiancée ' s infuriated brother plots against gonza . this classic tale of conflicts between love and honor , duty and devotion , won a silver bear at the berlin film festival .


the whip is a 1917 american silent drama film directed by maurice tourneur that is based on the play of the same name by henry hamilton and cecil raleigh .

the film stars alma hanlon , june elvidge , and irving cummings .

it also features bobby vernon , wallace beery , as well as gloria swanson in one of her early film roles .

the film survives and has been released on dvd .

the whip ( 1917 film )

the whip ( 1917 film ) <EOT> the film index : a bibliography . vol . 1 : the film as art .

classics of the horror film : from the days of the silent film to the exorcist , by willam k . everson

denmark ; dir . jytte rex ; norsk film production and the danish film institute .

topical budget 285 - 2 : h . m . the king opens parliament ( 1917 )

the story of the training of a racehorse , the whip , of the amnesiac nobleman who loves the horse , and of the villains who attempt to keep it from racing .

topical budget 291 - 1 : st . patrick ' s day ( 1917 )

the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states : film beginnings , 1893 - 1910 .

the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , film beginnings , 1893 - 1910 .

topical budget 295 - 2 : king at st . paul ' s ( 1917 )

the film is the source of the saying " the natives are restless tonight . " the actual dialogue is as follows :

topical budget 292 - 1 : a . s . c . win again ( 1917 )

topical budget 295 - 1 : a . s . c . v united services ( 1917 )

topical budget 296 - 1 : h . m . the queen and st . george ' s day ( 1917 )

19 september 1991 : arts and film 86 ; 20 september 1991 : arts and film 37 .

presents probably the most faithful film version of the medieval legend of tristan and isolde .

topical budget 281 - 1 : mr gerard leaves for u . s . a . ( 1917 )

topical budget 287 - 1 : all blacks v . a . s . c . ( 1917 )

topical budget 324 - 2 : will there be women m . p . s ? ( 1917 )

, caeserini ' s film still suffers from a problem common to many early filmed operas , the inability to synchronize the film itself with the musical accompaniment .

as their source , but the film ' s real debt is to the american movie western and the classics illustrated series . the film ' s significance lies in its being the first mgm film in cinemascope , not in any new light it sheds on the legend of arthur and the knights of the round table .

topical budget 288 - 1 : women ' s work at an a . s . c . depot ( 1917 )

lacy , norris j . " arthurian film and the tyranny of tradition . "

the use of arthurian legend in hollywood film from connecticut yankees to fisher kings .

images in the dark , an encyclopedia of gay and lesbian film and video .

the productions from thanhouser ' s mature period , 1915 - 1917 , clearly show the advancements that set the stage for the first cinematic golden age , the 1920s . such advances are evident in this . . . see full summary »

while prints exist in several archives , the cossack whip has never been released on home media . i was able to see it thanks to a private screening .

you see , the cossack whip comes from a curious period in hollywood history when anti - czar sentiments were smiled upon . remember that many of the early studio executives and their families had fled pogroms in the russian empire . fleeing tyranny tends to leave scars . ( there’s even a rumor that leon trotsky appeared in a 1917 film with clara kimball young ! trotsky himself denied it and the man in the film seems to be just a lookalike but it’s fun to imagine what could have been . )

nicholas ii romanov became tsar of russia in 1894 . his reign was beset by social and political unrest , culminating in the russian revolution of 1917 .

founded in 1999 , senses of cinema is one of the first online film journals of its kind and has set the standard for professional , high quality film - related content on the internet .

original music cues for the film . five reels lasted a maximum of 70 minutes .

cast : rene auberjonois , huge e . blick , michael gross , whip hubley , jean marsh , keshia knight pulliam , and emma samms .

the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , feature films , 1931 - 1940 .

the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , feature films , 1911 - 1920 .

romero ' s film is nonetheless undervalued . it represents one of the better attempts to link the story of arthur with the american dream .

future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .

“a fine example of this [ the fruitful collaboration of collins and dana ) is the cossack whip , which can still astonish the modern viewer for the unbridled modernity of its style . the film is edited with an elegance and rhythm that could have made eisenstein envious , and there is reason to suspect that collin’s grasp of the medium flourished quite independently from griffith’s influence . ”

mayberry ' s film - - despite the license it takes with plot - - may be truest to the humor found in the original novel .

in the end , though , the flaws of the cossack whip are more than made up for by its many good points . collins shows his flair for bold and clever editing , dana is wonderful in the lead and the picture captures the claustrophobic flavor of a police state . it deserves to be better known .

proceedings of the purdue university fifth annual conference on film october 30 - november 1 , 1980 .

james c . robertson , the british board of film censors : film censorship in britain , 1896 - 1950 , dover , nh : croon helm ( 1985 ) .

calvin plays baseball for the reseda knights . the film ' s only bright spot is that it counters the largely misogynic arthurian tradition by having princess sarah disguised as the black knight help calvin save the day .

