What Kurosawa did in a short space of years is nothing short of revolutionary. American cinema (post WWII to Vietnam)was largely confined to self-affirming stereotypes -- especially in Westerns dominated by the Ford/Wayne cartoon good guy paradigm.
He turned all of that upside down (aided and abetted by Leone). His samurai existed more as a tragic Greek figure -- afflicted by a fatal flaw -- rather than the guy who simply wears the 'white hat'. This is combined with Mifune's remarkable skill at creating the character and making the character (not the actor) live in the cinematic space.
The key to this movie is the unprecedented visual composition. Images assemble into the frame, stacked two and three layers deep with no vanishing point. All of the elements are in the same focus, resembling a Japanese watercolor painting. Then Kurosawa cuts to a right angle shot (to the imaginary 'left' of the framing shot), twisting our perception around of just how deep the placement is. He also composes scenes that openly reference that this is 'being watched' - note the characters peering through windows at a second layer (usually mimed action) in the background, again all in the same focus. The effects here are striking, to say the least.
Try to imagine Clint's man with no name characters, or 'Star Wars'(hacked off arm, a la Obi-Wan), or the 'Kill Bill' volumes (the one against many swordfights and beating inflicted on the bride) -- these are some off the top of the head examples, and there are countless more -- without the influence of this movie. It's impossible. By the mid-60's, Clint's amoral, stoic gunfighter had displaced his forerunners, changing the equation forever.
Essential viewing.
He turned all of that upside down (aided and abetted by Leone). His samurai existed more as a tragic Greek figure -- afflicted by a fatal flaw -- rather than the guy who simply wears the 'white hat'. This is combined with Mifune's remarkable skill at creating the character and making the character (not the actor) live in the cinematic space.
The key to this movie is the unprecedented visual composition. Images assemble into the frame, stacked two and three layers deep with no vanishing point. All of the elements are in the same focus, resembling a Japanese watercolor painting. Then Kurosawa cuts to a right angle shot (to the imaginary 'left' of the framing shot), twisting our perception around of just how deep the placement is. He also composes scenes that openly reference that this is 'being watched' - note the characters peering through windows at a second layer (usually mimed action) in the background, again all in the same focus. The effects here are striking, to say the least.
Try to imagine Clint's man with no name characters, or 'Star Wars'(hacked off arm, a la Obi-Wan), or the 'Kill Bill' volumes (the one against many swordfights and beating inflicted on the bride) -- these are some off the top of the head examples, and there are countless more -- without the influence of this movie. It's impossible. By the mid-60's, Clint's amoral, stoic gunfighter had displaced his forerunners, changing the equation forever.
Essential viewing.