In Samurai Rebellion, there was a rebellion, but not of swords and muskets, a rebellion against the rigid samurai code that the local lord had subrogated with tyrannical orders levied according to his whims. Three people stood up for the injustice done to them in the name of order and tore down the societal walls suffocating them in order to be individuals with their own wills and to fight for their basic human rights no matter the cost.

The film begins with samurais Sasahara Isaburo (Mifune Toshiro) and his buddy Tatewaki (Nakadai Tatsuya) grumbling about how boring their lives are in the equivalent of middle management jobs for the local lord. Isaburo is in charge of cleaning and counting the weapons in the local artillery while Tatewaki is a glorified gate guard. Isaburo has been stranded in a loveless marriage for 20 years to a harridan who rules the household with a sharpened steel tongue while he plays along to keep the peace. Upon arriving home, he receives orders from the lord that his oldest son, Yogoro, is to marry the lord's dismissed concubine. Lady Ichi was rumored to have gone wild when she saw the lord with another woman even striking him and tearing at his clothes. Isaburo seeks a way out for his son, not wanting to relegate him to the same marital hell he's lived in. Yogoro realizes the penalty for refusing and acquiesces. In a turn of good luck, Ichi is actually the perfect wife and she and Yogoro fall in love and have a daughter, Tomi. When questioned about her behavior with the lord, it turned out that the lord had given her no choice and forced her to be his concubine even though she was engaged and 30 years younger than he was. Their marital bed was torment for Ichi, "like dragging a pure silk kimono through the mud".

Isaburo retires and makes Yogoro the head of the household. Just as everything is going well, the lord's son dies leaving only Ichi's son she had to leave behind as an heir. The heir's mother could not be married to a vassal so she was ordered to return to the castle. Isaburo had gone along with his wife and lord in everything they'd ever asked no matter how degrading. Seeing his son and daughter-in-law having the kind of love he'd never experienced lit a fire in the retired samurai. Breaking up a loving family at the lord's capricious notion was cruel and barbaric and one too many slashes against the family's honor. Though there were family councils and political councils held advising them to comply, the three stayed strong in refusing until Ichi was kidnapped and returned to the lord. At this point, Isaburo and Yogoro knew the score. The lord's actions would be frowned upon by other daimyos and the shogunate if discovered but getting the information to Edo would be perilous. The lord's men approached Tatewaki and asked him to kill Isaburo, knowing he was the only man who stood a chance against him. Tatewaki told them to negotiate or there would be a mountain of dead men.

The gun on the mantel at the beginning of the film was the lord stating that Isaburo and Tatewaki would never fight because it would hurt the family of whoever lost. You know before the final credits, the two will battle. And by the time the fight against the lord's men begins you will also be blood thirsty for the mountain of dead men after all of the sorrow and suffering.

Tsukasa Yoko as the Lady Ichi was the emotional glue holding the story together as she finally found a safe and loving place to call home and also had to show determination in the face of insidious threats. Mifune Toshiro gave one of his best performances. Initially, he was the henpecked husband with little to live for and slowly gained the fire and fierce attitude we are used to seeing in his samurai characters. Not only true love, but human honor beyond the samurai code was worth fighting for. As he determined to break the rules, he was seen walking on the carefully raked sand in the courtyard instead of on the path. The symmetrical and even lines in the house were purposely carved and nailed askew in defiance of the classic norms. Isaburo also gained a self-confidence beyond his skill with a sword. "For the first time in my life I feel alive!"

Samurai Rebellion blended low key romance, family drama, and political drama in a battle against corruption and a rigid, unyielding system that demanded complete obedience even in the face of abuse and cruelty. There was no cathartic ending, the three main characters were aware where their fate lie and embraced it. They knew the consequences for their act of rebellion for themselves and their families, they simply could no longer tolerate being treated as inhuman. This film was a story of love and the need for dignity which also happened to also be a samurai film. Well worth seeking out if you like old films or Mifune Toshiro.

5/15/23