Underplayed Gems

Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

Sanshiro Sugata poster
Original title
姿三四郎
Directed by
Akira Kurosawa
Genre
action film, martial arts film, historical drama
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 20m
Rating
6.5 of 10 from 147 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A willful young man in 19th century Japan studies judo under a master. He learns to control his temper and improve his fighting skills through rigid training and personal challenges.

determinedfocuseddisciplinedearnestslow-burnvisually expressivemeditativeclassic

What happens

Sanshiro Sugata (Japanese: 姿三四郎, Hepburn: Sugata Sanshirō; also known as Judo Saga) is a 1943 Japanese martial arts drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, his feature directorial debut. It follows the story of the title character, played by Susumu Fujita, a talented though willful youth who learns discipline and martial prowess through his study of judo. The film is based on the 1942 novel by Tsuneo Tomita, which is a roman à clef of prominent judoka Shirō Saigō and the Kodokan–Totsuka rivalry. The film is seen as an early example of Kurosawa's immediate grasp of the film-making process, and includes many of his directorial trademarks, such as the use of wipes, weather patterns as reflections of character moods, and use of slow motion. First released in Japan on March 25, 1943, by Toho, it did not see a significant international release due to the ongoing Second World War. It was eventually released in the United States on April 28, 1974. It spawned a sequel, Sanshiro Sugata Part II, which was released in 1945 and was also directed by Kurosawa. The film itself was quite influential at the time, and has been remade on no fewer than five occasions. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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