tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post112339847671979342..comments2024-03-18T19:46:10.130+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Yojimbo, and the Mifune walkJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-27172284875792679722009-02-11T12:42:00.000+05:302009-02-11T12:42:00.000+05:30Came back to this post again as a Pleb.Sean Conner...Came back to this post again as a Pleb.<BR/>Sean Connery yes, but not in the Bond films. In "Red Sun" and "Entrapment" !<BR/><BR/>J.A.P.J. Alfred Prufrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446127543417759542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-74869493390246034002008-07-30T12:13:00.000+05:302008-07-30T12:13:00.000+05:30A great walk? Sean Connery's strut in any of the e...A great walk? Sean Connery's strut in any of the early james bond filmsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1144306156194185722006-04-06T12:19:00.000+05:302006-04-06T12:19:00.000+05:30Yojimbo is the definitive “Cool” movie. And Mifune...Yojimbo is the definitive “Cool” movie. And Mifune one of the best actors to have graced the silver screen. And never mind what that idiot says about Jackie Chan… her idea of catching a good movie is to lie comfortably in bed (with a couple of pillows, of course) and catch up on her beauty sleep! She still harasses me from time to time to put on the Shaft DVD so she can see the last 45 minutes. Jackie Chan indeed! Sanjuro would make sushi out of him! <BR/><BR/>Incidentally, the movie was inspired by (and acknowledged by Kurosawa) Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest, one of the most violent books I have ever read (a menacingly cold, matter-of-fact approach to bloodshed). It’s about the Continental Op (the protagonist of most of his stories) coming to Personville (‘Poisonville’, he’s heard a New York hood call the place, but isn't sure if it's because of the man's accent) to clean up the town for one of the bosses. Read it if you can, if you haven’t already.<BR/><BR/>Oh by the way, she hasn’t seen the second half of Sanjuro either, among others!Soubhik Niyogyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826255778313677421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1144154158440291582006-04-04T18:05:00.000+05:302006-04-04T18:05:00.000+05:30Excellent! Jackie Chan rocks too, though I maintai...Excellent! Jackie Chan rocks too, though I maintain Mifune would knock him out in the first round of a fight, jokes or no jokes.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1144153718132034542006-04-04T17:58:00.000+05:302006-04-04T17:58:00.000+05:30Was made to watch it the other evening by my husba...Was made to watch it the other evening by my husband, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He didn't, because near the end I pointed out how Jackie Chan would have ended the fight quicker and with many more and funnier jokes. I'm afraid I'm a blasphemer :-)<BR/><BR/>(Between you and me I enjoy Kurosawa, but why should I tell him that and take away the poor man's superiority complex?)Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819608939555247317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1143364676628147812006-03-26T14:47:00.000+05:302006-03-26T14:47:00.000+05:30By coincidence I happened on yur site on the very ...By coincidence I happened on yur site on the very same evening that I again watched Yojimbo...thanks for your post, you have succeeded in deepening its meaning for me...a great work of art, like this, only gets better the closer you look at itJuan Gabriel Llorcahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04979128934328741295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1126866342092943622005-09-16T15:55:00.000+05:302005-09-16T15:55:00.000+05:30neat.made good reading.my favourite 'walks':i. pav...neat.<BR/>made good reading.<BR/>my favourite 'walks':<BR/>i. pavan malhotra: opening scene of 'salim langde pe mat ro'<BR/>ii. travolta: SNF<BR/>iii. mifune again in 'red sun' with charles bronson.