I have to say that Miike's jidaigeki or chanbara movies tend to be more consistently mature, well produced and of high quality narration. There are instances of the auteur director's trademark brutality or fetish popping up in one or two scenes in 13 Assassins as well as in Hara-Kiri.
But in the latter's case, it's almost entirely appropriate as the camera lingers on the excruciating pain suffered by samurais committing seppuku, the suicide ritual of regaining one's honour.
I watched 13 Assassins first, and had an uncomfortable premonition that Miike would shoot a movie with harakiri with its central theme, as 13 Assassins was opened with a painful harakiri scene. I felt that Miike hasn't completely purged his inner demons yet with that short but deeply affecting scene.
So now we have a well-made remake, with harakiri or seppuku as the movie's central narrative vehicle. I haven't actually watched the 1962 original, but feels that Miike's version has little pay offs by the end of the story.
Don't get me wrong, it is a well told, well acted piece of samurai drama with a strong message at the end of the movie - that by the time of the Edo period, honour in the samurai caste is but a farce or of superficial value. Reading Japanese feudal history, one would even assume that there was little honour to begin with when it came to the samurai caste of the past.
I find that the situation that the poor samurai families had to go through during that time was presented with panache, but I can't shake the feeling of fatality and hopelessness in Harakiri. I guess such feelings is to be expected of Miike's movies. His movies are rarely uplifting, although I have to say that I was totally satisfied, elevated even, with the ending of 13 Assassins.
Harakiri is bitter all the way through, with very little sweetness. It reminds me of classical novels where all the main protagonists suffer through the story and all end up dying in horrible manners.
I'm going to have to watch Samurai Fiction a couple of times to wash away the sadness that still lingers after watching Harakiri.
But in the latter's case, it's almost entirely appropriate as the camera lingers on the excruciating pain suffered by samurais committing seppuku, the suicide ritual of regaining one's honour.
I watched 13 Assassins first, and had an uncomfortable premonition that Miike would shoot a movie with harakiri with its central theme, as 13 Assassins was opened with a painful harakiri scene. I felt that Miike hasn't completely purged his inner demons yet with that short but deeply affecting scene.
So now we have a well-made remake, with harakiri or seppuku as the movie's central narrative vehicle. I haven't actually watched the 1962 original, but feels that Miike's version has little pay offs by the end of the story.
Don't get me wrong, it is a well told, well acted piece of samurai drama with a strong message at the end of the movie - that by the time of the Edo period, honour in the samurai caste is but a farce or of superficial value. Reading Japanese feudal history, one would even assume that there was little honour to begin with when it came to the samurai caste of the past.
I find that the situation that the poor samurai families had to go through during that time was presented with panache, but I can't shake the feeling of fatality and hopelessness in Harakiri. I guess such feelings is to be expected of Miike's movies. His movies are rarely uplifting, although I have to say that I was totally satisfied, elevated even, with the ending of 13 Assassins.
Harakiri is bitter all the way through, with very little sweetness. It reminds me of classical novels where all the main protagonists suffer through the story and all end up dying in horrible manners.
I'm going to have to watch Samurai Fiction a couple of times to wash away the sadness that still lingers after watching Harakiri.