Samurai III - Duel at Ganryu Island - Criterion Collection

Starring:Koji Tsuruta, ToshirÃ´ Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, Michiko Saga, Mariko Okada, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Takamaru Sasaki, Daisuke KatÃ´, Haruo Tanaka, Kichijiro Ueda, Kokuten Kodo, Ikio Sawamura, Nakajiro Tomita, Sonosuke Sawamura, Minosuke Yamada, ShÃ´ji Kiyokawa, Masako Sakurai, Yutaka Oka, Tominosuke Hayama
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

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Toshirô Mifune is confidence supreme and humility incarnate as the mature samurai master Musashi Miyamoto in the final film of Inagaki's sprawling trilogy. Now a legendary swordsman whose latest quest is to save an isolated village from rampaging brigands (shades of Seven Samurai), he remains haunted by the memory of Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa). Meanwhile the ruthless and increasingly jealous Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta) plots his battle royal with Musashi to prove who is the finest fencer in Japan. Inagaki weaves the web of subplots into a series of grand confrontations, among them the most exciting battles of the trilogy: Musashi's skirmish with the army of cutthroats while the village erupts in a fiery inferno around him, and the sunset duel between Musashi and Kojiro on an isolated beach, the two warriors taking on mythic dimensions silhouetted against the sun setting over the surf. Inagaki's delicate use of color throughout the series becomes most pronounced in this final sequence, where the glow of orange and red adds dramatic flourish to the twilight battle. Inagaki's reserved, restrained style and Mifune's melancholy performance--his granite face and stocky stance the very essence of somber wisdom and sad assurance--bring a gravity and seriousness to the drama that ultimately illuminates the personal cost of Musashi's supreme skill as his story ends on an elegiac but hopeful note. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Hiroshi Inagaki's acclaimed Samurai Trilogy is based on the novel that has been called Japan's Gone with the Wind. This sweeping saga of the legendary seventeenth-century samurai Musashi Miyamoto (powerfully portrayed by Toshiro Mifune) plays out against the turmoil of a devastating civil war. The Trilogy (whose first part won an Academy Award®) follows Musashi's odyssey from unruly youth to enlightened warrior. In the third installment, Duel at Ganryu Island, Musashi reunites tragically with the women who love him, and battles for samurai supremacy in a climactic confrontation with his lifelong nemesis.

Customer Reviews:

The Conclusion Of An Epic Trilogy!.......2006-12-19

This final installment of this epic trilogy, "Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island," directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, and starring the legendary actor Toshiro Mifune in the title role, is my favorite of the three episodes. And I like them all. The film sees Musashi Miyamoto (Toshiro Mifune) come full circle. The climatic battle between Musashi and his arch enemy, Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsutura) has now come to its climatic conclusion. Moreover, many of the loose ends are eventually tied up in this final episode. As this final film in the trilogy begins, we see that Miyamoto Musashi has gained a widespread reputation. In fact, when many want to hire him out, he refuses. Miyamoto Musashi has grown and developed into a different man. He does not seek fame or fortune, but to become the ideal samurai.

The film shows the maturity of Miyamoto Musashi, from his hot-headed early days [in the first episode especially] he has now grown into what a samurai should and must exemplify. To live by the Bushido code and his desire to live and walk a path worthy of a true samurai. Yet, the eventual confrontation with his nemesis Kojiro Sasaki is the climatic scene which viewers are clearly looking forward to. Also, there is the always present Otsu, (Kaoru Yachigusa) who somehow manages to locate Miyamoto Musashi [she is the girl his best friend, Matachi, was engaged to in the earlier episode]. The film is highly recommended. I have the older CRITERION episodes, and hopefully the film has been restored to a more deserving fate than what I have.

I highly recommend this Toshiro Mifune classic. And if you have the time, you might want to watch all of them on the same day. [About 5 hours]. You will get a better sense of the story, instead of watching them weeks or months apart. I have seen these DVD's in many rental stores, therefore, although I highly suggest purchasing the Trilogy, if you can, rent them on some weekend you are not doing anything, and watch these magical films. They are a true delight, and highly recommended, you will not be disappointed. Moreover, the ending of this last episode in which Kojiro Susaki and Miyamoto Musashi have their epic duel is very well done. Highest recommendations.

So that's what all the fuss is about........2006-02-16

Picture this. Typical midwestern rube (me) greatly admires Japanese actor Toshirô Mifune. Said rube learns somewhat late in the game that Mifune starred in a tremendously respected and honored samurai trilogy. Hiroshi Inagaki's three-parter won a special Academy Award in 1956, and someone somewhere called it the Japanese `Gone With the Wind.' Part one was okay, but I thought (then) it introduced too many characters, started too many plot strands and ended in mid-air. The praise and awards impressed but I wasn't blown away by either of the first two films. In fact, I was becoming increasing convinced they were given more to bolster our post-WWII ally Japan than honestly reflect critical opinion. Part two was better, more focused on the maturation, spiritual and emotional, of its main character, a cut above average, but just a cut.

