Something Like a Filmography takes a (brief) look at the filmography of Akira Kurosawa. Twice a month, Chris and Jon share their impressions of each film, both on its own terms and in terms of Kurosawa’s legacy and its intersection in the Cinema Dual hosts’ lives.
FROM THE BOX: Kurosawa’s effortless debut is based on a novel by Tsuneo Tomita about the rivalry between judo and jujitsu. Starring Susumu Fujita as the title character, Sanshiro Sugata is a thrilling martial arts action tale, but it’s also a moving story of moral education that’s quintessential Kurosawa.
WHAT CHRIS THOUGHT: What a ride. I shouldn’t be surprised that even with his first film, Kurosawa already has many of his future touchstones in place: the dynamic camera, his impeccable eye for framing, the use of locations, Takashi Shimura in a small but pivotal role…so much of it is present in Sanshiro Sugata. Which while on its surface a martial arts picture about a young man studying judo and his trails and tribulations in a land that values the more traditional style of jujitsu, Kurosawa - who also wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita – is much more concerned with the inner workings of his protagonist, and his quest to move past the physical aspects and understand the humanity both in judo and in life. His focus on inanimate objects to emphasize something, whether it’s a discarded shoe to note the passage of time, or a left behind umbrella and handkerchief to indicate a growing passion, or the storm against a lone lantern to underline the violence of the final duel invitation, I can trace so many of the things I love about Kurosawa’s work back to this film. And there’s still the action part of the film, where we see through clever camera work the almost superhuman strength Sugata (played with an almost childlike approach by Susumu Fujita) as people are literally thrown across room, smashing walls.
WHAT JON THOUGHT: With a filmography like Kurosawa’s, it can be tempting to let the various masterpieces overtake the whole enterprise, at the cost of discussing films like Sanshiro Sugata on their own merits. The tracking shots leading into the fight at the river, the shoe montage to track the passage of time, and the sequence where Sanshiro becomes acquainted with Sayo all show Kurosawa’s (in collaboration with cinematographer Akira Mimura) visual eye, even at this early stage. It is encouraging to see Takashi Shimura here at the beginning of Kurosawa’s career, even in a minor role. The story itself is not particularly ambitious, though it is partially hampered by Japanese censors. Susumu Fujita acquits himself admirably as the straight laced Sanshiro who learns discipline and control, but the standout is Ryūnosuke Tsukigata as Gennosuke Higaki, the impeccably mustachioed villain, who despite unfortunately learning the errors of his ways at the end, commands attention anytime he is on screen. One can only hope that he is given significant screen time in Part 2.
ANYTHING ELSE, CHRIS? One of the things I’m doing as we go through this is reading along to Donald Richie’s exquisite The Films of Akira Kurosawa for each film, and I’m even more impressed with what Kurosawa manages in his debut. Particularly with the shoe sequence, and not only how it shows the passage of time, but how it will reflect Sugata’s own journey from rocky terrain to flowing waters, mirroring his eventual understanding of judo, which then informs better his decision to travel and further reckon with his discipline. Jon brings up how deliciously evil Ryūnosuke Tsukigata is as Higaki, and I’m pumped to see if there is a parallel arc for his character in the sequel.
ANYTHING ELSE, JON? In this first entry of the series, it encourages me to read Chris’ words and note how many of the same details that we picked up on in our own separate viewings. I’ve also been thinking more about how the forced removal of footage from the movie affects the experience of watching it. Certainly since it was not Kurosawa’s choice to have the footage removed, it shouldn’t be considered as part of his larger aesthetic. As Chris noted in his thoughts however, Kurosawa’s focus in the movie is already a bit askew from what I’d expect from a movie about judo and jiu jitsu. The inescapable fact that we’re forced to skip over sections of “plot” creates a bizarre resonance with Kurosawa’s own goals that makes Sanshiro Sugata a curiously fleet footed film.
THE FINAL WORD(S): Overall for Chris a wonderful debut that slyly announces Kurosawa’s preoccupations even as it settles into a “safe” action picture popular at the time. For Jon, it’s a bit of a historical oddity that shows bits of future greatness but is weirdly affected by its censorship. Ok, but not a big needle mover.
NEXT TIME: We step away from the action to look at The Most Beautiful.
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