In the Nineteenth Century, in Unasaka, Province of Yamagata, in the Feudal Japan, the widow samurai Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada) works in the warehouse of the local Commissioner during the day and handicraftsman building cages in the night to have an income of 50 koku (meaning "a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year"). Seibei raises alone his two daughters, the five year-old Ito (Erina Hashiguchi) and the ten year-old Kayano (Miki Itô) and his senile mother (Reiko Kusamura) in a simple property, and has a debt of 20 koku due to the expensive funeral of his wife, who died of tuberculosis, imposed by her family and can not afford to have another wife. His colleagues in the warehouse pejoratively call him "The Twilight Samurai" to express his life without glory. When Seibei meets Michinojo Iinuma (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), his childhood friend tells him that his sister Tomoe Iinuma (Rie Miyazawa) has just divorced from he brutal husband Toyotarou Kouda (Ren Osugi). Seibei reencounters Tomoe, for whom he has been in love since he was a child, but Tamoe is member of a family of 400 koku and Seibei believes their difference of classes makes their marriage impossible. When Kouda challenges Iinuma to a duel, Seibei accepts to replace his old friend and needs to use his skills of swordsman again.
"Tasogare Seibei" is a masterpiece from the director and writer Yôji Yamada, who is unfortunately unknown for me. I am not sure whether other films of Yôji Yamada have been released on VHS or DVD in Brazil. The humanistic story takes place in the period of the Feudal Japan and discloses a totally different samurai, who has a heart full of love for his daughters and mother. I believe that persons like my daughter that has a deep knowledge on the rich and beautiful history of Japan will appreciate this gem much more than me, since they are aware of the social system and code of honor of this period. Nevertheless I loved this film that exposes the end of an era using many metaphors, and which is in the level of Akira Kurosawa or Yasujiro Ozu production. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "O Samurai do Entardecer" ("The Twilight Samurai")
"Tasogare Seibei" is a masterpiece from the director and writer Yôji Yamada, who is unfortunately unknown for me. I am not sure whether other films of Yôji Yamada have been released on VHS or DVD in Brazil. The humanistic story takes place in the period of the Feudal Japan and discloses a totally different samurai, who has a heart full of love for his daughters and mother. I believe that persons like my daughter that has a deep knowledge on the rich and beautiful history of Japan will appreciate this gem much more than me, since they are aware of the social system and code of honor of this period. Nevertheless I loved this film that exposes the end of an era using many metaphors, and which is in the level of Akira Kurosawa or Yasujiro Ozu production. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "O Samurai do Entardecer" ("The Twilight Samurai")