Screening at the 43rd New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 pm.
Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) is a low level samurai in mid-nineteenth century Japan. In the opening scene, he and his close friend Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka) bid farewell to Yaichiro Hazama (Youkiyoshi Ozawa), a fellow samurai who has been posted to Edo. Back home, they talk about Samon's upcoming marriage to Munezo's sister Shino (Tomoko Tabata). For his part, Munezo holds a special place in his heart for Kie (Takako Matsu), the family maid who has been with them since she was sixteen. But now she is being married to a merchant.
Three years later, the samurai warrior sees Kie in a shop and notices that she is much paler and thinner. She apologizes for not attending his mother's memorial service and promises to come clean his house for him. Change is in the air: the clan leaders have decided that there is much that can be learned from the West about improving their military. An instructor from Edo who looks down his nose at "the stupid back-country samurai" is clumsily trying to teach them how use guns and cannons in place of swords. When Munezo's uncle arrives for a visit, he criticizes him for abandoning the ancient samurai tradition and mimicking the barbarians of the West. He also criticizes Munezo for still being a bachelor.
Learning that Kie is very sick, Munezo goes to see her. He breaks all the rules of propriety by taking her off her bed and carrying her back to his place. Her recovery is aided by a visit from her younger sister who asks why she hasn't married the Master. Kie explains that would be impossible because of the rigid caste system. Pressure within the clan forces Munezo to order his maid to return to her own home.
The community is shocked when Yaichiro is returned to town in a humiliating prison basket. He has led a rebellion against the Shogunate. When the chief retainer, Shogen Hori (Ken Ogata), learns that the two men were the clan's best swordsmen and pupils of Master Toda (Min Tanaka), he questions Munezo and finds him to be uncooperative.
The Hidden Blade is a character driven samurai drama that doesn't place its major emphasis upon thrilling battle scenes. Yoji Yamada is more interested in the changes taking place within the life of the protagonist as he deals with one challenge after another. Munezo's father committed suicide years ago and this blemish has remained on the family's status in the community. Although he caves in to pressure at first, Munezo decides to follow his own conscience in the last stages of the drama. It is quite fascinating to see the nurturing side of this samurai warrior come to the fore as he breaks with tradition and expresses love and rebellion in a variety of surprising ways.
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