Platypuschow Before they turned goofy and became famous for the neverending Godzilla movies Toho films were actually quite dark. I mean really dark, everyone dies dark, suicides left right and centre dark.The Men Who Tread on the Tigers Tail however is not, in fact it's tone is really quite odd. Due to one single character the entire movie is forced into the realms of comedy, and that really didn't make any sense to me.It tells the story of a group of men who must disguise themselves as monks to get into enemy territory. Among them is a goofy character whose over the top behaviour and animated facial expressions reminded me heavily of the early silent cinema. He was good, but felt out of place in the film.Also starring Denjirô Ôkôchi from the Sanshiro Sugata films this Kurosawa movie is short at just under an hour. It delivers the story competently but there really isn't much in the way of a story there. Well shot and certainly well made, but as a movie this is hardly a memorable Toho title.The Good:Looks greatWell writtenThe Bad:Story is absolute bare bonesWas it meant to be a comedy?Things I Learnt From This Movie:Sanshiro must have forgotten judoTo apologise for holding someone up in makes perfect sense to ply them with alcohol holding them up even further.

crossbow0106 This film is just less than an hour long and tells a simple tale about a warrior with his six followers (one is a "driver" who almost reminds me of a Japanese Stan Laurel) and their quest to move on. They disguise themselves as monks. The film is set in the year 1195. The second half of the film is better, where they have to prove to others that they indeed are monks. The tension, including facing otherwise certain death, is extremely well done. I labeled the film curious due to its simplicity in telling the story. Kurosawa is rarely this straightforward, usually there are interesting twists and turns. That said, this watchable, there is a little comic relief, but it is not A list Kurosawa. Thats fine in and of itself.

tedg I chose to watch this on the way home from a trip where Japanese heritage was central. I have saved this early Kurosawa for such a special occasion, knowing that it would be heavily stylized. I thought that would detract from the effect; surely that is what most commentors say. Cinematically, this has the essential Kurosawa: layered staging, profound cosmic forces testing human resources and strong character extremes.The central character is disowned royalty, determined to set things right. We see little of him, and not even his face until things are nearly over.I believe that it is Kurosawa's intention that he be the watcher and motivator both. As our on screen surrogate, this places us as both the watcher and the governing truths. It is a very clever reversal of the tradition, strong even then and even in Japan. The reversal is overt: he/we displace a comic porter, a simpleton that in a slightly less modern story would be the watcher. He does watch, but as the thing evolves, he becomes more and more a featured act. Coming at the beginning of Kurosawa's career, it is tempting to think of this as paired with "Ran," the fool of the beginning to the King Lear of the end. This fool is not wise, but he is present in a way that no one else is, allowing us to carry the film.The "film within" in this case is an impromptu prospectus for a rebuilt temple. I know of no more dramatically effective sequence than this, witnessed by an honorable man who takes the blessing seriously, and a foppish villain who creeps around during the speech. These are the fundamentals. As time would go, he could work with something better than a two-layered sound stage, and more complex narratives than this simple vignette. But I think the soul and sound of this is every bit as good as his best.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

gkbazalo I have watched this several times and enjoyed each viewing. It's a very early Kurosawa, apparently done on a shoestring of a budget. However, we can already see Kurosawa's talents in pacing and setting up shots. Kenichi Enomoto as the porter appears out of place at first with his over the top mannerisms and broad comedy, but he fits into the story and breaks up the slower pace of some of the scenes. For Kurosawa and samurai fans, I think this will be more than just a curiosity. This has an early appearance of Masayuki Mori (the murdered husband in Roshomon) and a fairly early appearance of Takashi Shimura (leader of the seven samurai). I recommend this for the usual suspects.