, this film has had few neutral critics , most of whom responded negatively to it . the charges leveled against the film are generally that the lead roles were miscast , that the direction was ponderous , and that , at nearly three hours , the film was too long . the film did , nonetheless , win academy awards for art and set direction , costume , and best musical scoring . it was also nominated for best cinematography and sound .

thynne , jane . " £500 can buy slice of the action in a new british film . "

at the police hq the interrogation is supervised by turov . with katerina turov shows her the torture of alexis through a stone trap door above the cell where he is being beaten with a whip . turov offers her alexis’s life in exchange for her favours . however , after he has satisfied his lust , katerina discovers that alexis is actually now dead . katerina is also beaten , and in a terminal state , she returns to the village with the whip used in the torture . finding her and hearing her story darya swears revenge .

original author h . g . wells was outspoken in his dislike of the film , feeling the overt horror elements overshadowed the story ' s deeper philosophical meaning .

the cinema museum london’s cinema museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex .

levinson ' s film lacks the ironic tone of its original and changes the novel ' s ending . clearly , this film was meant as a star - vehicle for redford more than as a faithful adaptation of a literary source , and the arthurian dimensions of the novel are obscured in the process .

a growing source of silent era film information . this listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett . copyright © 1999 - 2018 by carl bennett and the silent era company . all rights reserved .

sitney , alan p . " bruce baillie and the lyrical film . " in annette michelson , ed .

london : rank film distributors , [ 1963 ] . [ press book . ]

the plot line was not always clear to me and the ‘long arm of co - incidence’ seemed to operate . the geography of the film seemed very convenient , especially the visit to the secret police hq in the final reel . and credits seem to suggest two turov’s : if so i did not distinguish them . and synopsis referred to paris rather than london . however , the 35mm print for the screening seemed complete . whatever the possible confusions in the plot this was an exemplary use of film techniques and seemingly radical for the period .

baillie presents a modern day reinterpretation of the legend of parsifal set against the backdrop of the sierra nevadas . the director has commented that his film is a tribute to the hero , who never appears , and to wagner ' s opera .

needs to be read against the politics of the 1950s . against such a backdrop , the film can be " seen as an allegory for the triumph of american values over a communist threat " ( 38 ) .

heavy metal band van halen paid homage to the film in the original version of their song " house of pain " , the early lyrics for which directly referenced the storyline of the movie . during onstage introductions of the song circa 1976 - 77 , van halen vocalist david lee roth routinely gave a brief synopsis of the film . the song was shelved for the better part of a decade , but eventually resurfaced with different non - movie - related lyrics and released on the band ' s 1984 album .

members of the new wave band devo were fans of the film . the " what is the law ? " sequence formed part of the lyrics to devo ' s song " jocko homo , " with lugosi ' s query " are we not men ? " providing the title to their 1978 debut album q : are we not men ? a : we are devo ! devo ' s short film " the truth about de - evolution " and an interview with founding members gerald casale and mark mothersbaugh are special features on the criterion collection release of the film .

the cossack whip is one of his most famous films . its ripped - from - the - headlines plot involves totalitarian brutality in russia and features an infamously sadistic climax as viola dana avenges her murdered family . there’s hollywood gloss but it has some very sharp edges . ( by the way , i shall be using the term “hollywood” to refer to the american film industry and its overall style . i do realize that this was an east coast production but hollywood is a convenient term to use when discussing american vs . russian film styles . )

the january 5 , 1917 issue of variety on page 23 describes that paragon staged a train wreck at greenwood , delaware at a cost of $ 20 , 000 . william a . brady & maurice tourneur took part .

the arrangement of films here is alphabetical for both main and alternate titles . each main entry includes the film ' s title and date of release , the film ' s country of origin , the director , the production company , any alternate title ( s ) , and the cast . in the case of some silent films , surviving records do not always provide all of this information . i then briefly discuss each film and offer a short critical assessment , which admittedly at times betrays my own biases . finally , i provide an exhaustive a list of reviews and additional discussions of each film .

