Since this was made to inspire Japanese of WWII, it contributed to the dropping of the atom bomb. To a westerner, the group is elevated too far above the individual here, though true that Westerners do elevate the individual too greatly. Whether the individual or the group is more important should be a flexible concept, depending on the circumstance. I assume the families of all these men will be cared for by their in laws, but revenge and ritual suicide are both methods of control here, which elevate revenge to the be worth one’s own life. That concept does not ultimately perpetuate the family, the community, or the country. Imperial Japan fails.

Hats off to the person who worked on the English subtitles.

If you're ever in Tokyo make sure you go the Sengachuchi temple. The 47 Ronin are buried there. It's well worth the time.

"Even more than cherry blossoms scattered by the breeze... Memories of the passing spring bring unbearable regrets"

I love this film. It's an undervalued masterpiece. It was made to make you feel the nerve. No battle scenes, but you're always behind the battle.

もっと早くこの作品の存在を知りたかったです。人として深く考えさせられます。

I have seen this movie a couple of years back in a terribly pixelated, low-resolution version here on KZfaq. I cannot thank you enough for providing this better version, outstandingly sublime film like only Mizoguchi could do.

Every second is a piece of art. The clothes, the hair, the buildings, the music, the respect, etc.

Those 3 dimensional shots,on old school cameras, are something else, and Hitchcock must have admired this film. Everyone is sitting in this theatrical masterpiece,but the suspense is as sharp as a Masamune sword. Death with dignity or a life without honour, are the unenviable options for the Ronins'. But are momentarily forgotten by the human yearning for revenge. Yet there's no action. Little movement either. Silence and scenic softness allows the concise but dramatic dialogue to send imagery like a floating cherry blossom in dying spring. This is more than film making. It's perhaps more than art. It is life as drama, or drama as life. Whatever it is,it's impressive.

very well written and directed movie. Story and presentation has a cohesive logical flow, takes it's time and steady pace and does not rush. properly explains the important aspects of the story as if we are also in the midst of the real conflict. it's all about getting all the information to do the decision-making. It is full of understanding and thoughts and minimal drama for drama's sake and commercialism. Truly a gem.

As previously described, an underrated masterpiece. I watched 7 Samaria as a young child and, loved every bit of it, regardless of the subtitles and, Toshiro Mifune was brilliant. God bless you, Toshiro.

Thank you for posting this video. It opens my mind much more to the culture and history of Japan. It's truly a beautiful experience.

兎にも角にも、この貴重な動画のupに感謝の気持ちを表したいです。 所作の美しさ、セットの豪華さ、江戸期と昭和期の混ざった日本語。 白菊で己らの処分を知る。 謡の楽しさ、「武士道とは死ぬ事と見つけたり」全てが懐かしく涙します。 KZfaqに上げていただき本当にありがとうございます。 m(_ _)m m(_ _)m

Tremendously powerful. Thank you so much. David

Absolutely tremendous film! THANK you for sharing with us.

Really a beautiful movie. From the story, to the cinematography. Just excellent.

A timeless classic. Thanks for posting.

Every time watching this magnificent film, the depth and true beauty hold me spellbound from start to finish.

Brilliant! Finally a glimpse at the authentic culture *behind* all the slashing samurai movies. Will watch again for sure.

This is the movie I will watch repeatedly. Slowly unfolding current of narrative events with only a single scene of blood shedding, focused on the depth of Japanese culture of Samurai.

Mesmerizing. So lucky to have found this. Thank you.

This film is a master class of a well-crafted plot line and of a suspenseful dialogue. The stylistic approach of its two collaborating screenwriters (Kenichiro Hara and Yoshikata Toda), should be studied per every film study curriculum.

Just finished watching this movie... I'm just at a loss for words... was a wonderful watch nonetheless. Thank you for uploading this

My first time ever seeing this film. It is beautiful. Thank you for uploading it.

