Samurai Rebellion

To me, Masaki Kobayashi’s Samurai Rebellion is one of the three greatest films ever made; the others are Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. 

Here’s why.  The story is superbly written and of profound importance.  Basically, it poses the question: how much injustice can a man of honor, integrity and courage withstand before he rebels?

There is neither a wasted word nor a wasted action.  It is beautifully directed.  The acting is uniformly excellent and Toshiro Mifune is truly astounding.  He was a consummate artist, easily the greatest film actor of the last century.  If this sounds like hyperbole, see his work in Rashomon, the Samurai Trilogy, Throne of Blood, The Rickshaw Man, Red Beard, as Cyrano, etc.  He had it all – imagination, charm, warmth, sensitivity, manliness, vitality, power, versatility, integrity, and most of all, passion and dignity.

One of the signal keys to great acting is the inner power and vitality that an actor emanates in his silent moments.  I call it intensity of repose.  It’s something you cannot fake.  Mifune had it to a far greater extent than any other actor I’ve ever seen.  Further, as Kurosawa said, “Mifune could show more variety and emotion in a shorter period of time than any actor I ever saw.”

I guarantee that if you are a basically a cynic, if you prefer naturalistic, everyday writing and acting, Samurai Rebellion is not for you.  But if you are an incurable romantic who believes that art should epitomize life and not simply copy it, if you long to see passionate steadfastness, complete moral honesty, an inability to compromise, and action based on principles, you will love this film.

King Lear on Set

Some behind the scenes shots.

                                 TRAILER

Death of a Salesman: Director’s Notes

Alexander Barnett on Death of a Salesman

Thematic Content and Structure

This is not the story of a salesman; it is the story of Willy Loman, who just happened to be a salesman. This is not the story of Everyman. Willy’s passion, love and drive go way beyond the norm. Perhaps most people will relate to Willy, be moved by him and, most important, think, contemplate and learn from his life and his mistakes.

Willy, like Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, demands to be “totally known”. Like Eddie, he could never settle for half. He must attempt everything even if it means ending up with nothing. He will risk his very life to achieve his “due”, what he considers his rightful status. As Arthur Miller says, “The commonest of men may take on that [tragic stature] to the extent of his willingness to throw all he has into the contest, the battle to secure his rightful place in the world.” Of course, this willingness automatically removes him from being the commonest of men.

Introducing King Lear on Facebook

I thought you might be interested in taking a look at this page: https://www.facebook.com/KingLearFilm/?ref=settings

Director’s Notes – Episode 5 King Lear

Watch the Scene

There’s tension, intrigue, distrust and anticipation throughout the country.  An imminent civil war is brewing. 

Oswald left Goneril’s at 4:30 in the morning and Kent (Caius) left 15 mins later.  They’ve traveled many hours and they’ve traveled hard.  They’re exhausted. They’ve gone sleepless this past night.  They arrive at 5:00 am.  It’s late Nov so it’s cold and dark.  Regan and Cornwall have just retired.  We know from the opening scene that Kent is a close friend of Gloucester’s so obviously he’s been to Gloucester’s castle before and knows his way around.  

Since Oswald doesn’t know where to set his horses he obviously hasn’t been here before and there’s no reason why he should have. 

Since Oswald never would have gotten a good look at Caius (Kent in disguise) in the third scene and since it’s dark, there’s no reason he’d recognize him now.  Kent, though, would certainly recognize Oswald, simply by his voice.  In his pursuit of Oswald he has unwittingly worked himself into a rage.  What creates even greater outrage is that he thinks Oswald does know who he is.

Still Life with Booze

I've written a new one-act comedy.

Cast of Characters for  Still Life with Booze

Paris - 1887

Paul Gauguin:  Intelligent, virile, domineering and sarcastic, a born leader with an outrageous sense of humor.

Toulouse Lautrec:  A man of remarkable psychological insight and abundant goodwill toward his devoted friend.  He is understanding, witty, gay, lively and outstandingly original.

Camille Pissarro:  Warm, intelligent, emotional and virtually ageless.  Generous to a fault, he has no regard for material things.

Shakespeare Magazine Issue 15

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