lagrange filmed this visually striking if not always coherent retelling of the legend of tristan in iceland . the director characterized his film as a " visual opera . "

the us horror - rock band manimals based much of their stage persona on the film . their 1985 blood is the harvest vinyl e . p . closes with the song " island of lost souls " . the track includes a " what is the law ? " section that fans would chant during live shows . the film historian gary don rhodes has called them " the best - ever in the horror - rock genre " and referenced them in his 1997 book lugosi ( mcfarland press ) .

wachhorst , wyn . " time - travel romance on film : archetypes and structures . "

- - - - - . " they ' re getting a terry gilliam film . "

members of the upper class regularly frequent alexander nyberg ' s elegant establishment . affairs of the heart and misunderstandings create the comedic scenarios that accompany the guests . based on the gustav esmann play of the same name .

thompson , raymond h . " the ironic tradition in arthurian film since 1960 . " in kevin j . harty , ed .

harty , kevin j . " the arthurian legends on film : an overview . " in kevin j . harty , ed .

using a highly exaggerated style of acting , interspersed with trick camera effects , a group of actors present the following scenes from wagner ' s opera : parsifal ascends the throne , ruins of a magic garden , exterior of klingson ' s castle , magic garden , interior of the temple , scene outside the temple , return of parsifal , and in the woods . with this film , edison had hoped to capitalize on the success of the 1903 stage production of the opera in new york , but the film ' s run had to be shortened when the owner of the copyright successfully sued edison for using the script without permission .

germany - great britain - ireland - united states ; dir . anthony hickox ; constantin film .

island of lost souls is an american pre - code science fiction horror film starring charles laughton , richard arlen , leila hyams , bela lugosi and kathleen burke as the panther woman , theatrically released in 1933 . the film was directed by erle c . kenton and produced by paramount pictures from a script co - written by science fiction legend philip wylie , the movie was the first film adaptation of the h . g . wells novel the island of dr . moreau , published in 1896 . both book and film are about an obsessed scientist who is secretly conducting surgical experiments on animals on a remote island .

made for german television , this film of the story of parsifal is unusual in its use of wolfram rather than wagner as a source .

the film was examined and refused a certificate three times by the british board of film censors , in 1933 , 1951 , and 1957 . the reason for the initial ban was due to scenes of vivisection ; it is likely that the cinematograph films ( animals ) act 1937 , which forbade the portrayal of cruelty to animals in feature films released in britain , was a significant factor in the bbfc ' s subsequent rejections . the film was eventually passed after cuts were made with an ' x ' certificate on july 9 , 1958 . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] it was later classified as a pg on dvd in 2011 with the cuts reinstated .

this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing

tarpley , fred . " king arthur on film . " in william e . tanner , ed .

a silent film about a women who seduces a married man which in turn leads to deadly consequences .

the film focuses accurately on nicholas and alexandra ' s pigheadedness in the face of change . it could have gone further . " be firm , " she wrote to him in real life , " russia loves to feel the whip – it ' s their nature – tender love and then the iron hand to punish and guide . how i wish i could pour my will into your veins . " he replied : " tender thanks for the severe written scolding , " and signed himself " your poor little weak - willed hubby . " the film ' s big challenge is to make these dreadful people into sympathetic characters . it tries hard with limited success , helped out by the fact that the other side aren ' t all that cuddly , either .

thus was begun the existence of one of the most influential art works of the 20th century . fountain will be a crucial item in the forthcoming exhibition , duchamp , man ray , picabia , at tate modern . or at least a replica of it will , because one of the most piquant aspects of the history of this celebrated object is that the original was seen by only a handful of people , never publicly exhibited , and vanished shortly after that selection , signing and christening in 1917 .

after assassinating king arthur , edmund of cornwall seizes the throne and kidnaps arthur ' s daughter katherine in the hopes of forcing her to marry him to legitimize his claim to the throne . the outlaw robert marshall intervenes , rescues katherine , and , with the aid of merlin , overthrows edmund and the saxons . katherine is crowned queen and takes robert as her consort . this unorthodox film version of the legend of arthur incorporates elements of the legend of robin hood into its plot , but the end result is still a flatly - directed and only moderately interesting adventure film .

he and his fellow gang members compete with a rival group of boy scouts . the leader of the delinquents is wounded in a robbery and saved by a grail knight who appears to him . the delinquents then join the scouts . the screenplay for this film was written by scout commissioner james austin wilder , who also played the role of the scout master . this little known cinematic gem is notable for its use of the grail as a source of healing and its linking of the matter of arthur with the problem of the proper education of boys .

what a shame the average joe can’t see this film . . i would love to see it because of viola dana and john collins . this is a film done at the time when this history was being made in russia . you are very lucky to have been able to see it .

wealthy young martin cavendish wants to marry his mother ' s secretary rather than a snooty titled woman his mother has chosen for his bride . one night while reading a book about chivalry , cavendish is knocked unconscious by a burglar , and , in a dream , he finds himself in in camelot in the sixthcentury . thereafter , the film follows the general outline of the events in twain ' s novel with abundant contemporaneous touches added to the screenplay . douglas fairbanks was originally offered the title role in this film , but he turned it down . as with the other screen adaptations of twain ' s novel , this film eschews any of the misanthropy in the original in favor of comedy .

