is a 1925 black and white Japanese silent film with benshi

Benshi

were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films . Benshi are sometimes also called or .-Role of the benshi:...

 accompaniment directed by Buntarō Futagawa. This is the most popular and beloved film of Tsumasaburō Bandō

Tsumasaburo Bando

was one of the most prominent Japanese actors of the twentieth century. Famous for his rebellious, sword fighting roles in many jidaigeki silent films, he rose to fame after joining the Tōjiin Studio of Makino Film Productions in Kyoto in 1923.-Early life:...

, featuring the star at the height of his fame.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of a samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 who falls on hard times due to misunderstandings and explains the plots of his enemies. Such explanations superbly depict the absurdity of the samurai's unjust world, making this work pertinent even in present day.

Analysis

The kinetic sword fighting scenes masterfully performed by Bandō were quite novel in an age when kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

-style, leisurely and dignified movies were the norm. This style has been passed onto modern chambara films.

External links

• Orochi on Internet Movie Data Base