<BR/><BR/>;-Dbalihaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08787473564732829934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123606585816653232005-08-09T22:26:00.000+05:302005-08-09T22:26:00.000+05:30LOL. Pruffock. Jabberwock - this book was released...LOL. Pruffock. <BR/><BR/>Jabberwock - this <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/477002942X/qid=1123606511/sr=8-6/ref=pd_bbs_6/104-4096732-6724769?v=glance&s=books&n=507846" REL="nofollow">book </A>was released last year. Thought you may be interested. I am currently reading it.Quizmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954917456386552531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123549052779049542005-08-09T06:27:00.000+05:302005-08-09T06:27:00.000+05:30Joy, about the subconscious: I already said it in ...Joy, about the subconscious: I already said it in a comment on Falstaff's previous post.<BR/><BR/>Quizman - jaaa, Salim Khan such a blatant liar? The scene was lifted line by line from 'Half Ticket' (my kind of film, that one. Kishore, Madhubala - oooohhhhh - and totally wacko)<BR/>And who would want to see Jaya's belly anyway? Her smile, yes, but for '70s belly, give me Aruna Irani any day. Now that was a babe with pizzazz who lost out to the treacly sweet demands of the viewing public.<BR/><BR/>J.A.P.J. Alfred Prufrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446127543417759542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123525422121285752005-08-08T23:53:00.000+05:302005-08-08T23:53:00.000+05:30Jai, loved the post. I thought Sholay was also ins...Jai, loved the post. I thought Sholay was also inspired to a certain degree by Ford's Stagecoach, the mother of all westerns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123510533468237052005-08-08T19:45:00.000+05:302005-08-08T19:45:00.000+05:30My favourite walk? Rajnikanth!My favourite walk? Rajnikanth!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123506184982454152005-08-08T18:33:00.000+05:302005-08-08T18:33:00.000+05:30Who would've wanted to see Mifune as Obi Wan in St...Who would've wanted to see Mifune as Obi Wan in Star Wars? Come on! Lucas totally considered having the guy, and Mifune learned english phonetically before Star Wars for Grand Prix. It would've totally rocked the film.Ananghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13093712350047601404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123487096779452112005-08-08T13:14:00.000+05:302005-08-08T13:14:00.000+05:30The funny thing was that Jaya was pregnant during ...The funny thing was that Jaya was pregnant during most of the shooting. Therefore, in some of the important scenes (lighting the lantern, while AB plays the harmonica), Sippy did not show her belly. :-)<BR/><BR/>Anyway, coming back to Mifune, falstaff has made an excellent comment on him re The Hidden Fortress. You just <I>know</I> that he's a general.Quizmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954917456386552531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123482604394744622005-08-08T12:00:00.000+05:302005-08-08T12:00:00.000+05:30Hey guys, thanks for these long comments. Much val...Hey guys, thanks for these long comments. Much valued.<BR/><BR/>Sunil: fret not. Though I prefer Yojimbo to Sanjuro myself, I have plenty of these thoroughly off-the-beaten-track views on films too. It's cool to be messed up!<BR/><BR/>Anangbhai: ignore JAP. Love those over-interpretations. Am a big supporter of the idea that subconscious themes and motifs often work their way into a film regardless of what the scriptwriters/director consciously intended. Never trust the teller, trust the tale and all that jazz. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, that subtext about how a widow is not expected/meant to find happiness again in traditional Indian society was very much a theme in Sholay. Nothing subconscious about that bit. (Also fits in with the kinds of unconventional romantic relationships Amitabh had in his seminal films.)<BR/><BR/>JAP: a cigar is <I>never</I> just a cigar. It's whatever you want it to be. Ha!Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123478697673956412005-08-08T10:54:00.000+05:302005-08-08T10:54:00.000+05:30Anagbhai,The book on the making of Sholay by Anupa...Anagbhai,<BR/><BR/>The book on the making of Sholay by Anupama Chopra has all the details (including the inspirations behind each character). Apart from one claim*, everything in that book seems true.<BR/><BR/>The inspiration behind Sholay was undoubtedly Seven Samurai, OUATITW and Mera Gaon Mera Desh. It was also made during the time JP had pardoned some notorious dacoits. Dacoity was much in the news in the early 70s and early 80s.