, boorman ' s film is a dark brooding meditation on the arthurian legend in which arthur becomes the grail king . the film has not , however , aged well . it seems now too much a product of its times , dominated by a heavy musical score that is designed to cue audience reactions to scenes sometimes before they occur .

rob hobbs , an aging baseball player , returns at the invitation of pop fisher to play for the new york knights , but his past , which the film explores in terms of the arthurian legend , comes to haunt him . based on bernard malamud ' s novel ,

: narrative time and space in medieval literature and film . " in maud s . walther , ed .

this made - for - television adaptation of twain ' s novel emphasizes the farcical turning merlin ( victor jory ) into a comical character and shifting the scene with the eclipse to the end of the narrative .

fritz lang began his film career writing scripts . between 1917 and 1919 he wrote about ten filmed scripts , half of which were produced by decla , the company founded by erich pommer , with a further two being realised by director / producer joe may . in 1919 lang directed his first four films . die spinnen ( part 1 : the golden lake ) was lang’s third and earliest extant film as a director . die spinnen ( part 2 : the diamond ship ) was made in 1920 with the modest harakiri ( madame butterfly , 1920 ) interceding . at this time lang was also to have directed the cabinet of dr . caligari ( 1919 ) , and had begun preliminary preparations ( these included the suggestion , objected to by the scriptwriters carl mayer and hans janowitz but adopted by robert wiene , the film’s eventual director , that a framing epilogue and prologue be added ) . ( 2 ) however , the commercial success of the golden lake meant that the diamond ship had to be rushed into production forcing lang to withdraw from the project .

this was john h . collins final film for a combination of companies , kleine – edison – selig – essanay . he then moved on to metro . collins had married up and coming star viola dana in 1915 and she was the star of this film and continued in that role for collins until his demise in 1918 . helen - day mayer and david mayer in the le giornate del cinema muto catalogue , characterise the plot of this film .

holly , linda tarte . " medievalism in film : the matter of arthur , a filmography . " in jürgen kühnel et al . , eds .

( 1859 ) , this film was critically well received because of its effective use of pageantry and the skill with which it told a love story .

yes , this movie really needs to be released . it pretty much rewrites the history of film editing as most people credit eisenstein with pioneering rapid cutting , film buffs credit gance but humble little edison ( the studio was very much on the wane ) and john collins seem to have beat them all to it . dana is absolutely perfect in the lead , i think it’s the best role i have ever seen her in .

three men met for lunch in new york early in april 1917 . they were the american painter joseph stella , walter arensberg , a wealthy collector later obsessed by the notion that bacon wrote shakespeare , and marcel duchamp . after a convivial and talkative meal , they made their way to the jl mott ironworks , a plumbing suppliers situated at 118 fifth avenue .

in the early reels we have the despotic tsarist secret police , secret revolutionaries [ though without defined political content ] and the innocent villagers caught up in the conflict . in the film we first meet the revolutionary band [ the brotherhood ] including sergius ( richard tucker ) . an attack on a train to free imprisoned radicals leads to searches of villages on the orders of cossack officer ivan turov . this leads to a raid on the village where darya ( viola dana ) and her family live ,

griffith had hoped to make a film based on edwin austin abbey ' s famous series of grail frescos in the boston public library . the project was temporarily shelved in 1915 , but an attempt to revive it after the first world war also failed , and the project remained unrealized .

a radio " shock - jock " is in part responsible for the death of the wife of a professor of medieval history . the professor goes insane and thinks he is on a mission to find the holy grail . his quest leads to an encounter with the dj , both of whom find redemption from their guilt and their pain . gilliam ' s film offers one of the more effective modern retellings of the grail myth , seeing both the professor and the dj as twin parsifal - like characters .

