The 47 Ronin

1941 3h 43m JA

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 79

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the early 18th-century, Lord Takumi-no-kami Asano, feuding with Lord Kira, tries to kill his opponent in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Asano to seppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Kira. Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the Lord's dishonour. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi seeks to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses, and Oishi and 46 rōnin are out for revenge.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Chōjūrō Kawarasaki
Kuranosuke Oishi
Kan'emon Nakamura
Sukeimon Tomimori
Kunitarō Kawarasaki
Jurozaemon Isogai
Chōemon Bandō
Sozaemon Hara
Kikunojo Segawa
Gengo Ootaka
Utaemon Ichikawa
Tsunatoyo Tokugawa
Yoshizaburo Arashi
Lord Takumi-no-kami Asano
Daisuke Katō
Fuwa Kazuemon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Kenichiro Hara, Seika Mayama, Yoshikata Yoda
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 223 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

85 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Kōhei Sugiyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shiro Fukai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Takako Kuji shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chōjūrō Kawarasaki and Kan'emon Nakamura and Kunitarō Kawarasaki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0033654 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Mizoguchi directs. Kōhei Sugiyama behind the camera. Shiro Fukai scores. Takako Kuji cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 223 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
285 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Kōhei Sugiyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Shiro Fukai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Takako Kuji shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Chōjūrō Kawarasaki and Kan'emon Nakamura and Kunitarō Kawarasaki carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0033654 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "japan", "samurai", "loyalty", "seppuku".

The technical file

Cinematography: Kōhei Sugiyama
Original score: Shiro Fukai
Editing: Takako Kuji
Production design: Hiroshi Mizutani
Costume design: Tadaoto Kainoshō
Makeup / hair: Shima Fukumizu
Sound: Hidetaka Sasaki
Runtime: 223 min · 3h 43m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The 47 Ronin (1941)

Also by

Kenji Mizoguchi

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
I remember seeing "Hamlet" performed on stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company - it was all but four hours long and I was distinctly nervous that ennui would set in at some stage... it didn't; and it doesn't with this either. At times it is a slow a burn, but the details and characterisations are crucial to the plot and for the most part this pace serves to create and build this depiction of loyalty and vengeance really well. It's based on the true story of a feud that resulted in an attack on the Lord Kira by the Lord Asano in the Palace of the Shogun. In punishment for the outrageous breach of etiquette, he is ordered to commit hara-kiri and his samurai are ordered to leave and to roam the land as "Ronin" (Master-less nomads). Their new leader tries to get the Shogun to rescind their banishment, but when that fails all bets are off and these deadly 47 take matters into their own hands to avenge their Lord, and themselves. The nature of the story, and of the prevailing culture, doesn't really allow any stand out performances, per se - this is very much an ensemble effort that demonstrates the values of loyalty, dignity and pride as effortlessly as it shows us the less noble, shall we say, aspects of their behaviour as their quest for retribution becomes the more brutal - though never gratuitous. The ending is a curious affair that succeeds and disappoints in equal measure - testament, I think, to the clever interweaving of the characters and the traditions. This is a great adventure film with a strong, often seemingly anachronistic moral code that really flies by. No likes yet

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