Sanshiro Sugata

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Audience Member Sanshiro Sugata (Judo Saga) is a 1943 Japanese martial arts drama film and the directorial debut of the Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Tsuneo Tomita, the son of prominent judoka Tsunejirō Tomita, published in 1942. It follows the story of Sanshiro, a talented though willful youth, who travels to the city in order to learn Jujutsu. However, upon his arrival he discovers a new form of self-defence: Judo. The main character is based on Saigō Shirō. The film was eventually released in the United States on April 28th, 1974. The film itself was quite influential at the time and has been remade on no fewer than five occasions, although these versions are even harder to find in the west than the original. It spawned a sequel, Sanshiro Sugata Part II, which was released in 1945 and was also directed by Kurosawa. Vision wrote: " You gotta understand humanity to understand judo. Kurosawa knew this. For a first, well done. Second, don't look for any fancy martial arts, this is an aggressive sport. Seiichi Suzuki's captivating music always plays it's part. Ryūnosuke Tsukigata does an amazing job convincing us as the first Japanese villain in cinema. Four fries for the production, directing, acting and cinematography." Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/05/25 Full Review Will G A great film about Judo and Jiu-jitsus. This is Akira Kurosawa’s first film. The architecture was neat in this film. The acting and cinematography was good. Didn’t like this one as much as “Seven Samurai”. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review william d There's a disclaimer at the beginning stating that the wartime government cut over 1800 feet of film from the original version and it shows. There is very little plot or character development. Plus, I really don't care about the whole "judo vs. jujitsu" contretemps. Still, the film is entertaining enough and it bears Kurosawa's impeccable direction. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This has a fairly standard and predictable story told within the confines of mid 19th century Japan. Aside from the obvious technical limitations the film isn't nearly as captivating as Kurosawa's later projects but is still a mostly carefully shot martial arts period piece with some palpable characterization between the 2 leads. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A (almost) sports film with uncommon grace and a full, proud heart and an eye for the things that move and astound. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Kurosawa's first is a minor work compared to his later masterpieces. Repeat viewings however reveal a likeable and endearing film about a country bumpkin who realizes his strength and spiritual growth through Judo. At first he's all strength, so much so, his instructor detests him to the point of calling him a useless bully. He's never a bully despite a scene in which he appears to be randomly fighting strangers on the streets. When his instructor says he lacks the spirituality to continue with judo, he all of a sudden jumps into a pond determined to die there if necessary. He stays there over a day until a blossoming lotus flower gives him sudden insight. He jumps out a changed man, with newfound humility. Eventually he excels so much at judo that children follow him around singing about him like a folk hero. But this notoriety attracts a nefarious character who is determined to humiliate him in a fight. Sanshiro however, never loses his cool or his humility. And if you've ever seen Kurosawa's masterpiece Ran, you know clouds feature prominently in that film. Clouds are important to Sanshiro Sugata as well. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Sanshiro Sugata

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