- - - - - . " une ' figure obligé ' du film de chevalerie : le tournoi . "

nickel , helmut . " arms and armor in arthurian film . " in kevin j . harty , ed .

de la brétèque , françois . " une ' figure oblige ' du film de chevalrie : le tournoi . "

- - this film relies on the predictable to advance its plot . ackland ' s arthur is a doddering fool , and moody returns to the screen as merlin a second time , having played the role with a more sinister twist in 1979 in

parsifal , having overcome a number of opponents and various temptations , assumes his rightful place as the guardian of the holy grail , curing the wounded king amfortas in the process .

arthur sees his kingdom dissolve in squabbles among his knights over the innocence or guilt of guinevere . this made - for - television film of the last two books of sir thomas malory ' s fifteenth century

moreau offers parker the hospitality of his home and introduces him to lota ( kathleen burke ) , a beautiful , gentle girl who seems a bit simple . when the two hear screams coming from a locked room , which lota calls the house of pain , parker investigates . he sees moreau and montgomery operating on a person without anesthetic . convinced that moreau is engaged in sadistic vivisection , parker tries to leave , only to encounter brutish - looking men emerging from the jungle . moreau appears , cracks his whip , and orders the one known as the sayer of the law ( bela lugosi ) to repeat the rule against violence . afterward , the strange men disperse .

truer to the details of its source than either the 1921 or the 1931 films , this third screen version of twain ' s novel is , nonetheless , in many ways the least successful of the three . the novel has been turned into a musical vehicle - - not based for reasons of copyright on the 1927 rodgers and hart broadway musical - - for crosby , and the plot advances by a mix of song and silly dialogue . twain ' s novel was an example of comic genius ; this film is anything but an example of such genius . as with the other screen adaptations of twain ' s novel , this film also eschews any of the misanthropy in the original in favor of at times clumsy musical comedy .

the george kleine collection of early motion pictures in the library of congress , a catalog .

france ; dir . ugo falena ; il film d ' arte italiana , s . a . p . f .

oingo boingo is another new wave band who paid tribute to the film with their song " no spill blood , " which featured the refrain " what is the law ? no spill blood ! " and appeared on their 1983 album , good for your soul .

archaeologist indiana jones joins with his father , dr . henry jones , to keep the holy grail from falling into the hands of the nazis . in some ways the most successful and best made of the indiana jones trilogy of films ,

during the finale , darya’s pent up rage bursts out in a violent frenzy as she attacks her enemy . when she realizes that she has been seen and that she may not be able to finish her task , her attack grows more intense . she tries to get in as many blows as she can before she is stopped . ( may i put in a dig about “silent movie damsels” right here ? ) rarely has a bolshevik been given such a sympathetic and powerful role in a mainstream american film but the cossack whip was not the only anti - czarist picture on the market .

the meteors , a psychobilly band from the uk told the story of the film in their song " island of lost souls " on their 1986 album teenagers from outer space , the chorus being a prolonged chant of " we don ' t eat meat ; are we not men ? we stand on two feet ; are we not men ? " etc .

john , a poor blacksmith , learns that the viking attacks on england are really the handiwork of sir palamides , a knight of the round table , and his ally , king mark , both intend to overthrow arthur and supplant christianity in england with paganism . john becomes a knight and saves the kingdom from palamides and mark , while also winning the hand of his lady love , the fair linet . when it was originally released , most critics dismissed this film as unintentionally funny . more recently , however , alan lupack has advanced an alternate reading of the film arguing convincingly that

james c . robertson , the hidden cinema : british film censorship in action , 1913 - 1975 , london , routledge ( 1989 ) , pp . 55 - 57 .

director john h . collins made quite an impression during his brief career . his bold melodramas reinvigorated the flagging edison studio but his early death in the influenza epidemic of 1918 proved to be a tragedy for the film industry and his wife , leading lady viola dana .

two films have since been made based on the same h . g . wells novel . the first was released in 1977 and stars burt lancaster as the doctor . the second came out in 1996 , with marlon brando as moreau . in the very similar the twilight people ( 1973 ) , actress pam grier played the panther woman .

on the subject of the innovative editing , brownlow writes : “some of the flashes are a mere twelve frames ; this is a pioneering example of the rapid cutting which , ironically , the russians made famous , and is the earliest i have seen . ” in a footnote , brownlow points out that the unbeliever , another edison film , also shows this lightning fast cutting . is it possible that the same unnamed editor was responsible for both films ? an intriguing theory ! ( needless to say , both the edison pictures predate abel gance’s la roue , often listed as the pioneering work in rapid editing . )

in fifth - century spain as the barbarians invade , parsifal seeks and eventually finds the holy grail , bringing peace to his troubled homeland . this little - known film version of the grail story blends elements from wagner ' s opera with elements from medieval legend and literature .

