There is not a Best or Worst Remake section at Epinions, and while this review may be technically long enough to be considered a review of .Yojimbo., it is here with other films to be part of the Pearannoyed Then and Again write-off (T & A). So consider this a short (for me) review of Yojimbo and the remakes it spawned. And then, as a bonus, 4 other films and the re-makes they spawned.

5 FILMS and the Remakes they spawned—A Then and Again Write Off contribution.

Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa; Japan, 1961)) A Fistful of Dollars/Per un pugno di dollari (Sergio Leone; Italy, 1964), Peace Hotel ( Wai Ka Fai ; Hong Kong 1995) Last Man Standing (Walter Hill; U.S., 1996)

Many films have copied but never topped Akira Kurosawa classic Yojimbo. I’ve mentioned 3 of the most direct remakes of the original story, but there have been several others that have borrowed in part or in whole from the original film. In Yojimbo, Toshiro Mifune is a scruffy wandering late nineteenth century Samurai who notices a dog with a human hand in its mouth outside a small lawless town that is ruled by two gangs of bad men. He sees opportunity but after observing the two groups of men who are trying to control the town, he mutters under his breath that it would be better if all these men were dead. He then concocts a brilliant way to make that happen.

He winds up hiring out his services to both sides, forcing a show-down with him in the middle. Did I mention this is a dark comedy? Well it is. It’s also more or less based on Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest whose plot was borrowed and turned into the 1957 Budd Boetticher western, Buchannan Rides Again. Kurosawa’s love for American Westerns transformed the Japanese Samurai film with Seventh Samurai and here again he creates another masterpiece. And a year later he would team up with Mifune to make another brilliant film, a sequel to this film called Sanjuro. What makes Yojimbo tower over all the re-makes and imitators it spawned is the films pacing and the poetic black and white compositions that have been created. Mifune has never been better as an actor than he is in this movie and Sanjuro. Criterion has released a definitive restored version of both films on DVD, restoring the films from 35 m.m. prints into a nearly flawless crisp detailed presentation.

Those who find flaws with the film object mostly to the amorality of the characters. Mifune plays an anti-hero, who is not a hero in the John Wayne mode with strong convictions or beliefs or a Western sense of right and wrong. He is not a peace-maker or defender, but rather a balance-maker. We have certainly seen this kind of amoral character put front and center as a hero since then many times, but it was a rarity in 1962. You'll find the Mifune character has taken more of a stand and almost has a conscious in the sequel, SANJURO. It is precisely this bit of moralizing (if you call it that) that makes Sanjuro a slightly less impressive film for me. For some however, since we have more cues that it is a comedy, Sanjuro may be easier to like and appreciate.

The best re-make is Sergio Leone’s 1964 A Fistful of Dollars, which was the first in a trilogy (that made a huge international film star of television star Clint Eastwood ) that included Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Compared to the original film, however, Kurosawa looks like a graceful poet, next to Leone’s overly clunky stylizations. Fistful also popularized the spaghetti westerns—italian made Westerns often upping the violence and blood of American counterparts. There would be hundreds of them made within a few years. Eastwood plays a killer for hire who forces a show down between two gangs who control a western town with him in the middle. Some consider it a classic, but really all fans of the Leone trilogy should take a look at Yojimbo and give the original masterpiece it’s due. Fistful is still a movie worth seeing but Leone would only reach the level of a Kurosawa in parts of his Once Upon a Time in the West. Keep in mind I’m saying this as a fan of Leone’s work—Yojimbo and Sanjuro are THAT good.

1995’s Peace Hotel was the last Hong Kong film made by star Chow Yun Fat and behind the camera was Johnnie To. The story is set in a bar/hotel in the 1920s and is decent though utterly unnecessary YOJIMBO re-make. Chow is a charismatic, smooth actor, so its interesting to watch him play his version of the Sanjuro character. The final showdown is quite exciting with plenty of music video sort of cinematic flourishes. Entertaining for what it is.

Walter Hill’s 1996 Last Man Standing features Bruce Willis as the guy with the cool hat who arrives in a Small Town and gets between two warring Chicago gangs. The film suffers from bad pacing, weak screenplay and Willis’ over-bearing charismatic charm act. The few original touches Hill brings to the table are wasted after-thoughts in a film that puts the kind of style you might see in fashion advertising through the paces. The film only comes alive during its most violent sequences which are of the Peckinpah styled stuff HILL did in films like Long Riders. Next.

BONUS 4 MORE MOVIES AND THE REMAKES THEY SPAWNED:

The Amityville Horror (Andrew Douglas; US, 2005) (original film: The Amityville Horror (Stuart Rosenberg; US, 1979), based on the novel by Jay Anson)

The original film based on the book, that was reputed to be based on a true story (proven completely false), was a poor horror film that by the sheer luck of great timing and great marketing became an extremely successful film that led to several sequels –even worse than the original and a brand new completely unnecessary and critically trashed remake. The original film had an interesting cast and some might enjoy it as a campy baaaad film. GET OUT was the catch-phrase of this movie and unfortunately film-goers have refused to heed this wise warning. The original book, now called a novel, but at the time called speculative non-fiction, was actually a good quick read, though I remember being very skeptical about it being based on fact and why the family was so stubbornly staying in a house that seemed to putting their lives in danger.

Ben-Hur (William Wyler; US, 1959) (original film: Ben-Hur (Sidney Olcott; US, 1907)) and Ben Hur (Fred Nibblo; US 1927

The very talky epic scale adaptation of General Lew Wallace’s Tale of the Christ was a star studded award winning spectacle of a film that featured memorable charismatic performance by Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd. Heston’s a jew (uh huh !!!) and Boyd’s a loyal Roman. They were childhood friends but as adults they find themselves enemies. It all leads to a spectacular chariot race that George Lucas had the audacity to rip off (but in no way better) for the fourth released Star Wars film (#1 w/ Jar Jar). The 1925 silent version was a massively produced (at the time) movie that is in many ways superior to the 1959 film and features an exciting chariot race and COLOR sequences. The original 1907 was a one reel silent movie. If you haven’t seen the 1927 version—do so.

The Birdcage (Mike Nichols; US, 1996) (original film: La Cage aux Folles (Edouard Molinaro; France, 1979))

The original La Cage is a wild frothy comedy that created unforgettable (though stereotyped) characters embraced as readily by heterosexuals as well as the gay community. It’s an easy film to like. The expected long in coming American remake, is better than most reprehensible American remakes of foreign films, but that’s faint praise. If you don’t know any better you’ll probably like Mike Nichols (Nichols?—yep) remake. It’s a decent theatrical sit-com. It’s been changed here and there with some clever lines written by Elaine May (Nichols and May together again), but not much. Robin Williams is good and fairly restrained, Nathan Lane is as over-the-top as you would want, but they are still no match for the original stars: Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault.. Gene Hackman is superb and the best reason to consider watching the re-make. There was also a wildly over-produced Broadway Musical made of the original film. I really enjoyed the Broadway version of the film but it is not something that can ever be replicated on film. There were two sequels to the original film featuring the original stars. La Cage aux Folles 2 (1980) was enjoyable, though not as fresh, funny or clever as the first. La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding (1985) was desperate and best forgotten. See La Cage and La Cage 2 and if you must go ahead and enjoy The Birdcage.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Tim Burton; US, 2005) (original film: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart; US, 1971), based on the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl)

I am big Roald Dahl fan and the changes made to his book to create the 1971 film were acceptable to me. The 1971 film took a long time to get started and didn’t really come alive until we met Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka. His characterization was charismatic, charming and a little bit creepy. Perfect if you ask me. If the dark aspects of the original movie surprised anyone then or now—obviously you didn’t read the book or know Dahl. The remake of the film is a little more faithful to the book and the lyrics to the couple of songs used in the movie are by Roald Dahl (from the book). However, there is not THAT much difference between the two films. In fact the casting choices are in many cases close to being identical. Johnny Depp might remind you a bit of Michael Jackson in his portrayal of the parent-hating, kid-mis-trusting Willy Wonka. He does a superb job creating a unique and entertaining characterization that doesn’t imitate Wilder. One of the creepiest parts of the original movie is gone in the new one, but both films might give the very young and sensitive some strange nightmarish imagery. The humor is dark. The oompa loompah sequences in the new are far better than in the original, but for me because the old version got there first I appreciate both. You get squirrels in the new, but no bubbles. You get a much more interesting set-up in the new one, but no clever added twist at the end. I say enjoy them both. I would love to see Terry Gilliam do Charlie and the Glass Elevator.

This was inspired and should be considered part of pearannoyed’s Then and Again Writeoff - or T&A for short. Her profile is here:
http://www.epinions.com/user-pearannoyed

Copyright© Christopher J. Jarmick 2004 All Rights Reserved.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day