I am a Japanese. It is a movie finished as the special masterpiece which put enormous production costs while this movie is produced in 1941, and it is the outbreak of war of the Pacific War, and supplies are in needy circumstances by the expansion of the front at the time of the production. I give off unique presence in a movie of Chushingura made much in, prewar days and postwar period. An absolute did an impossible thing in now that it was totally different from previous "Chushingura thing" and did a historical verisimilitude research faithfully thoroughly and reproduced the corridor of the pine of the size of the original, and the direction adopted the technique of the one scene one cut. The performance of the actor is an indeed prewar movie fantastically, too. It is my favorite movie. This movie does not have the scene of is main of Chushingura, making a raid and is described in the form called the after-the-fact report. Making a raid is a method leaving to the imagination of the audience. This has a pro and con in various ways, but probably this thinks of the movie of Chushingura without Making a raid alone. A supervisor is a person called Kenji Mizoguchi. It is the supervisor who made the expensive movie of the evaluation worldwide such as "Tales of Moonlight and Rain" and "Chikamatsu story".

Thank you for uploading this masterpiece and sharing. Godspeed. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu💕

討ち入りの場面が無いけど、これはこれで味わい深いですね。 UPありがとうございました。

Very compelling story. Thank you very much for posting this.

They wrapped that head so nice. The Japanese have the best packaging of gifts.

many thanks for sharing (the English subtitles are very helpful)!!!

This is an epic, thank you for posting. The detail of the production is astounding,

Thank you for uploading this.

Pure brilliance, thanks to all who took part in getting this masterpiece on KZfaq

I started watching the MEN OF THE GENROKU on Nippon television in NY years ago, and have been hooked on it ever since. I watch it as a wonderful piece of history for that time, and appreciate it, as such. Speaking for myself: I was born in New York in 1948, after the events of WW2. And meaning no disrespect, I did not come here to argue politics or h toss around any heavy nationalistic rhetoric - but merely to enjoy the film.

Thankyou for sharing this. I really love this film.

太平洋戦争が始まる頃に撮られた映画です。 その頃はまだ時代的文化的な感覚が、明治大正時代と地続きだった。 言葉遣い、一つ一つの所作、手や体の使い方、言葉にしない心理描写。 こんな映画はもう作れないだろう。 もっと現代の日本人にも見てもらいたいと思う。

WOW ! 3 hours past in seemingly 5 minutes. Thank you for this.

こんな映画があったことに驚きです。私が生まれる一年前の作品です。

KZfaq recommended this to me and I’m glad it did

Thank you for sharing this film. Godspeed.

Thank you so much! I have subscribed! 👍😁 Moira From England.

@menatil: thank you very much, for letting us see this film, giving us the posibilyty to understand our common past

I iove japanese films and culture I worked for a Japanese company in Beirut ,LENANON 1968 Marubany IIDA CORPORATION GREAT PEAPLE thank you for showing this great film

Absolutely fantastic. I couldn't stop watching til the end.

Produced in 1941. This is the best 元禄忠臣蔵　I have ever watched.

Holy shit, now I can finally watch a friggin good movie on KZfaq! Many thanks, Arigato!

Ive watched this movie several times,i sometimes forget is almost 4 hours

Thanks for posting such a great movie

Beautiful. Thank you, my brother.

I got this on VHS for one dollar. The picture quality is amazing even on a hi-definition tv. I also got the Hidden Fortress but the dvd or blue ray are far superior. Great storytelling from Akira K.

Really interesting to see this, thank you so much for sharing. I'm aware of the story of course but seeing it from this time is really interesting. I so like seeing how these stories change subtly depending on cultural/national circumstances over different versions made at different times. I'm sure as a westerner I'm missing more than I'm spotting though.

Superb! Thank you for the opportunity!

1941年って戦時中じゃん。 今や「歴史」として扱われる時代。 そんな時代に作られた「歴史」のドラマ。 感慨深い。 画質も驚くほど綺麗。ここ10数年前に撮った物をモノクロに編集した物かと疑ってしまった程。

Hi Asuka, great movie and based on a true story, I also know it is a celebrated holiday in Japan, but cant remember if it is December 21 Thank you for posting this great Japanese epic film and for sharing it with us. Ed R.

Loved it!!! Thanks for posting such masterpiece.

東亜大戦時にこの様な日本の格式を最高に有した映画があることは素晴らしい事です日本の誇りです溝口監督有難う御座いますまだまだこの時代の映画を拝見鑑賞したく思います

Thanks for the upload, never seen this version, so dope

When part 1 was released on December 1, 1941, it didn't do very well. Part 2 was rushed out a couple months later because Japanese leaders felt it was important to show that things were still business as usual despite the war with the US.