the romanovs have been romanticized by later hollywood films but it’s worth remembering that alexander ii was an incompetent and racist despot . as i often say , the russian people jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when the revolution came but that doesn’t mean the frying pan was particularly pleasant . ( for more details on this period , i heartily recommend kevin brownlow’s behind the mask of innocence , which i relied on heavily for background information on this film . )

once there , duchamp selected a " bedfordshire " model porcelain urinal . on returning to his studio he turned it through 90 degrees , so that it rested on its back , signed it , " r . mutt 1917 " , and entitled this new work fountain .

in this silly remake , conan the barbarian meets foster ' s comic strip characters . missing here are the hollywood touches that at least made the 1954 film visually interesting . in its more interesting scenes , hickox ' s film fades to panels from the original strip , but there is little else to recommend it , except perhaps joanna lumley ' s over - the - top portrayal of morgan in full - length black leather gown and chain - mail headdress . edward fox plays an aging arthur ( cf .

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the stars of russian cinema . by the 1920s , many would either be in france or dead .

rubenstein , lenny . " the wondrous return of the wacky monty python ' s flying circus . "

after a series of adventures which bring him knighthood at king arthur ' s court , the young perceval has a vision of the holy grail but fails to understand what he has seen . he then sets off to find the grail again in a quest that takes him on yet another series of adventures . finally , assuming the central role in a passion play , perceval is granted a second vision of the grail . unique among films about perceval and the quest for the grail , rohmer ' s source is chrétien de troyes unfinished twelfth century romance . the dialogue retains the verse form of the original romance in a modern french translation . rohmer uses stylized painted sets reminiscent of manuscript illustrations that give the film a genuinely medieval look to provide a commentary on the necessity for the quest for the spiritual , in a medieval or a modern world .

customize your widget with the following options , then copy and paste the code below into the html of your page to embed this item in your website .

( spoiler ) the climax involves darya flirting with turov , playfully chaining him to the wall and then producing a whip that she had concealed in her gown . she identifies herself , states her purpose and then beats the hell out of him . this gleeful and , frankly , kinky vengeance is pretty much the antithesis of proper movie behavior under the code ( still quite a few years away ) but apparently no one thought to censor the scene . darya herself does not deliver the coup de grâce—that’s left for a convenient undercover revolutionary—and so she is allowed to escape to america with sergius . i like to think she had a long and fruitful career as a hitwoman .

gives free reign to the comic talents of the six actors who comprise the monty python troupe . what is being skewered here is not so much the legend of arthur as previous cinematic treatments of that legend .

nicholas and alexandra boasts terrific performances and gorgeous production design , but it ' s bloated and unwieldy . there is more history here than the film - makers know what to do with .

in its retelling of scenes selected from the thirteenth century french prose vulgate cycle , this film presents the stories of arthur and guinevere , of morgan and her jealousy , of merlin and his enchantment by vivien , and of the fisher king bron , his daughter , and her son , galahad .

in part or in whole , the following studies discuss or catalog cinematic depictions of the legend of arthur .

- - - - - . " cinema arthuriana : translations of the arthurian legend to the screen . "

codell , julie f . " decapitation and deconstruction : the body of the hero in robert bresson ' s

the story of aladdin and the princess badr al - badr ' s adventures as told through child actors .

the student room , get revising and marked by teachers are trading names of the student room group ltd .

blanch , robert j . , and julian n . wasserman . " gawain on film . " in kevin j . harty , ed .

while the climax is praised ( and it is shocking ) , i was particularly impressed by the raid on darya’s village . collins and cameraman john arnold crosscut between darya and her family dancing with the cossacks thundering across the snow . the villagers run in terror and a gunshot finally alerts darya’s family to the danger but it is too late . they are targeted in the raid . collins’ cuts are bold , rapid and they never once feel self - indulgent . they build suspense and create an ironic contrast between the frenzied joy of darya’s family and the emotionless activity of the cossacks . even though we see the horsemen silhouetted against the snow , the scene feels claustrophobic and tense . there is no escape .

a group of children , whose leader , alex , is an arthurian enthusiast , are terrorized by three bullies . alex stumbles upon excalibur while running through the woods to escape the bullies and meets merlin . warned to use the power of excalibur only for good , alex summons its power to defeat a new boy in town , luke , with whom alex ' s girlfriend , jenny , has fallen in love . alex looses excalibur and merlin ' s counsel , but finds both restored when he single - handedly captures three armed bank robbers who hold his friends hostage . this film attempts to trade on the image of the return of arthur , but the acting is terrible ; the plot drags . even children , the intended audience here , are likely to find the film boring .

burns , e . jane . " nostalgia isn ' t what it used to be : the middle ages in literature and film . " in george slusser and eric s . rabkin , eds .

