Criterion Review #6: The 47 Ronin

The 47 Ronin (1941)

Honor, Revenge, and Sacrifice.  These are the values which drive at the hearts of the Ronin who are left "masterless" after their Lord Asano draws his sword against Lord Kira at a ceremonial event on sacred grounds.  Because Lord Asano hastily attacked Lord Kira without careful consideration of the time and place, he is ordered to commit harakiri and to sacrifice his house to royalty.  His retinue of Ronin, left without a home or master, express bitterness at the unfair verdict: Lord Asano must die, while Lord Kira remains unpunished.  The Ronin all agree that, according to samurai code, revenge must be had.

Though most of the Ronin seem hot-blooded and eager to exact revenge, the leader Oishi asks them to be patient and to place their trust in him.  Out of the 300 Ronin, only 46 remain.  However, Oishi keeps his thoughts to hiimself and leaves the Ronin to wonder if he is intent on carrying out revenge.  After 6 months and still no word, the Ronin get restless, and one even tries to sneak into an event and kill Kira himself, only to be stopped by the Lord of the House, himself a samurai.   

What is Oishi waiting for?  On the surface, it seems as if Oishi has lost his will for revenge.  Every night he partakes in all manner of debauchery.  His wife leaves him to return to her hometown.  Even his oldest son says he will depart with the other samurai to meet up in Edo and discuss their options.

Of course, we know that Oishi's act is a ruse, a careful waiting game he plays to find the exact right moment to strike.  A quick killing is not the goal; Oishi wants a perfect revenge which will not leave the samurai with any regrets or feelings of dissatisfaction.

This is the theme of the movie: that even revenge is a moral code which should be taken seriously, and has a right way and a wrong way.  A samurai always abides by the samurai code -- a virtuous, ethical path which requires patience and wisdom.

The film itself feels as if it abides by the samurai code.  It is patient, wise, strong and true.  After the 46 Ronin kill Lord Kira, which happens off-screen, we are ready for the film to end.  However, the film follows the samurai as they wait in captivity for their judgment and ultimate penalties: death by harakiri.  There is even a love story that surfaces in these last 30 minutes, between one of the younger samurai and a young woman who he promised to marry as a way to gain access to Lord Kira.  Did he want to marry her because he loved her, or did he just use her to get to Kira?

She comes on the eve of their deaths.  This is the final test for Oishi.  At first, he tells the woman to go away so that the young samurai can prepare himself to die.  He tells her that sometimes, a lie is necessary in service of a good.  However, she challenges him.  Is it okay to hurt a person in order to achieve a selfish need?  All she wants to know is if the young samurai actually loved her.

Oishi comes to his senses and calls the young samurai in, who admits that he in fact did love the young woman, but did what he had to so that they could carry out their revenge.  The woman, satisfied by this knowledge, commits harakiri as the samurais head to their deaths.  She becomes the 47th Ronin.

















What do we sacrifice when we follow what we feel is the right thing to do?  The Ronin sacrifice their lives, but never their code.  The film shows us that to sacrifice the right means to get to the desired end will rob us of our honor and our eternal peace.