Exercise 1.3
Watching three films back to back, which essentially tell the same story, has been an interesting exercise. I have written a full analysis of each film in separate posts, accessible by clicking on their titles. However, the exercise asked me to summarise each film in around three sentences.
Yojimbo (1961)
A ronin arrives in a town controlled by rival gangs. He decides the town would be better off with either gang eliminated. What follows is the ronin playing the gangs against each other to achieve his goal.
A Fist Full of Dollars (1964)
A stranger arrives in a town ruled by rival gangs. He decides to exploit the situation for financial gain. In trying to play the gangs off against each other, he ultimately brings down one gang and wipes out the other to avenge a friend he made in the village.
Last Man Standing (1996)
A drifter/gunslinger arrives in a town divided by gangs. For his own purposes, he manipulates both gangs to bring them down.
The two remakes are remarkably faithful to the original screenplay of Yojimbo — so much so that Kurosawa successfully sued for breach of copyright over A Fist Full of Dollars. However, there are subtle differences in all three films. I believe Fist Full of Dollars is closest to the original, with an emphasis on money-making at first by the stranger; morality only emerges later when he rescues Marisol. In Yojimbo, the destruction of the gangs feels more like the ronin’s moral crusade.
Last Man Standing, although an official remake, presents a more confusing narrative. There is no clear moral standpoint. While he helps two female characters, it’s unclear whether this is out of decency or guilt — especially since his involvement may have indirectly led to Lucy being attacked. He tells the Texas Ranger he intends to bring the gangs down, but his true motivations remain ambiguous, as if he intends to replace them.
Of the three films, the most visually pleasing is A Fist Full of Dollars. It captures the open expansiveness typical of traditional Westerns with deep depth of field and wide shots, while also using effective extreme close-ups, such as in the final face-off. The film stock features muted colors, giving a more authentic Old West feel compared to other Westerns.
Yojimbo is less expansive in its shots, favoring medium shots and close-ups with the camera often positioned at right angles to the scene. The overall lighting is darker, contributing to a somber atmosphere.
Last Man Standing features a mix of long, medium, and close shots without consistent style. The colors are muted and dusty, which, upon reflection, adds to a drab and lackluster feel.
Of the three, I would say A Fist Full of Dollars shows the most skillful cinematography because it successfully blends Japanese and traditional Western styles to create a unique dramatic effect. On the surface, it appears like a classic Western, but as you watch, the closer, more intimate scenes evoke a different, more complex drama.
Culturally, I wonder if there is a big difference for Japanese audiences between swords and pistols — that is, between the Western and the chanbara (samurai) genres. Chanbara serves as escapism for Japanese audiences much like Westerns did for American viewers.
However, the use of a pistol in Yojimbo carries specific meaning: it symbolizes the character Unosuke’s lack of honour and skill. The pistol gives him power he otherwise wouldn’t have, marking him as a quintessential bully.
Perhaps the pistol metaphorically represents the bulldozing nature of American culture intruding on and overriding others — similar to the famous “knife vs. gun” scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
