I don’t want to talk more about the plot here. The upstairs are all very good. Here I want to talk about the connection between Japanese Noh drama and this movie, as well as director Akida Kurosawa's ingenious and skillful use of Japanese traditional beauty to conquer the audience.
First, I have to introduce Noh. The production of Noh and Kyogen in Japan can be traced back to the 8th century. Subsequent development has incorporated a variety of artistic expressions, such as acrobatics, songs, dances, and burlesque. Today, it has become the main traditional drama in Japan. This type of play mainly uses traditional Japanese literature as scripts, supplemented by masks, costumes, props, and dances in the form of performance. (The above is taken from Baidu Encyclopedia)
From this, we can all see that Noh focuses on two aspects. Even if the actor's pace and expression control on stage. In terms of pace, the actor's pace is almost fixed, even the movements are fixed, there will be no redundant movements. In terms of facial expressions, actors strictly control their facial expressions. For Noh actors, the most important thing is the mask they wear when performing. Noh masks are very important for Noh performers, just like the sign of a business is a sacred object, and you can never touch the underground when you hang it up. Noh actors respect masks as holy. The clothes and socks they wear during the performance can be shown to others, except the mask, which is placed in a wooden box covered with brocade like a treasure. Others can not look at it casually. After putting on the mask, the actor completely becomes the role he played.
Someone will certainly ask, there are so many different ways of acting, why use rigid masks to limit the performance of actors. In fact, this is the beauty of Noh and the essence of the film's performance.
In the Spider's Nest, the role of Mrs. played by Isuzu Yamada by Isuzu Yamada is obviously an element of Noh. First of all, there is usually no expression on his face covered with thick powder. You can compare how rich his expression is. Secondly, the lady's generous clothes are an indispensable element in Noh. Once again, the most important point is the pace of the lady. As if stepping carefully, it seems that every part is calculated so accurately. When the general was about to kill the lord, her footsteps seemed to match the general's psychological beat, which was also the beauty of a typical Noh drama.
The question revolves around, why use mechanical movements to'limit' the free play of actors. I don’t know if you have ever seen theatrical performances of the Roman era. The actors also wear white paper masks. The Romans explained that the expressionless face is the highest artistic performance. Probably, this can explain the unique artistic technique of the film!
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