With expectations appropriately lowered I popped the third film - DUEL ON GANRYU ISLAND - into the dvd player. Two hours later I'm delighted to announce that this is a magnificent movie. Not just good, but world-class great. By now the story has shed or resolved most of the distracting subplots of the earlier movies while seeing to it that the focus remains on Mifune's samurai Musashi. For the most part, anyway. Opposing Musashi is his great foe, Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta.) In a sense DUEL is a parallel story, telling the story of the natural hero Musashi, who embodies all the virtues of the samurai. Took it the better part of two films to get there, but that's a quibble. Sasaki, introduced as something of an ally to Musashi in the second film, wonderfully fleshed out by Tsuruta, is an overly-gifted swordsman whose natural abilities allow him to achieve great success without having to endure the great struggles that have defined Musashi. Sasaki is proud and ambitious, while Musashi is humble and, at this stage of his life, turning his back on the rewards of the world. One of the factors that sets this movie apart, above, most other action movies is the care and affectionate attention it devotes to its antagonist. We're in Musashi's corner, of course, but Sasaki is three-dimensional. If he's overly ambitious, a trait unbecoming in a samurai (I think), he's also capable of great compassion. Sasaki's flaws are balanced with his virtues, and his great fault, it seems, is his disinclination to self-improvement. DUEL runs with these two characters for most of the movie, straying a bit to resolve a love subplot or two. There's an inevitable showdown at the end, the island duel mentioned in the title. Although the final battle sequence doesn't resort to animated graphics - didn't have them in 1955 - or special effects, and the two combatants remain earthbound, it's one of the best action sequences I've ever seen. Photography, editing, story, actors all coalesce for a truly remarkable ending. Sasaki and Musashi face off against each other in broad woodcut poses, their weapons bearing a deadly edged heft and weight, a slow ballet where earth and sea, day and twilight meet. The trilogy had been playing to this scene all the time, and the scene pays off.

Even though I wasn't a great fan of the first movie in this trilogy, I strongly suggest all three movies -Musashi Miyamoto, Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and Duel at Ganryu Island - be watched in sequence. The first suffers in isolation, but it adds depth and texture when seen as part of the whole. Toshirô Mifune is one of the greatest actors in film history. You can have your Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, of any other actor who dazzles with martial artistry. Mifune commands the screen, an electrifying presence who bears comparison to Marlon Brando or John Wayne. When Mifune snarls, and few if any snarled better, he IS the Samurai, dropped from an ancient painting and brought to breath.

Far inferior to the book.......2005-11-06

This trilogy is not particularly faithful to the book. The love story is overplayed in the movie. The most memorable part of the book is the part where Musashi trains a village to fight off a band of brigands. That scene appears in this third installment of the Samurai trilogy. It is poorly done here, and masterfully done in the book.

In the book, Musashi goes into very interesting detail about how to prepare for the attack of the brigands. He strategizes beautifully. I remember that the townspeople allow only a handful of brigands to breach their defenses at a time, and then seal the defenses up and massacre the handful of brigands they allowed in.

It is quite a sport, to duel to the death. Not conducive to rematches though.

The entire trilogy really fails to capture the mastery of the book Musashi. Those who love the movie so much really should pick up the book here on Amazon. It is a cliche already that "the book is much better than the movie", and it is extremely true about this story.

The only time I noticed that a movie was clearly superior to the book it was based on was the movie Contact starring Jodie Foster, which was far superior to the book by Carl Sagan, a brilliant man who was not really a very good fiction writer. His book is poor, and the movie is very good.

I suppose the movie director felt that if you are going to make a movie out of it, you'd better play up the romance angle. It was simply a mistake here, and I give the director an X on his report card for making that foolish decision.

Final Chapter of this epic Samurai Trilogy.......2005-04-10

"Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island," is the third and final chapter of the epic trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki that chronicles the life of legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto (played by Toshiro Mifune). The third chapter is my personal favorite, not only because it ties up all the loose ends from the previous two films but because of the climatic battle between Musashi and his enemy, Kojiro. This trilogy is a unique experience in that viewers are given an extended period to get to know the characters (the trilogy clocks in at nearly 5 hrs) and the world in which they live and act. I highly recommend taking advantage of this by renting or buying all three of these great samurai films.

Musashi vs. Kojiro.......2004-07-25

In this final volume of Inagaki Hiroshi's _Samurai_ series the viewer is once again treated to the adventures of one of Japan's most famous masterless samurai: Miyamoto Musashi. Fantastically played by Mifune Toshiro, Musashi comes off as an individual who, although extraordinarily powerful and skillful, also is not without compassion. As can be seen when he buries the bodies of four men slain by Sasaki Kojiro.

In the volume, Musashi's fame has spread considerably across Japan and numerous individuals want to hire Musashi as either a teacher or a bodyguard, however, Unlike Takezo, Musashi's old name, Musashi does not seek or desire fame and fortune. What he desires is making himself the perfect samurai. Which he tries to do not only through cultivating his martial skill, but also through certain arts such as carving buddhist statues and painting, as can be seen in the second movie.

However, Musashi still has one tie to his old world and that is Otsu, the girl his best friends Matahachi was engaged to at the beginning of the story. Musashi does his best to avoid Otsu, but the persistant woman always seems to be able to locate him in the end. In this film, Musashi actually even reciprocates Otsu's love. However, of course, the main confrontation in this movie is the fated duel between Kojiro and Musashi. It is very well done.

This movie caps off the series well. Musashi has come full circle from being a hot headed young warrior with only brute strength to a polished samurai who has not only mastered the art of the sword, but other skills as well. However, what I find even more moving is the respect and compassion Musashi feels for even his enemies. A good series.

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