Over forty years late, but that's better than never
Robert Buchanan | Wisconsin | 08/26/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is playful, inventive music that perfectly complements the tone of the film it was scored for; for anyone who's seen it, the infectious, trudging title track will instantly evoke the image of Toshiro Mifune's shrewd, slovenly ronin. Masaru Sato's jazz inflections are particularly prominent here, as are an array of quirky late-Edo attributes. Unlike Ifukube and Hayasaka, Sato didn't often rely on the influence of traditional Japanese forms, but this score is an exception to his usual compositional routine.
Because Akira Kurosawa didn't want music to distract attention from his film's more serious action scenes and dialogue, the majority of this score consists of incidental cues. Both these and the more extended movements feature recurring motifs that are extremely catchy!
In addition to the score itself, the available bonus materials are quite generous: numerous alternate takes, a few tracks scored for either deleted or unfilmed scenes and some charming music recorded for the film's trailer. Some of these tracks (especially the second of two alternate takes of the title music) are instructive, providing an insight to how Sato developed some of his themes.
The sound of this disc is surprisingly good. "Yojimbo's" soundtrack is noisy and was cheaply produced, but apparently the master tapes of the score were either in much better condition than the soundtrack or Toho Music's producers invested a lot of skill and effort in the remastering of these tracks. Either way, the sound of the disc is exactly what I like to hear in remastered analog recordings: clean and well-balanced, but not so pristine that it detracts from the thick, characteristic analog sound of the source.
It's unfortunate that more of Sato's 300+ scores haven't been released commercially outside of Japan. Some of them are quite impressive and feature striking dramatic flourishes; the music for "Daibosatsu Toge" is a fine example of this. Of course, this release has everything to do with the fact that it's the music of one of Kurosawa's most popular films, featuring a cast of well-known stars (Mifune, Nakadai, Shimura). This is actually part of a series of Kurosawa film scores, from which at least two other discs are also available as imports: Seven Samurai and Sanjuro."
Not as impressive as Seven Samurai, but still wonderful Kuro
Michael Sinatra | Santa Barbara, CA USA | 08/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll keep it short and simple - for fans of Kurosawa, this Soundtrack is a must. Left in the hands of able composer Masaru Sato, this CD will make you remember that unique tune when Toshiro Mifune first walked on-screen, or when Unosuke the gunfighter met his demise in the city street.
Although nothing can quite compare to Fumio Hayasaka's masterpiece score from "The Seven Samurai", this excellent soundtrack provided a perfect accompaniment to one of Kurosawa's most beloved samurai films."
Track Listings (60) - Disc #1