<BR/><BR/>I agree with Pruffock regarding Castro. Gabbar simply bought some old army castaways & wore them since he was told not to be a regular turbaned dacoit. <BR/><BR/>[*The one claim relates to the Jai asking for Basanti's hand for Veeru. Salim Khan claimed that he was inspired by his own real life incident. That may be true. But the whole scene has been done before by Kishore Kumar in 'Half Ticket']Quizmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954917456386552531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123470034248255342005-08-08T08:30:00.000+05:302005-08-08T08:30:00.000+05:30Another thing I would like to say is that I harp a...Another thing I would like to say is that I harp a lot on indian films that have obvious influences, and dismiss them as substandard fares. But I think Sholay stands out because it was more inspired than a blatant rip off and it turned into a thing of its own. I've heard tell that Once upon a time in the West has over 300 references to Western films, and I'm in the process of tracking them down. I mean Leone started out as a blatant copy-er of kurosawa, but we don't dismiss him so easily because he grew beyond that. Look at Tarantino, Kill Bill has has about a thousand or more references to films QT likes. I mean every frame, every piece of clothing, every sound and piece of music is something QT heard and liked and made it his own. <BR/>I just thought that was a point to be noted, because I think Indian films are capable of originality but so far....<BR/>Btw, deewar was inspired by Haji Mastan a mumbai smuggler. I guess there are a few references to Dirty Harry there but I don't think it was something direct.Ananghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13093712350047601404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123468234977335912005-08-08T08:00:00.000+05:302005-08-08T08:00:00.000+05:30I know i was just playin. Its something that just ...I know i was just playin. Its something that just occurred to me. <BR/>Oh and the train scene came out of the train fight from The Wild Bunch, although it wasn't a direct copy.Ananghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13093712350047601404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123466889281835912005-08-08T07:38:00.000+05:302005-08-08T07:38:00.000+05:30Anangbhai, I'll say it again - sometimes a cigar i...Anangbhai, I'll say it again - sometimes a cigar is just a cigar! Nice observation about the Castro similarity, but give the subcoonscious a break!<BR/><BR/>J.A.P.J. Alfred Prufrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446127543417759542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123465510601853722005-08-08T07:15:00.000+05:302005-08-08T07:15:00.000+05:30Which reminds me: Freshman year of college I did t...Which reminds me: Freshman year of college I did this huge media presentation on Sholay and its influences, which included clips from most of the spaghetti westerns and I did it in a Bollywood class. By the end, 15 Indian faces were staring at me in disbelief, and 15 white faces were staring at the 15 indians wondering why they looked sorta angry. <BR/>But yeah, OUATW is definitely the largest influence on sholay. The theme of revenge, the deaths of the family during a bird shoot that leave only one member behind, and the harmonica. I don't think Gabbar was based on Henry Fonda though, at least not in his looks. Gabbar's look I believe comes from the villain Colonel Mortimer kills in Leone's a few dollars more. The same beard, and those gunbelts. <BR/>I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but has anyone noticed how much gabbar looks like Fidel Castro, complete with communist clothing? So the subconscious story was that a bunch of urbanites come to a village to destroy a "people's socialist" on the orders of a feudal zamindar, but when one of the city-men dares to break the rules of the village (namely marrying a widow) he's (subconciously) killed?? Am i right or am i right people?<BR/>That ties in with the original ending of Sholay where the feudal lord crushes the people's man beneath his spiked jooti like a gandi nali ka keeda. No?Ananghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13093712350047601404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123442879146610622005-08-08T00:57:00.000+05:302005-08-08T00:57:00.000+05:30What's going on Jai? First atrabilious, now palimp...What's going on Jai? First atrabilious, now palimpsest..please to have some mercies on simpleton classes :p <BR/>Anyways, Eastwood HAS a name in all atleast "TheGood The Bad The Ugly" It's 'Blondie' :) And I liked it, for the very fact that he has no real name, and hardly any lines. He speaks with his gun, and a twist of the hat, synchronised with the swirl of his cigar and a raised eyebrow. The camera and bkground score does the rest.