Cowboys and Samurai

Here’s an excellent article I found written by Steven Garrard a few years back, about how the samurai films of Kurosawa and films about the Wild West have influenced each other. For example, Seven Samurai remade as The Magnicent Seven. I was particularly interested to read about A Fistful Dollars and Yojimbo, which I now realise had a big impact on much of the action scenes, plot and sensibilities in Zen Ambulance. 

Seven Samurai (1954)

Garrard doesn’t mention Once Upon a Time in the West but that’s surely another samurai-cowboy fusion, especially with the visual settings. The scene with the cowboys waiting at the railroad station is simply brilliant.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

http://www.thebubble.org.uk/film/kurosawa-and-the-wild-west

Twilight Wisdom

Kayano Iguchi: Father, If I learn to do needlework someday I can make kimonos. But what good will book learning ever do me?

Seibei Iguchi: Well, it probably won't ever be as useful as needlework. But you know, book learning gives you the power to think. However the world might change, if you have the power to think you'll always survive somehow. That's true for boys and for girls. All right?

Kayano Iguchi: Yes. 

Twilight Samurai (2002)