california businessman pendragon is actually a medieval tyrant intent upon seizing excalibur from merlin ' s equally ageless disciple loong tao . pendragon hopes to use the sword to make time stand still and plunge the world into chaos on october 32nd . his plans are thwarted by christy lake , a reporter who is the reincarnation of merlin ' s daughter , the lady of the lake , and geologist john pope who is her eternal protector . this perfectly silly film , which understandably was dumped directly to american video in 1994 , owes a debt to a variety of film traditions , including the kung - fu action yarn and the western . less clear is its debt to anything recognizably arthurian .

russia was teetering on the brink in 1916 . collins took this hot news topic and combined it with a basic melodrama , which was standard movie procedure in the 1910s . still is , come to think of it . what really sets this film apart is the director’s eye for detail and his snappy editing .

founded by fritzi kramer , movies silently’s mission is to make silent film fun and accessible with reviews , articles , animated gifs and daily updates .

the celtic warrior arthur fights saxons , picts and jutes , as well as king mark of cornwall , to protect his people and the integrity of his homeland . never commercially released , this film is really just a cobbled together videotape version of three episodes of

an impetuous young man named loup is sent by his uncle mark to fetch his fiancée , sedrid of the long red tresses . they attempt to remain loyal to mark who nonetheless discovers that the two have fallen in love with each other . the plot of the film is obviously an analogue - - though not a very well made one - - to the oft - told medieval tale of tristan , isolde , and mark .

but it is one thing to borrow , and another thing to know how to use what has been borrowed . weeks manages here to reduce great literature to silly cinema . not content to leave bad enough alone , weeks remade the film in 1983 under the title

roscoe flirts with a girl in the park . later he takes his wife and mother - in - law to the movies only to see his flirtation showing on the screen .

the circus dancer lulu is a thoroughly q liberal being . although she loves her former savior , the clown alfredo , she begins a relationship with the noble henri von reithofen . henri kills himself ruined by the horrendous expenses for lulu .

this has an unforeseen effect , however . the beast - men no longer feel bound by moreau ' s laws , as he has himself broken one of them . moreau tries to regain control with his whip , but to no avail ; in desperation , he demands of them , " what is the law ? " but their common response is , " law no more ! ! ! " with that , they drag the doctor into his house of pain , where they stab him to death with his own surgical instruments .

customers and clerks frolic in a general store . roscoe walks out of the freezer wearing a fur coat , then does some clever cleaver tossing . in buster ' s film debut he buys a pail of molasses .

die spinnen was made to impress and seduce viewers through all of the resources that lang had at his disposal . his ‘sensation’ film , like its penny dreadful literary predecessors , wastes no time on extensive character development . ( in his later career , especially once he had resettled in hollywood , lang would regularly be accused of creating films lacking in character motivation and psychological depth . ) die spinnen opens with an enigmatic scene of an old man fleeing an inca warrior , before then rapidly introducing its socialite antagonists . the antagonists smash wine glasses and the battle begins . unlike in conventional narrative filmmaking , lang abruptly introduces scenes without the benefit of incremental exposition . the effect of this technique is disorientating , giving the impression that a fragment of the film may be missing . it is almost as if the storytelling cannot keep pace with the rapidly developing drama .

katherine , a tourist in modern - day england , stumbles into a hole while wandering around stonehenge , where she encounters king arthur and his knights . camelot is in chaos . the wine cellar is empty , hundreds of vikings are expected for dinner , and the romans have abandoned england . even worse , the countryside is overrun with dragons and brigands , and the ever present fog just will not lift . with katherine ' s assistance , merlin and his beloved niniane restore order to the kingdom by challenging morgan le fay and her ally , mordred , arthur ' s illegitimate son . donner ' s film , which was shelved by the studio for several years before being dumped for television release , is one of the silliest films ever made about the arthurian legend . everything about the film - - acting , dialog , settings , costumes - - is simply dreadful .

the young tristana finds herself in the care of the much older don lope , but tristana is in love with the much younger horacio . unwilling to make a commitment to horacio , she returns instead to the care of don lope . when she loses a leg because of cancer , she marries don lope , but remains in love with horacio . from the novel by benito pérez galdós , buñuel ' s film has a complicated political subtext about power and gender . in addition , it represents a contemporary revision of the tristan legend , one of several which see tristan as a woman .

