
I saw
Harakiri for the first time, just about three years ago during Film Forum's
Summer Samurai festival. 2005 was the year I became obsessed with the classic Japanese samurai flicks from the 50's and 60's, so the timing of this festival was auspicious, to say the least. I went to a majority of the films being screened, save the ones I'd already seen, like
Yojimbo,
Sanjuro, and
Seven Samurai; it was a great opportunity to see films that were more obscure than the Kurosawa stand-bys and a nice education for me, with my burgeoning obsession. I remember a lovely matinee of
Throne of Blood, in a mostly empty theatre, contentedly eating a yummy homemade sandwich and a seventy-five cent soda from the bodega, watching Toshiro Mifune as he was blown through with a million arrows. The headlining film,
Samurai Rebellion, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, was also great; so were Kurosawa's
The Hidden Fortress, and Okamoto's
Sword of Doom, and
Kill!. The highlight, though, was Kobayashi's
Seppuku (Harakiri).
I barely noticed the time as the story unfolded over two plus hours; I remember moments when my fingers clenched the armrests of my chair and looking around to see my rapt, open-mouth expression mirrored on faces throughout the audience. At the end of the movie, no one moved for a palpable length of time; we all just sort of sat there, dumbfounded, before someone broke the silence and declared, "That was the best movie EVER." We all laughed and started to move around, still floored by the experience.
Before that show, I was a big fan of Mifune's, and I still am. He's a giant of an actor, funny, moving, engrossing, handsome, an undeniably commanding screen presence with great charm and skill. But once I'd seen Tatsuya Nakadai in
Harakiri, it was all over: my side was firmly chosen in the eternal debate over which legendary actor is the more distinguished of the two: Nakadai is the man. He's simply the actor I'd choose to watch perform over any actor, in any movie, Japanese or not. From his huge, expressive eyes, to his ability to convey a multitude of meanings within a tiny "O
ho!", or a sardonic glare, to his resonating laugh, and his very choices for roles, he's just incredibly interesting and enlightening to watch. His character in
Harakiri is alternately heartbreaking, bristling with a caref

ully contained anger and bitter remorse, powerfully subdued as he commands one of the most tense and masterfully shot sword fight scenes ever, near the end of the film. His peace-loving ronin in
Kill! is adorable and thoughtfully rendered, while his psychopathic Ryonusuke in
Sword of Doom, really quite loathsome, also manages to spark strains of curious tenderness, or sympathy. Rather than simply hating him, we ponder the effects of a martial upbringing on a young man's soul; we consider that he is a product of violence: an effect, rather than merely a cause; and these are, of course, thoughts we can apply to our own society as well.
So tonight, I saw my very favorite movie
Harakiri for the third time in the theatre, as part of Film Forum's seven-week
Nakadai festival (!), and was afterward lucky enough to be in the audience for abrief Q&A with Nakadai himself. Still spry and alert at 75, and looking no older than 50, really, he was a gracious interview subject, attentive to all the questions he was asked. Even when the questions were silly, his answers were witty and interesting, as they related to
Harakiri and his very long career. I've never really been one to get star struck, and I wouldn't say that I was starstruck tonight, but I was quite awed, and felt really lucky, just to have had been there to see him speak. I don't think acting, per se, is an occupation that thrills me, or overly interests me; actors in this city are a dime a dozen. But there's something about someone who's just really effing fantastic at what he or she does, and intelligent about it, innovative, and Nakadai's performances betray a personal sensibility that I can relate to. His characters are subversive and educative, as heros and as villains. Also, it has to be said, the man is still devastatingly handsome, even at 75. Holy moly.
I'll be going to quite a few of the films in the upcoming festival, and shall indeed be updating as I go along. Here's some local press from the past few weeks, about the festival.
Labels: film forum, harakiri, masaki kobayashi, samurai flicks, tatsuya nakadai