(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)
The ending of this movie throw me off completely. Its like they ran out of film during the middle of a scene.
Why was the lord of fief chasing after him? Was he upset, or did he want him to come bet the master of arms?
Soooo they were waiting for the river to go down just so they can look at the ocean?
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Like a bunches of other films, the end is left for the viewer to write. All indication shows the Lord wanting to make amends, but will he find Ihei and wife? Providence and the laws of kindness and reward say yes; pessimism and hard logic says no; reality says maybe.
shareI don't think whether the fact they caught up was central to what the movie was trying to convey. The way I viewed it it was meant more in a symbolic way. The lord of fief, in a moment of poor judgment, dismissed Ilhei at the end because he committed an act that the lord didn't felt befitting for a swordsman master of his status. Ilhei in turn was obviously very disappointed because he craved to use his fighting skills but nonetheless set out to travel. In the end, even though conflicted by the fact that he couldn't put his passion into work, he could find peace in traveling with his woman and being happy enjoying life. This is why I think looking at the ocean and just enjoying the view was a great scene. It signified that he didn't let his inner burden get the better of him. Ilhei wound up being happy regardless of the loss of a job he loved. The lord of fief on the other hand understood too late how a shallow decision cost him a very skilled and sweet-spirited man. As such I don't think it's about whether he caught up with him; it's about how good natured decisions will lead you to a path of happiness while decisions to preserve self-worth will do the opposite.
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I don't know how to turn on the computer
I was also a bit surprised by the ending at the ocean without the lord catching up on them, but I think this is a very spot-on description. very good point!
shareexcellent write-up! thank you for describing, with words which I could not express myself, the beauty on this film. hollywood sure has messed up my style of viewing, but this I am combating on every side.
great film, truly a piece of art. should be seen by everyone.
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For me the movie ends perfectly.
The ending starts with everybody leaving the Inn. For the first time (maybe ever) the wife says something, express herself: she was against fights but now understands the husband's nature and his kindness suits her (and their relationship deepens). She appears earlier righting stuff. Later when she's resting on the road she "talks with her husband" on her journal, saying how much she loves and respects him. NOW their lives are complete. I say this 'cos 2 or 3 times he mentions his worries for his wife and for the way she sees him. In the end this subject is over, she's proud of him and life can go on (like a sunny day).
On the other hand the Lord guy is the one incomplete. When the two guards return and report what happened he was pissed 'cos they "followed orders" (of not employing people who fights on battles, like the one the samurai did to get food for the Inn) instead of understanding the samurai's huge value. My guess is that he noticed his mistake too late (refleting with his mistress later at night) and will spend the rest of his life regreting loosing such a man. The image on the horse desperate chasing shows us this. Chances are he won't find the couple.
That's it: the couple is at peace enjoying life, the local Lord isn't.
When he's stranded at the inn, he goes to the forest to practise with the sword.
At the end of the movie, after all the dealings with all the characters, he goes to the forest and practises with the sword. The exact same movements as before.
It's his way, and it's wonderfully pointless. I like the way he ponders to himself on the road, "What would I be good at in life?" when he's thinking about how to make a living for himself and his wife.
The sword doesn't get him anywhere. It's the beginning and end of nothing..
Well said, SS; yes, his sword skills are what he is. He will go on with his wandering life, as before - this whole episode has just been an incident. But he has the love of his wife - they're happy enough.
If the lord had found him, and offered him the post, I think the implication is that it would not have lasted long. He isn't cut out for that kind of service, though funnily enough he offends people not by being aggressive, like Sanjuro, for example, but by being too nice.
2 different scenarios according to me :
- The lord runs as fas as he can to save what can be from a most precious relationship. But too late : he should have seized the occasion when he had the chance. Ergo, love and compassion cannot be postponed, one must live those in the present.
- The lord might have gotten really pissed by what the wife told his two guards : he realised that Ihei did not care at all about respect and honor, that deep in his heart he did only what he wanted and not what was expected of him. Ihei really made a fool out of the lord. And so the lord runs as fast as he can to seek vengeance and redeem his honor.
Both scenarios : honor vs love and compassion.
I don't think the lord is seeking vengeance at all. He liked Ihei and wanted to employ him - it was his senior retainers, perhaps a little jealous, who dismissed him because of his prize-fighting for money. The lord is riding about the countryside trying to find him, but on the road, whereas Ihei and his wife are climbing up footpaths in the hills - they're never going to meet again. As I said above, the couple will continue with their wandering life, and seem to be happy enough with it. The film is a gentle comedy, after all.
shareI doubt the second scenario applies. The lord would have had to have been suicidal to challenge Ihei to a duel, especially after witnessing how effortlessly Ihei defeated multiple veteran samurai.
shareI thought this too. The ending seemed abrupt.
share