Toshirō Mifune can’t believe what he sees in YOJIMBO, being shown in HD at Symphony Space
YOJIMBO (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Sunday, August 7, 3:00
Series continues through August 28
212-864-5400
www.symphonyspace.org
Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Toshirō Mifune) is a lone samurai on the road following the end of the Tokugawa dynasty in yet another of Akira Kurosawa’s unforgettable masterpieces. Sanjuro comes to a town with two warring factions and plays each one off the other as a hired hand. Neo’s battles with myriad Agent Smiths are nothing compared to Yojimbo’s magnificent swordfights against growing bands of warriors that include the evil Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), who is in possession of a new weapon that shoots bullets. Try watching this film and not think of several Clint Eastwood Westerns (including Sergio Leone’s pasta remake, A Fistful of Dollars) as well as High Noon. The film is being screened as part of Symphony Space’s “Kurosawa” series, featuring the first time ever many of the Japanese auteur’s finest films are being shown on the big screen in HD; coming up is High and Low on August 13, Hidden Fortress on August 14, Stray Dog on August 27, and Rashomon on August 28.