<BR/><BR/>JAP, curse be upon you. Why do you have to out that Fistful of Dollars was a copy? Everytime I come to know that one of my fav. movies is plagiarized, I sulk for days. It's theme is one of my all-time favorites. However I must also thank you and Jai. The time has come to get my lazy behind moving and watch all those Kurosawa classics.<BR/><BR/>Jai, I didn't comment on it earlier. I immensely enjoyed yr reviews of Ray/Rai/Roy's(take yr pick) films, followed by insightful comments. It was a nice intro for non-Bong, non-filmi type like me. Will grab them one of these days.Suhailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003909838593766176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123442568078696912005-08-08T00:52:00.000+05:302005-08-08T00:52:00.000+05:30Loved this post.Somehow, I have favorite moments f...Loved this post.<BR/><BR/>Somehow, I have favorite moments from each Kurosawa movie, and hate to pick a fav. I must be the only person on earth who liked Sanjuro more than Yojimbo (though Yojimbo was simply fantastic). I just loved that bit with the cherry blossoms....<BR/><BR/>But then, I seem to be the only person on earth (that I know) who seems to have really liked Dreams also...so I guess i'm all messed up.<BR/><BR/>But my fav movie (if I had to pick), would be Ran. Kurosawa's use of Noh like masks to show different emotions, and specific characters to show different sides (Lady Kaede symbolizing revenge at all costs, and Lady Sue representing the path towards enlightenment, for example, and more so with the three brothers) was fantastic. I found it more moving than King Lear itself......and there's that moment, when the old lord Hidetora Ichimonji is left in the burning castle, and he can't find his sword to commit seppuku...so he sits, pale and ghost like, while the flames rage.....celluloid brilliance at its best.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123440171207070342005-08-08T00:12:00.000+05:302005-08-08T00:12:00.000+05:30see http://www.hillebrander.de/fonda.htmlsee http://www.hillebrander.de/fonda.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123439854487938322005-08-08T00:07:00.000+05:302005-08-08T00:07:00.000+05:30D'you remember one bibulous conversation when I to...D'you remember one bibulous conversation when I told you that I used to have the mother of all crushes on Henry Fonda, and still he's da Man. Is this the death of all taste or what, Quizman calling him wimpy...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123434004514171842005-08-07T22:30:00.000+05:302005-08-07T22:30:00.000+05:30Anangbhai: yes, Yojimbo is one of those films that...Anangbhai: yes, Yojimbo is one of those films that would have been significantly diminished without its music score (think there's another post in there somewhere)<BR/><BR/>Bookcoolie: thanks. Maybe this is your cue to start a blog called DVD-coolie!<BR/><BR/>Falstaff: thanks for that input. I watched Hidden Fortress around 10 years ago when the Star Movies 100 Years of Cinema was on. Don't remember it all that well somehow (except for the comical twosome who served as George Lucas's inspiration for C3PO and R2D2!), must watch it again soon. <BR/><BR/>JAP: indeed it was, indeed it was, and here's the link to prove it: http://jaiarjun.blogspot.com/2004/10/once-upon-time-in-west-sholay.html<BR/>The love-making scene was tense alright, but hot? I think I read somewhere that both actors were very uncomfortable with it. Also, difficult as it is to believe, Fonda was 63 when he made that film (the guy was way fitter than even his daughter) and poor Claudia must've felt like she was making out with grandpa or something.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1123432436853220742005-08-07T22:03:00.000+05:302005-08-07T22:03:00.000+05:30Joy, was it you who posted about Once upon a time ...Joy, was it you who posted about <I>Once upon a time in the west</I> as a source for <I>Sholay</I>? Henry Fonda has menace in that (and his love-making with Claudia Cardinale is one of the hottest scenes ever).<BR/><BR/>As for the walk, perhaps Clint copied Mifune? Since <I>A fistful of dollars</I> WAS a copy of <I>Yojimbo</I><BR/><BR/>And Quizman, Roundtree as Shaft was fantastic too.<BR/><BR/>J.A.P.J. Alfred Prufrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16446127543417759542noreply@blogger.com