Watching “Yojimbo” for the first time gave me the chance to witness, in my opinion, one of the finest actors of any generation; and for that I am grateful. This class forces us to strip down films, and analyze parts of it that wouldn’t normally be obvious to the average film buff. I have to say, that it was very difficult to do so for me, simply because I sat fixated on the acting of Toshiro Mifune. It’s funny how more often than not we are so inclined to dub a performance a “great acting performance.” However, after seeing Mifune’s portrayal of Sanjuro, other performances, which I once thought “great” seem average in comparison. A simple facial expression by Mifune can convey so much emotion…(or a lack of emotion for that matter). I think that when Dr. Campbell said that by watching a movie without the sound, you can notice so much more about a person’s acting, this is absolutely true; especially of Mifune’s performance. I was trying to think of a modern, American actor that I could compare to that of Mifune’s callabor, however, I am at a loss. If anyone comes up with one, please share 🙂
Here is a link to a youtube tribute video of Toshiro Mifune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIeb51do6GI
Also, in reading a little about Mifune, I found out that George Lucas considered Mifune for the role of Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. I thought that was quite interesting. Here’s the site: