Mifune reprises his titular role of Sanjuro in the hit sequel to Yojimbo, a rare occurrence in this era of Japanese cinema. In his travels, the masterless samurai Sanjuro happens upon a group of samurai discussing a corrupt government official’s plot to take control of their rural domain. After saving their lives, Sanjuro decides to join the clan’s power struggle, which once again requires him to go undercover as a bodyguard for the corrupt official. (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1962, 96 min., b&w) In Japanese with English subtitles
Introduced by Frank Chance, University of Pennsylvania Center for East Asian Studies
