The Fall of Ako Castle
In a culture built upon inviolable rules of deference and respect, the slightest breach of protocol can have far-reaching and catastrophic effects; so it was with daimyō Asano Naganori who violently attacked the elderly court official Kira Yoshinaka who denied having provoked the incident by repeatedly taunting his attacker; Asano found guilty of the crime, he is commanded to commit honourable suicide while Kira is exonerated entirely.
A slow revenge planned, the now-masterless samurai who once served Asano bide their time and prepare to assassinate Kira and restore the honour of the fiefdom of Ako even though they are aware that their actions are contrary to the command of Lord Tsunayoshi and even if they do succeed they will likely suffer the same fate as their former master, honour taking precedence over survival.
A traditional folk tale of Japanese culture, Chūshingura (忠臣蔵, translated as The Treasury of Loyal Retainers but more commonly known as the story of the forty-seven ronin) is based on true events which began in March 1701 and concluded two years later, adapted over two hundred and seventy years later for the cinema by Battle Royale director Kinji Fukasaku as The Fall of Ako Castle (Akō-jō danzetsu, 赤穂城断絶), an epic of honour and passion now making its UK Blu-ray debut as part of Eureka’s Masters of Cinema collection.
The cast including Death of a Tea Master‘s Yorozuya Kinnosuke as Ōishi Yoshio, castellan of Ako and leader of the ronin, The Bullet Train‘s Sonny Chiba as Fuwa Kazuemon, a fierce warrior who remains camped in the woods near Ōishi’s home, his sword ready by his side, and Shogun‘s Toshiro Mifune as Tsuchiya Michinao, another swordsman, having been adapted multiple times many of the ensemble appeared in different versions in various roles in their long careers.
A slow procession of mannered movements punctuated by swordfights, The Fall of Ako Castle is a film which stands back, observing the rituals and the beauty of events, neither endorsing nor condemning, and beyond the many battle scenes, the mission to finally capture Kira an extended rolling sequence during which his supposed safe house is systematically ransacked and searched, special praise is due to the costumes, exquisitely embroidered and constructed robes and gowns often remarkable in their impracticality.
A long and complex tale of manly men demonstrating their loyalty through treason filled with close-proximity acting and kabuki eyes, their adoration and devotion tested during the year of inaction, of wheels within wheels and shifting of responsibility within the ranks of the court to escape blame for the inevitable assassination, the new edition of The Fall of Ako Castle is supported by a new audio commentary by critic Tom Mes, an interview with Asian film expert Tony Rayns and a video essay by author Jasper Sharp.
The Fall of Ako Castle is available on Blu-ray from Eureka now
