Love and Honor (Third of the Samurai Trilogy), 2006

 Love and Honor (Third of the Samurai Trilogy), 2006

Japanese, historical drama

1hour 58minutes

5 Stars

 

Shinnojo is another low-level samurai, who dreams of quitting and opening a dojo. He is a food taster for his lord, and ingests some bad fish sashimi, and goes blind. His lord keeps him on full salary, but his beautiful and loyal wife does not know this, and seeks the help of a high ranking samurai, who lies to her, and to help her husband, he forces her to submit to his lust. Shinnojo finds out she has an affair and banishes her. Then finds out he was wrong and she was raped. The duel follows. It has to be the best scene with a blind swordsman ever! He does not kill the man but removes his arm. Duels are illegal, the samurai says he doesn’t know the assailant. The wife is welcomed home.

 

 

personal note: I spent several years looking for this movie. I knew it was out there, but couldn’t find it. I found it the other day for sale for the low price of $95.00. I kept searching and found it streaming for free at LookMovie: 

https://playerwatchlm85.xyz/threat-protection/second?t=6edf7188c7b77df2f70babd2196eb5d131fcb541

And this morning I found a used copy at a much more reasonable price, when it arrives I will have all three. 

The Hidden Blade (Second of Samurai Trilogy), 2004

 The Hidden Blade (Second of Samurai Trilogy), 2004

Japanese, historical drama

2hours 12minutes

5 Stars

 

This second of the three movies written and directed by Yoji Yamada and takes place in the 1860s shortly before the Meiji Restoration. Again, we have a sensitive, caring, and low-ranking samurai, Katagiri. There are some sub plots within the movie from love to betrayal, and the avengement of that betrayal. Kie is a young woman who came to the Katagiri household as a young girl where she learned to read and write, as well as becoming a proper lady though she was from a lower caste and married a merchant. Katagiri loves her but cannot marry out of his caste. There is the obligatory sword fight and then Katagiri discovers the deceit of the head of the castle, seeks revenge, then resigns his samurai status. As a farmer, he goes to Kie.

Sometimes you just need a good story...

Kabei: Our Mother

2008, 133 minutes

Japanese, English Subtitles

10 Stars out of 5)

Based on Teruyo Nogami's autobiography, this film focuses on her childhood years in 1940s Tokyo. Her father, Professor Nogami is jailed on suspicion of being a Communist, leaving his wife and two young daughters to fend for themselves. Directed by Yoji Yamada (Twilight Samurai, the Hidden Blade) this quiet drama focuses on life as it existed before and during WWII. Although a tearjerker, Rainy Day never felt the story contrived; instead, she saw a great deal of beauty in the human situation, replete with honest laughter to balance the honest tears. The music is gorgeous, and fits the story. Yoji Yamada is rapidly becoming one of Rainy Day's most favorite directors. Teruyo Nogami is not without credentials on her own having spent 50 years with Akira Kurosawa.

Click here for trailer.