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| From http://www.wildgrounds.com/img/jap/soulsinthemoonlight/1.jpg |
Dir. Tomu Uchida
Before I start this review, I confess the period between viewing the first part of this adaptation of The Great Bodhissatva Pass, a legendary and incredibly long Japanese novel most well known cinematically as interpreted as The Sword of Doom (1966) (on the To-Watch list), and the other two parts was a short while, which will affect the review a little. Thankfully I viewed part two and three one after another over two days. I also confess that this another (three part) film that is impossible to find by conventional means. Even my resource to view this trilogy could dissipate like a puddle on a hot summer's day, but if you can find it hopefully you can see why I'm covering it. Souls In The Moonlight is a very elaborate, character and plot driven samurai film based around Tsukue Ryunosuke (Kataoka Chiezo), a cold blooded ronin with no qualms with killing anyone who yet has a contradictory morality that is entirely alien to the society surrounding him. Two individuals band together to get revenge on him for his actions, a young woman for the pointless murder of her grandfather, the younger brother of a samurai who was killed in a duel and who wants to avenge this by the sword. The story, however, over three films, around 100 minutes each, spins the tale out further. Film #1 sets up the story, with a dynamic narrative by itself, and Film #2 brings in more characters and plotting as Ryunosuke is also mortally wounded. Film #3, the finale, brings an ominous supernatural edge that slowly creeps in, through misty, dark streets and night scenes that feel like the film is about to turn into Kwaidan (1964). Then it does.
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| From http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz328/noereversing/Shot3B.png |
Even when more characters are
added in Film #3, and the film takes massive tangents to follow secondary
characters in Film #2, Souls In The
Moonlight is very well planned out and methodical with its plotting. Again,
another film whose material I have yet to read, if I can, but if the novel is
as lengthy as I have read it is, originally a newspaper serial, director Tomu Uchida and the screenwriters needed
to have been coordinated and at Uchida's best for this to avoid failing
miserably with so much to juggle. Trilogies of now, whether the sequels were
actually needed or not, need to look back at a trilogy like this to see how
structuring is actually done. Uchida
is also very subtle in his directing, a dialogue heavy film whose sword battles
are more like theatrical performances in the many times they happen, the
moments he changes tact leading to exquisite camera moves or eye popping
moments of imagery rising up on you as you engage with the plot. Even when you
get a little lost with who's who, and why certain characters are being followed
for such a long length of time, everyone has a meaning and depth to their
presentation, with a moment to stand out, and how the trilogy ties everything up
works perfectly. Far from long films each, the three parts manage to convey so much without going anywhere
near the two hour mark each as films now have started to get to for very thin
bare plots.
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| From http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_15XHh2WrHl8/TNpOM7OgNZI/ AAAAAAAAA_U/z81F_dCNdbI/s1600/Souls2.jpg |
The film has a pulpy edge, of
drama and of sword battles that, while heavily choreographed, still have a
visceral edge, but the real virtue of the film is the level of
characterisation. Kataoka Chiezo and
his main character could dangerously steal the film from everyone else, which
would be sad considering everyone is good and is needed to make the trilogy
work, but Ryunosuke is a fascinating creation, able to have moments of
nobleness but completely amoral at other times. They are films where everyone
has more complexity to them, or are allowed to be in the centre for enough time
to stick out, and grow over the length of three films. And its encapsulated by
the ending which robs the viewer of what they wanted to happen. That ending
would have been good, but the actual closure of Souls In The Moonlight is brilliant, the complex morality of the
story moving upfront. Ryunosuke is a curious figure; even how he lays on his
side to relax asks questions, reminding one of a reclining Buddha. How the film
ends brings a moral judgement to play but never damns a person even for their bloodthirsty
violence, instead viewing their behaviour as a state of hellish torment. The
trilogy is merely good by the end of Film #1, but the two parts needed to make
a whole film literally play off as the middle and final acts of a larger work,
increasing the character dynamics and adding more emotional investment, and
becoming even better as it goes on.
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| From http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/souls-in-the-moonlight-iii/w448/souls-in-the-moonlight-iii.jpg |
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