AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

        The Hidden Blade, a Japanese film, directed by Yoji Yamada, is a brilliant portrayal of a small but vibrant country in transition with focus on an upright low-caste.

        Munezo Katagiri is a Samurai, who finds himselft torn between the ideals of a bygone era and the demands of a new world order.

        The film is set in mid-19th centry Japan ridden with caste and class discriminations finding it difficult to welcome the winds of change.
  
        As a result of sustained pressure from outside, the Shogunate, hereditary military dictators, are trying to open up Japan to the West and also allow some selected Western ways, while maintaining their own political base. The movie was in fact a window to the idea of olden Japan for outsiders.

        The film opens with two friends, Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) and Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka), waiting on a river bank to see off Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) on his journey to take up an important position within the military organisation in distant Edo.

        Katagiri and his colleague Samon Shimada while trying to be loyal to the ancient traditions of a samurai also learn new military strategies much to the anguish of elders of the clan.

        The slow paced life of Katagiri gradually goes for a toss. His mother dies, sister Shino (Tomoko Tabata) marries Samon and Kie marries into Iseya, a family of oil wholesalers, after learning all the skills that are required for a young girl to run a large household.

        Soon a series of events follow. Kie was illtreated at her in-laws place and after some difficulty Katagiri bring her home in a fit of rage and nourish her back to health.

        One day, a devastating news arrives that his friend Yaichiro Hazama, charged with instigating a rebellion is being brought home in a prisioner's cage. He is charged with a plot against the clan leadership in Edo. He was brought to Unasaka and kept imprisoned in a small but deep hut in the mountains. However, quite soon the best swordsman in the Unasaka region escapes.

        As Katagiri and Hazama were friends and studied under Kansai Toda (Min Tanaka), a fencing instructor to the clan, the needle of suspicion points to Katagiri and the clan's chief retainer, Shogen Hori (Ken Ogata), orders Katagiri to hunt down Hazama. Ever dutiful, hesitatingly, however, he goes on his mission.

        Hazama was finally shot dead by the team members of Katagiri after a short but engaging sword fight.

        He then comes to know of the treachery of the senior retainer to his bosom friend Hazama and her wife. The honest samurai takes revenge by killing him by using the ancient art and tool of the hidden blade. Katagiri then abandons his title of samurai and becomes a townsman and sets out on a distant journey to an island to set up a business.

        A very interesting aspect about the film is the secret love of Katagiri for his maid Kie. Enraged by the criticism from his friends, though Katagiri sneds Kie out of his home at one point in time he continues cherish her memory in his heart. This passion grows and finally he marries her.

        More touchingly told is the love of Hazama's wife for him and her path-breaking efforts takes to save him. The film was screened at the Japaneses Film Festival being held in the city.