- published: 16 Jan 2009
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Yojimbo (用心棒, Yōjinbō?) is a 1961 jidaigeki (period drama) film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a masterless samurai, portrayed by Toshirō Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords make their money from gambling. 'Yojimbo' means 'Bodyguard'.
A samurai convinces each of two crime lords, Seibei and Ushitora, to hire him as protection from the other. The samurai, pretending to be on Ushitora's side, convinces Ushitora to attack. After a series of battles, in which most of the henchmen on both sides are killed, but Ushitora is ultimately victorious, the survivors are then killed by the samurai.
The film's look and themes were in part inspired by the western film genre, in particular the films of John Ford. The characters—the taciturn loner and the helpless townsfolk needing a protector—are reminiscent of Kurosawa's own Seven Samurai (1954) and have become western archetypes. The cinematography also mimics conventional shots in western films, such as that of the lone hero in a wide shot, facing an enemy or enemies from a distance while the wind kicks up dust between the two.
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects. The process of filmmaking has developed into an art form and industry.
Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for educating – or indoctrinating – citizens. The visual elements of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication. Some films have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue into the language of the viewer.
Films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.