すげえな・・・まさかの討ち入りシーン描写無しなんだ。

Qualities which All Men Admire, but Few Men can Attain.

When I lived in Japan in the 1960's this was a part of my Jr. HS education, though I don't remember what class it was taught in.

LOVED this. Heartbreaking ending. One of those movies that sticks to the soul 😟❤️

Encore sous le choc de la puissance de ce film. Merci de me l'avoir fait découvrir. Génie de la mise en scène, perfection des acteurs, vraiment sublime.

One of THE best films. And no offense to the Keanu Reeves 47 ronin... but this was a masterpiece.

Truly amazing devotion. Such an admirable story.

What a well directed and executed classic movie. The harshest parts are handled with so much sensitivity and grace. Unlike Hollywood which exaggerates with buckets full of blood. There's so much to learn from Japanese film making. God bless🙏

the cinematography: a true masterpiece! the moral of the story: rash actions can draw many people into misery and death...taking responsibility for one's own actions means being responsible for the lives of others...especially in a strictly hierarchic social structure...

True story of duty loyalty and honor. Movie made to inspire the Japanese nation during WW2 of the sacrifice expected. Great movie

I love the diorama the Frenchman makes of this when helping Robert Deniro in Ronin!

i'm 17 now. when i stop working i will sit down, get a crt and i will watch these movies :p

I AM NO EXPERT. AT THE AGE OF 19, IN THE USAF, I WAS STATIONED IN JAPAN. AT 6'6", BLONDE AND BLUE EYED, I WAS A NOVELTY AT LEAST. I KNEW NOTHING OF THE JAPANESE CULTURE. EVERYONE SEEMED TO BE 5'5" BLACK HAIR AND BROWN EYES ... AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED ... I 'WORKED' THROUGHOUT ASIA ... I DISCOVERED, 'DIFFERENT'. THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT I DIDNT KNOW ... CULTURES, PEOPLES ... LANDS AND COUNTRIES. I WAS 'AWAKENED'. I LEARNED TO LISTEN MORE AND SPEAK LESS. THAT NO MATTER A PERSONS 'STATION' IN LIFE, THEY HAD A STORY, KNOWLEDGE ... WISDOM. I WAS HOOKED! I LIVED IN JAPAN FOR 5 YRS ... THE 5 BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE. WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE USA, I WAS LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER. 46YRS LATER I STILL YEARN FOR WHAT I LEFT... KNOWING DAMNED WELL ITS ALL REALLY VERY DIFFERENT NOW. I WATCH EVERY MOVIE I CAN(WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES ... I LEARNED A BIT OF THE LANGUAGE ... YEARS OF SCHOOL, WORK, FAMILY, ETC ETC ETC ... I FELL OUT OF THE FAMILIARITY OF EASY FRIENDLY CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO STRUGGLED WITH THEIR ENGLISH USE 'ON' ME, AS I DID WITH MY JAPANESE USE 'ON' THEM!) THESE MOVIES KEEP ME CONNECTED TO THE LAND AND PEOPLE I GREW TO LOVE, AND NEVER WILL FORGET! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO POST THESE FILMS ... THE 'LEGEND OF THE 47 RONIN' ... IS A CLASSIC!

As they go, he already can feel the path to death has been paved and he is just moving to the first step.

Truly a story of Duty, Honor and Loyalty.

Timeless masterpiece.

simply shows, loyalty, duty , courage, and obedience to authority during those era. The ronins must avenge the death of their master but must take their life in obedience to the authority

Great film, thank you.

This was very well done... I drank down my sake in anticipation in what would happen next..

Man this old man Akira is a pure artist genius

Thank you, sir.

This is an example of how a wonderful nearly 4 hour movie can be made without a single fight or erotic scene. Really wonderful!

Great movie , greetings from sunny Scotland.

I have read the book, and now I have seen the movie. Magnificent. I loved them both. I spent three years in Japan, in Misawa. I loved it there, and I love the Japanese people.

