Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji

Interesting road film has a large cast of travelers interacting as they make their way along the road to Edo, including the spear carrier of a local samurai. Very languid and light until the final reel which hits like a sledgehammer. Picture quality on the BD is not as good as some of the full restorations you'd find on the Criterion films, but adequate for the task.

Arrow Video has been releasing a number of Japanese films over the past few years and that’s something to be commended for. Far too many companies ignore current product from other countries let alone the past films made in those countries. Because of that many are lost to not just collectors but the world in general. Thankfully their efforts have prevented that on a number of films.BLOODY SPEAR AT MOUNT FUJI is a road picture in essence. A disparate group of travelers are on the same road traveling together towards Edo for different reasons. The focal point of the group is Sakawa Kojūrō, a samurai traveling with his servants Genpachi, his spear carrier and Genta. The rest of the group is made up of a singer and her daughter, a father taking his daughter to be sold as a prostitute to pay off his debts, a pilgrim, a policeman and a man the officer has his eye on, searching for a thief in the area.The group no connection with one another save for this journey they are making. Each has their own story to tell revealed in both their actions and things that take place along the way. For Kojūrō he is taking a special bowl to Mount Fuji as an offering. Along his journey he must deal with the fact that he has a problem when he drinks sake, changing from the calm demeanored man he is most of the time into a violent lout. This comes into play during their journey. Genta has his own issues with drinking to deal with and is the weaker of the two servants. Genpachi is the most stalwart, determined to serve his master with honor.Along their journey the group picks up an orphan boy named Jirō who wants to become a samurai one day and pleads with Genpachi to teach him to be a spear carrier. The servant takes him under his wing and continues on their journey.Various events take place on their travels including the group being forced to wait on noblemen who insists on having a tea ceremony on the side of the road closing down all traffic to do so. This is one of many incidents that cause Kojūrō to question the behavior of his class, those in his social sphere. Another involves the capture of the thief on the lose by his servant that results in his getting recognition for the achievement in spite of his protestations that it was Genpachi who was responsible.The film mixes styles going from serious drama to light comedy in the blink of an eye. It melds these story methods together to offer a compelling story with a message that will remain with viewers even after the end of the film. These different styles work well as each is seen and the combination of them works in every incident seen on film.The film may not work for everyone as many people seem bound and determined not to expose themselves to anything but movies made in their own country. An intolerance for subtitles has left many people with fewer options of films to watch and that’s their loss. The same holds true for young people who often will avoid anything made prior to their being born feeling it has nothing to offer, even more so should the film be shot in, heaven forbid, black and white. These two self-imposed restrictions leave many to sustain the belief that only they exist in the world when it comes to movies. It’s great loss on their part and they’re not even aware.Extras for the film are limited but that should be expected for a movie made in 1955. Included are a brand new audio commentary track by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, an interview withdirector Tomu Uchida’s son (Uchida is the director of the film), an interview with Kazunori Kishida, who was a publicist for home studio Toei, French film critic Fabrice Arduini speaking on Uchida’s work, a reversible sleeve featuring original artwork and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and filmmaker James Oliver.

No matter how worldly or open-minded you are as a cinema fan, there's always something lost in translation when it comes to a foreign film. Japanese culture in particular presents an interesting challenge involving traditions, rituals and social obligations that can seem laughably complex. Bloody Speak at Mount Fuji (1955) would seem to complicate the situation even further by being set during the Edo era, the same historical staging area as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai released a year earlier. But, like Kurosawa, director Tomu Uchida seems to go out of his way to introduce the Japanese caste system, which sharply divided servants from their masters, in such a way that his story has universal appeal.A road movie of sorts, Sakawa Kojuro is a samurai traveling with his two servants, Genta and Gonpachi, to deliver a ceremonial gift. But the road is crowded with fellow travelers en route to a local festival whose stories intersect with Kojuro and his companions. A dedicated spear-carrier, Gonpachi takes an ambitious orphan under his wing, teaching him techniques and life lessons. While Genta is charged with keeping his samurai master, who has a weakness for sake, away from any and all local drinking establishments. Meanwhile, a third plotline involving human trafficking sews the plot together in a tapestry of honor, loyalty and sacrifice.Although the finale features a violent battle that finally earns the film its title, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is anything but a showcase for samurai swordplay. Uchida's film is far more interested in exploring the complicated relationships between social classes...and the foolishness of those complications. It's a political statement, yes, but one that never (or rarely) feels force-fed thanks to such a wonderfully fleshed out cast of characters. Despite the setting, Bloody Spear seems culturally universal; it's a story that needs no translation beyond a few subtitles.