Throne of Blood

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Throne of Blood (1957) is yet another loose Shakespeare adaptation for the director Akira Kurosawa: this time Macbeth was the play Kurosawa used as inspiration. Set in feudal Japan, the film follows the rise and tragic fall of a samurai (Toshiro Mifune). Kurosawa delivers yet another tangible exploration of greed and loyalty. He creates a cast of interesting characters that are introduced remarkably well.

If the writing alone is impressive, then the form is even more so. Captivating camerawork (that calms down for pivotal scenes to a stunning effect), atmospheric lighting and absolutely marvellous sets make this film a breathtaking experience for anyone. Mifune is a scene stealer yet again with his expressive performance.

Throne of Blood is yet another astonishing masterpiece from Kurosawa who is quite possibly my favorite director of all time.

Score: 10 out of 10

Mouchette

Robert Bresson's Mouchette (1967) is a heartbreaking story of a teenaged girl named Mouchette. Her mother is dying, her father does not care about her, she has no friends at school and she ends up being mentally and physically abused by others. Bresson somehow manages to find beauty in this tragic story - and creates one of the most subtly poignant films to date.

Bresson's form in Mouchette is similar to Balthazar. There is simply nothing to add to what I said about it in the earlier review. The minimalism works SO well.

Rewatching Mouchette and Balthazar made me sure of one thing: I need to see more of Bresson's films because he might be on his way to become one of my favorite film makers of all time. His minimalism is so refined in these two films that I'm left quite speechless.

Score: 10 out of 10

Address Unknown

Kim Ki-duk's Address Unknown (2001) takes place in a small Korean village near an American army base. The film is very similar to Kim's earlier production which focuses on ultraviolent, aggressive and narcissistic characters who are raped, tortured, sent to jail or killed by the end of the film. This time Kim has such a promising cast of characters to be used and an actually clever plot in his hands because this time his writing isn't so blind and one-sided. The characters are well developed and colorful - at first.

The problem is that Kim so utterly fails to use them and the film's final third is an embarrassing climax that couldn't have possibly been worse. The outcomes of the different storylines are portrayed in a confusing and dragging way. Initially the film promises interesting points of view on the American occupation and how all the characters are related to it, but the touchy subject is handled poorly - apart from one exception.

This time Kim's form isn't as refined as it is in his other films. Sometimes the editing works well - sometimes NOT. The cinematography is unfocused and a bit too carefree - his compositions simply don't get to the level of quality of his other films. The music is a bit irritating as well - the most offending moments are when Erik Satie's Gymnopedie is used TERRIBLY. That is unacceptable.

Ultimately, the film's first half is promising and somewhat good, but eventually it veers into a catastrophical failure.

Score: 5 out of 10

Sansho the Bailiff

As much as I hate the nickname, Kenji Mizoguchi is considered one of "three masters of Japanese cinema" alongside Kurosawa and Ozu. I've read that his films are most diverse when compared to the other two and it becomes very apparent when I compare his Sansho the Bailiff (1954) to Ugetsu: while Ugetsu is extremely poetic and otherwordly, Sansho the Bailiff is rougher and more direct and gripping in its depiction of the world. The film concentrates on the tragedy of a family breaking apart: the wife and children of a former governor are captured by slave traders and we, the viewers, witness their struggle to reunite.

The most accomplished aspect of the film's content is certainly its narrative. It is incredibly dense - and it seems like there is no limit for the amount of plot development that takes place. The storytelling is not only dense, but also well structured: it's one of the best tragedies I've ever seen. There are a few moments of redemption here and there, but the slow descent into the tragic ending is as painful as it should be. At its core, the movie is about perseverance and integrity during hard times. Naturally, this includes Mizoguchi's observations on the position of women in Japan.

Mizoguchi's form works well as well - although I'm not sure if it is as great as in Ugetsu. His camerawork is very precise and striking, but there are moments when it is too simple when compared to the rest of the film. However, his cinematography and editing form unforgettable scenes in the film, like the moment the children are separated from the mother: it's a masterful scene even by Mizoguchi's own standards.

In the end, Sansho the Bailiff is a fascinating film that deserves its praise, but I do not appreciate it as much as his earlier film, Ugetsu.

Score: 9 out of 10