- - - - - . " parzival 1980 - - auf der bühne , im fernsehem und im film . " in jürgen kühnel et al , eds .

this live television production compresses twain ' s novel into sixty minutes all but eliminating any hint of the misanthropy of the original . karloff , who plays arthur , returned to the role in another 1955 production based on the rodgers and hart broadway musical .

in the spring a young man ' s fancy turns to thoughts of matrimony , and musty is no exception . in spite of all the warnings voiced by his married friends . musty takes the leap . the results . . . see full summary »

i’m not sure if it is possible to heap enough praise on viola dana for her excellent performance . darya’s sweet , plucky personality realistically morphs into a dark and brooding angel of vengeance and that ain’t easy . collins allows the camera to linger on her face and dana projects her thoughts to the audience with remarkable precision and intensity for such a young performer . dana herself felt that she had been miscast as the violent finale was quite a challenge . the whip was too heavy for her ( dana was one of the tinier silent leading ladies , standing just 4’11” ) and she had trouble lifting it . personally , i think dana’s modesty is charming but she clearly had this thing handled .

patrick mcgilligan , fritz lang : the nature of the beast ( new york : st . martin’s press , 1997 ) 59 .

borgzinner , jon . " the shining pageant of camelot " and " the limerick lad in king arthur ' s court . "

the tsar abdicates ( and , in the film ' s most powerful scene , must tell his wife that he has done so ) . he and his family are moved to tobolsk , and thence to ekaterinburg . hard though it is to care much for the ex - tsar and tsarina , both of whom have been running full tilt towards their fate , you might expect to feel a twinge of pity for their children . curiously , though , and on scant historical evidence , the film portrays the 13 - year - old tsarevich as the image of his unspeakable mother . he gives precocious , entitled speeches , injures himself for attention , berates his father for losing the crown , and says of his guards , " i ' d like to kill them all . " bad luck , kiddo . that ' s not the way this goes .

nearly electrocuted by a short in his guitar amplifier , shy suburban teenager hank awakens stunned to find himself in king arthur ' s court . dubbed sir dude , hank retraces with some 1990s updates the misadventures of twain ' s connecticut yankee managing to save camelot in the process from the wiles of morgan le fay . the worst of three very bad adaptations of twain ' s novel that turn the yankee into a teenager - - the other two are the commercially released

the russian people get their parliament , and pyotr stolypin ( eric porter ) as prime minister . it ' s now 1913 , the tercentenary of the romanov dynasty , so the tsar appears before his subjects . " god help me , but i do love it when they stand and wave , " he murmurs . afterwards , stolypin is shot at the opera by a revolutionary while the tsar and his terrified daughters watch from the royal box . this remarkable scene is accurate – though , since stolypin was assassinated in 1911 , two years before the tercentenary , it ' s in the wrong place .

i ' m doing the same course as you and i ' d say some of the main ones are : - witte ' s economic reforms - stolypin ' s land reforms - the duma - 1905 ' revolution ' ( bloody sunday ) - world war 1 - russo - japanese war - the role of different people ( e . g rasputin ) in creating uncertainty in russia and of course the 1917 overthrow ^ ^ those are the topics i can think of so far . we don ' t cover before 1900 i don ' t think , so can ' t help you there . i have a few powerpoints from my teachers and ones i ' ve made myself or with the class on most of these , so if you ' d like them message me and i ' ll try and get them to you asap .

hey there . i am on my as year at college , and we ' re doing tsarist russia 1855 - 1917 ; ; the thing is i need help revising because i don ' t know what to revise . i want like the main topic titles , like ; ; - 1905 revolution 0r - lenin well , i want a list of things that i need to study , like the main topics . and if anyone has any powerpoints they can share with me , i ' ll be so grateful ! ! i am so stuck , and i need your help

nicholas and alexandra arrive at a party full of guffawing aristocrats , all of whom are ignoring the oppressed proletariat and practically guzzling fabergé eggs . one guest stands out : boggly - eyed mad monk and political liability grigori rasputin ( played splendidly by a pre - dr who tom baker ) . he tells racy stories . grimacing , nicholas slopes off to find the vodka – but alexandra is enraptured . when her infant son is diagnosed with haemophilia , she turns to rasputin and the power of prayer . or the power of whatever it is he does . this stokes the brewing revolution . the film stages a brilliant recreation of the horrific massacre of bloody sunday .

a restless young girl yearns to leave her rural environment and " get away from it all " . one day she stumbles upon a film crew shooting a western near her home . she makes friends with the . . . see full summary »

his first move was to suggest that the works in the new york exhibition be hung alphabetically , with the first letter to be drawn out of a hat . this idea was adopted , despite protests that it was " democracy run riot " . as a result , the whole huge show - the largest ever assembled in the us - must have had a slightly absurd air , with traditionalist , amateur works sent in from the sticks hung randomly beside pieces of cutting - edge cubism .