At first glance, "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claws" looks too like its predecessor, "Twilight Qingbingwei", but I feel that it lacks the meticulousness and delicateness of the predecessor, and lacks the euphemisms and twists of the former. In fact, this is just a superficial view of "Hidden". Look at it one more time, or you can see Yamada Yoji's machine. In short, just as Ozu's repetition, continuation, evolution and variation on the subject of married women in his later years have deepened the same theme, "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claw" can be regarded as a continuation and variation of "Twilight Qingbingwei". In other words, "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claw" and "Twilight Seihebei" are both agitated and depressed. On the contrary, Yamada Yoji's thinking about the fate of the last samurai is formed.
Yamada Yoji believes that the fate of the last samurai is nothing more than two, one is to keep the old and the other is to seek change, and no matter what, the fate that can't be changed can't be changed. If "Twilight Kiyobei" talks about the fate of the lower-level samurai as a conservative shogunate lord, "Hidden Sword Ghost Claw" points to accept new things from the West (learning Western weapons, including modern running postures, exercises, and dances. In fact, the fate of the samurai who fought, spears, sniper skills, and advanced battle formations is not much different between the two. Kiyobei Iguchi died of artillery fire, and if Katagiri Suzura did not withdraw, he would either die from the war, or be reduced to a modern form of war's murder weapon—soldier. That would be a complete departure from the samurai world.
The biggest difference between "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claw" and "Twilight Qingbingwei" is that the environment is completely different. Although the world of "Twilight Qingbingwei" is also turbulent, it is still generally regarded as a peaceful and prosperous age. Although the world has repaid Qingbingwei's life attitude and philosophy, the world is still at ease for him, at least temporarily. assured. "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claws" started to surging with a dangerous and uneasy undercurrent: Katagiri Mizura's father committed suicide because of injustice, and the clan superiors asked Katagiri to betray his friends to hand over a list of traitors and ordered him and close friends to commit suicide. , Fellow brother Yaichiro Samas killed each other, and when he controlled Yaichiro to save his life, the clan gunmen shot Yaichi and killed him. What's more, the chief of the clan’s clan’s chief Hori family was shameless. On the one hand, Wadaichiro’s wife Happily agreed to let her husband go, and on the other hand, he cruelly killed Yaichiro... Katari Mizura faced a flooded and unkind world, and there was no return to the soldiers. That's still a benevolent world. If it is said that Katagiri Zongzo does not have the patience and acceptance of Twilight Seihei, it is because the world he faces is no longer a samurai world that pays attention to humanity and justice. The reason why he behaved more sadly than Qingbingwei was because the world oppressed him more harshly.
The tricks of the samurai duel in "Twilight Kiyobei" are open and upright, and the "Ghost Claw" swordsmanship in "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claw" is no longer considered a trick, but a means of indiscriminate use. Katagiri Sectura didn't use the secret trick taught by his master to save his brother's life. In the face of the cold reality, he could only resort to this despicable "ghost claw". In the eyes of Katakiri Katazura (or his master, or Fujisawa Shumoto or Yamada Yoji), to deal with a despicable person like the old man who doesn't talk about benevolence, justice and morality, he can only be commensurate with despicable moves.
The rituals of the era of "Twilight Qingbingwei" gradually collapsed, and "The Hidden Sword and Ghost Claws" is already "the road is not good, and the floating is in the sea". At the end, Katagiri Muzura's departure from the samurai class can correspond to the death of Kiyobei's gunfire. In fact, Kiyobei also deliberately not to be a samurai, but to be a farmer who plows the fields. That would be happy, but he is different from Katagiri, who is unmarried and not tired from home. The livelihood of the mouth is on him. It is impossible to abandon the salary of the samurai class and be a farmer. This is his sadness. If he can escape from the samurai class, he will not die by gunfire. The greatest sorrow of Qing Bingwei's ending is reflected here, although he has enjoyed three years of happiness. The world that Katagiri Suzang faces may be worse than that of Kiyobei,
But he is young and less burdened, so that he can easily break away from the fetters of his freedom as a samurai. It is precisely because of this that he snatched from Xihui's husband's house as decisive as Xihuineng was so calm, and had no attachment to the samurai status. It was due to his character and reality.
In fact, the final themes of "Twilight Sword Guard" and "Hidden Sword Ghost Claw" are quite anti-"samurai" spirit, especially the word "wu". Qing Bingwei sold the sword, apparently lacking money. In fact, he hates "wu". From the beginning to the end, his weapons are non-destructive wooden sticks or bamboo knives. His biggest tragedy is that he wants to escape from the samurai and cannot, and he eventually died in the gunfire that ended the samurai. In "Hidden Sword Ghost Claws", Katagiri Muzura also doesn't like to use swords, and his duel with Yaichiro Hazama is mainly to avoid. As for killing the old man Hori, his following three indiscriminate "claws of ghosts" are even more true. A big irony of the samurai's martial arts. The final withdrawal from the samurai class is a complete abandonment of the value of martial arts.
Just as the most touching plot in "Twilight Seiya" is often simple home cooking, washing, ironing, chopping wood, cleaning, plowing, and making tools, "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claw" also tirelessly portrays this everyday worldly life. The details are the manifestation of the beauty of human love that makes Kiyohei and Katagiri Zongzo feel happy. They can abandon all the red tape of the samurai, but they can't give up their affection, which is the warm family and pulse of love in the world. At the end of "Hidden Sword and Ghost Claws" Katagiri Zongzang abandoned all the vanity of the samurai, and was willing to be a commoner, and decided to go away with Xihui. If it is regarded as a romantic reunion, it would be ridiculous. If you want to go deeper, it is Yamada Yoji" The value of "emotion" is a manifestation of good intentions to counteract the social value represented by the samurai. The whole film is nothing more than depicting the dispute and confrontation between "emotion" and the samurai's "reason" (in fact, it is unreasonable), which is mainly reflected in the words and deeds of Katagiri. , In the end, love prevails over reason. No matter how bad the world is, there is always room for a pair of humble men and women to love each other.
View more about The Hidden Blade reviews
