CRITICAL REVIEW: BUSHIDO THE CRUEL CODE OF THE SAMURAI (1963) MOVIE
Critical review: Bushido the cruel code of the samurai (1963) movie
The film, “Bushido: The cruel code of the samurai” is film full of drama with unique features and high level of character change featured in 1963. Bushido represented samurai’s code of honor, morality and discipline. The samurai who were members of a military status that was powerful in the feudal Japan rose to power to become Japan’s first military dictators. The samurai dominated the government of Japan and even though the system was abolished, they still continued to be in the elite political ranks in the modern Japan. The film has generally shown transition of government of japan from the federal system of government to a post-war modernization in the country.
The transformation in japan was a huge success to the country’s success. The economy of japan between the era of World War II and cold war rapidly grew to become the world’s second largest economy after the United States. Such a transition in any government would be admired by many people in the world. Bushido in the film has shown such a transition from a tyrant regime through a struggle to redeem the country. Through the Meiji restoration, the samurai powers were reduced and it became easy for the government of Japan to move forward and achieve its success. The film has generally shown these transition processes and the Bushido in the modern Japan Empire.
Portrayal of Bushido in the film and the chapter reading
Bushido is represented as an agent for change both in the chapter reading and the film. Even though the film focusses on the tyrant regime that led to the transformation of the government, the end of the film is about a success story. The book on the other hand shows the good characters of the samurai people even in the present day. The film’s theme revolves around a theme of philosophy and code of conduct in regimes and also shows transitions from era to era in the tyrant regime which is also presented in the chapter reading, “Hagakure: The Cult of Death and Horrifying individuality.” Bushido shows a smooth transition of an era and the birth of a new generation in the regime.
The importance of such smooth transition is that it helps reduce cases of increased bloodshed on the people and promotes loyalty by the people. Unlike before the Bushido, the era was full of dictatorship and increased human right abuse. The theme of philosophy in the past was used to ensure that the regime even under transition would still retail the previous ruling powers. Such ruling powers range from dictatorship to the use of force. However, Bushido transitioned this type of philosophy smoothly without increased mass murder. On the other hand, the code of conduct in the film is shown through the increased passion to change how the tyrant ruled in the country.
Bushido in the film also represents loyalty and honor in a system of government. The importance of such attributes to a person is that, they result to a smooth running of a government and ensure that enemies are kept away from overturning a regime in the country. Royalty and honor is perceived as a good thing in the regime even though it has negative consequences in the country. According to the film, most of the characters that are portrayed by Kinnosuke Nakamura are either destroyed or dismayed by their life in general. The regime has inflicted fear into their lives thus destroying it since the people find it not free. The stories of these samurai people are full of sacrifices that end up pleasing their master. The film has also brought about the issue of dishonesty and corruption in the upper class of the federal system of government which causes distrust from the people who serve it.
The chapter reading and the film relate in many ways and enlighten the readers about the ancient past of the samurai. According to the chapter reading, the samurai people were very interesting as they showed politeness, honor, respect, gender roles and appearance which were all Japanese warriors’ code of conduct. Much of these characters portrayed in the book and the film are seen in the present age Japanese culture. The book also showed the irrelevance of wealth and material to the samurai people thus the people of samurai were very influential people and good role models.
Conclusion
The story of the samurai people as portrayed by the chapter reading and the film is very influential in the modern day society. Personal virtues such as loyalty and trust are still important in any leadership whether formal or informal. The story of the samurai people was thus an important milestone towards changing the current society and impacting on the people’s lives. Tyrants still exist in the society. The need for change is increasingly high and the entire transformation process of Japan is admired by many countries in the world. The film and the chapter reading thus have a positive impact to the people in the world thus creating a need for film producers to focus on enlightening the viewers about the history of some of the most successful countries in the world.
Bibliography
Yamamoto, Tsunetomo. 2002. Hagakure: the book of the Samurai. Tokyo: Kodansha International.
