THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI
aka TASOGARE SEIBEI
Year: 2002
USA: Empire Pictures
UK: Tartan Films
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Mitsuro Fukikoshi, Min Tanaka, Tetsuro Tanba, Ren Osugi, Miki Ito, Erina Hashiguchi, Hiroshi Kanbe, Reiko Kusamura, Yuuki Natsusaka, Tsukasa Sugawara, Kouichi Taniguchi, Teruhiko Tanaka, Takako Miyashima, Mayu Komori, Astushi Yoshikawa, Kenji Yoshida, Takashi Yamazaki, Shinya Amako, Rio Ishino, Norio Satou, Keishi Arashi, Baijaku Nakamura, Masato Akatsuka, Masahiro SatO, Senri Sakurai, Masayasu Kitayama, Toshinori Omi, Shinjiro Nakamura, Keiko Kishi
Director: Yoji Yamada
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 129 mins
USA Rated: NR
UK Certificate: 12A contains moderate violence
USA Release Date: 23 April 2004 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 16 April 2004
Synopsis
Yoji Yamada's drama is a stately and contemplative study of a man in flux. Stoic and unassuming, Seibei is a low-ranking retainer of a 19th century Japanese samurai clan. Living in poverty, his main concern is one of survival - for himself, his aging mother and two daughters. Old feudal traditions still abound and ordered by his overlord, Seibei is reluctantly forced into a duel where he must fight armed only with a bamboo stick.
Starring Hiroyuki Sanada as Iguchi Seibei from the original RING series and the recent Tom Cruise movie THE LAST SAMURAI, this is the actor's first appearance in a Yamada film. Also starring Rie Miyazawa as Tomoe who won the Best Actress Award at the 2003 Moscow International Film Festival for her role in PEONY PAVILLION. Min Tanaka, the great Butoh master makes his screen debut.
The Story
Seibei Iguchi is a low-ranking samurai of the Unasaka clan in Shonai Province of northeast Japan. His wife died of tuberculosis, a frequent cause of demise in those early years of hunger and malnutrition. With two daughters, Kayano and Ito, and an aging mother to support, he and his family must survive in austerity. The moment his daily work is over, he hurries home, refusing to drink or eat with fellow samurai, and concentrates on housework and moonlighting. Behind his back, samurai teasingly call him "Tasogare Seibei (Twilight Seibei)."
One day Seibei meets Tomonojo Iinuma, a childhood friend, and hears about Tomoe, the latter's sister, who divorced her husband Toyotaro and moved in with her brother. The next day, Tomoe visits Seibei and the two enjoy reminiscing. As Seibei walks Tomoe home they encounter her ex, furiously determined to take her back. As fate would have it, Seibei, instead of Tomonojo who is a poor fencer, must duel with Toyotaro. On the day of their fight, Seibei, with only a wooden sword, easily beats Toyotaro who uses a real sword. As rumors of the duel rapidly spread, Tomoe takes to frequently calling at Seibei's residence. Seibei's daughters Kayano and Ito grow attached to her, and Tomonojo suggests that Seibei marry the girl. However, fearing he is too poor, Seibei declines, which puts an end to Tomoe's visits.
Meanwhile, strife within the clan has continued over who will be its successor. After the matter is resolved, Seibei is ordered to kill a retainer named Zenemon Yogo, who disapproves of the new lord of the fief. Seibei opts to refuse, claiming he lacks the skill to perform the task. Told that the clan's orders are the same as the lord's, he reluctantly agrees. The next morning Seibei sends for Tomoe, describes his mission and asks her to help him prepare. During the tense period as they wait for the samurai coming for him, Seibei tells Tomoe that since his childhood, his dream has been to marry her. "I'm going to fight a duel," he vows. "I shall win and come back. If I then ask you to marry me, will you accept?" what Seibei does not know is that Tomoe has just made arrangements for an engagement.
Seibei heads to Yogo's residence, but to his surprise, he finds Yogo drunk. "Well, sorry for the trouble, but I am going to be on the run. The world is about to change, with totally different culture from the west coming in. the way of the samurai is now dead." The drunkard samurai was talkative. He starts his story of losing his wife of tuberculosis, and the absurdity of hara-kiri, which he did not believe in at all. Also losing his wife of tuberculosis, Seibei sympathizes with the samurai and tells his hardships. "I didn't even have money to give a funeral, and finally, ended up selling the 'life' of a samurai, my sword." With his words he draws the sword out of its scabbard, with reveals itself as only a wooden sword. Seeing this, Yogo's makes a sudden attack to Seibei. Seibei makes a move, and Yogo's blade barely missing him. Seibei tries to talk Yogo out of the duel, but Yogo Keeps on roaring, moving closer to Seibei, and makes his final attack...
It is in the evening twilight that Seibei returns home. Ito comes running out to welcome him. Seibei picks her up in his arms, and smiles. Then, a shadow moves from the house and Seibei stops. It is Tomoe, who just cannot stop her tears seeing Seibei's return.
... In a lonely grave in a hidden temple, sits Ito, now old. The grave is Seibei and Tomoe's. The two married, but Seibei was killed right afterwards, in the Meiji Revolution war, with a gun.