It may not be clear to some watching this, but the reason Asano attacked Kira was as follows: First, Kira, an elderly and experienced man in the ceremonies of the Shogun castle,, was appointed by the Shogun to teach the younger and less experienced lords in the ways of castle etiquette. Second, Kira was conceited and expected the younger lords to bring him expensive gifts when they came to his class on etiquette. Third, Lord Asano refused to bring gifts to appease Kira's ego. Fourth, Kira got pissed and publicly began to insult Asano, even calling him "an ignorant and unmannered rural boar." Fifth, Asano, in retaliation for the insults, drew his sword -- which was an absolute no-no inside the Shogun's castle -- and attempted to kill Kira. And the rest is history. Note that only 46 Ronin committed Harakiri. The one who had been sent to Ako to report that Kira had been killed finished his mission. It was winter and his long journey was slow. When he returned to Edo the Shogun pardoned him. He lived to be 87 and was buried with the other 46 Ronin.

I only knew the 1962 version (Hiroshi Inagaki directing, with Toshiro Mifune) of all 7 movies until now. Thank you! ♥️👍

I was reading about this story online in connection to the three great vendettas of Japan, and lo and behold here it is, dramatized in such a profound way, I felt I knew all the characters before I started. Absolutely worth seeing. This reminds me of Siegfried/Kriemheld's Revenge also available on KZfaq from 1927-28, profound film making all around. Those who want to use this film to make often childish political points, please go away.

Amazing how well crafted films can be so moving, even when set in a very different culture and time. This film, and the play/story it is based on, exemplify how we inhere real meaning in our lives. It illustrates how we best respect ourselves, and our humanity - that a meaningful death can trump a self-betraying, meaningless life. While it is not in any way a part of the films' theme, it shows the very real danger of allowing social mores and expectations to become prioritized above our own best interests. Allowing the best interests of society to become stronger motivations than our duty to ourselves and immediate family is in no way a productive strategy on a personal level. But this ability to act on our convictions, rather than in our own interests, is one of our great strengths as humans. This tension between what is best for the individual vs what is best for society is a central, vexing conflict, and a basic component, of what it means to be human.

I never heard of this movie. When it came across my timeline, I was presented a choice between a newer one staring Keanu Reeves or this one. The rest is history.

Merci pour ce vieux film !

Truly a Masterpiece

What can I say to the sharing of something so well made... domo arigato.

忠義の心が理解出来ない、というのがコメントでよく分かる。

おそらく日本人の多くが、何度観ても何度見観ても、同じシーン(瑶泉院が全てを知らされる場面)で涙がわき出るのではないかと思います。本当に涙がわき出るのです。

Never seen before a classic of this kind.

Imperial Japan was WILD. I mean dealt as in the Shōgunate, but in the - I’m struggling for a suitable word... daily life, ceremony, etiquette per se, it’s an utterly fascinating county to me since I was a child. This move is so much more than a cinematic masterpiece - It’s a time machine.

The most legendary tales And an even more legendary film

It has always seemed odd to me that this story was endorsed by the militarist government of WWII Japan. Yes, it's the most famous incident of the old days, but it's about loners fighting against the corruption of the upper classes. It's an anti-establishment story. Probably the answer to this is, that in the far background of (this version of the story), the Emperor upholds the Asano cause, and disapproves of Kira and the shogunate dictatorship. So it's not subversive from the point of view of the 1941 government, which was established by a civil war against the Shogunate in favor of the Emperor. The same is true of the other wartime Japanese movie The Famous Sword Bijomaru, also on You Tube. Thanks to Menatil for bringing this to us.

Keep in mind this was filmed a few years after a major revolt against the Emperor 's advisors by certain elements in the Army. The revolt was intended to put the Emperor in a position of real, not merely ceremonial, power in day to day governance. The Emperor made one of the very few, like about three, major decisions in his life, and ordered the rebels to be punished without mercy. The leaders were shot.

As I am watching this movie, I admired the costumes and the Zen culture. The interior of the house, the landscape and appointed structures were a translation of fluidity, the energy channels of water and air on Earth.

A masterpiece , in my personal opionion.

コロナ影響がクラシックなど放送にも影響が出ており影響がない忠臣蔵見ています。中村吉右衛門様のが一番好きで、宝塚の忠臣蔵もよさそう（一部しか見れないけど）で色々見ていて、こちらみつけました。中央義士会の方にも史実とドラマの違いなど聞いたりしましたが、こちら史実に近そう（朝廷側が浅野家に同情など）ですね。能のシーンも出てきていいですね。能も出てきていいですね。