Masaki Kobayashi is certainly the second greatest period director following Akira Kurosawa. Samurai Rebellion, along with Harakiri, are two of the best samurai films ever made, belonging to the small group that includes the masterpiece Seven Samurai. Why are they excellent? I think one could point to many things: the timing, the sets, the black and white photography, character and plot development. Each frame is a masterpiece of black and white composition, like a perfect example of Japanese calligraphy. A haiku, a flower arrangement - Kobayashi's films firmly belong to an ancient Japanese tradition of refinement in the arts. In both of these films, he takes a moral dilemma, and allows it to unfold, slowly and deliberately. The action sequences that Samurai film buffs expect do come to fruition, but as a part of the story, not its entire reason for being. The only tragedy is the English choice of names here. It is appropriate, but does not convey the depth of the story or its execution, and leads one to expect a chop-sake Grade B film. Followers of black and white masterpieces should examine and embrace all of the films of Masaki Kobayashi.
Review of Samurai Rebellion
