David Without knowing much of the history, I found this to be very absorbing - slow tempo or not - and Teshigahara's understated style is perfect. The performances (especially the title character) are top-notch, and the heavily detailed sets are stunning.That noted, the DVD available in the US is one of the worst I've ever seen - the pan-and-scan, along with butchering Teshigahara's marvelous compositions, also renders the subtitles unintelligible in spots, and they disappear in brightly lit scenes. The DVD picture quality is grainy, washed-out and blurry, and several weird cuts (especially the scene in which Stefano leaves) betray a transfer from a hastily (or sloppily) edited source. The film is great enough that I'd encourage a viewing, but beware that (if you watch the DVD) that the quality will be atrocious.

tedg Spoilers herein.Film can be something thinly exploited for pleasure, or it can serve as tool for living. Many films span the two existences, but not this one. If you are looking for a way to amusingly spend time, this isn't for you. But if you want something that is intensely lush and explicitly meditative, is zen in subject but a polemic in form, this could be important. First a warning, the Slingshot DVD is a crime against humanity -- it has taken something lush and wonderful and trampled repeatedly on it. The colors are washed out; the transfer is fuzzy, the sound loud and distorted, the subtitles often unreadable. Its apparent pan and scan is not obviously offensive, but the very idea of changing these compositions is repellant. See it in a theater if you can.Film master Akira Kurosawa is Professor Hyakken Uchida in his later `Madadayo;' likewise floral master Hiroshi Teshigahara is tea master Rikyu in this film.For background: Rikyu was an extremely important figure, one can almost say that he invented the core of what it means to be Japanese. He interpreted some rather abstract Shinto notions into a manner of relating to ordinary customs, objects and environments. At precisely the time that Shakespeare was doing something similar in inventing the modern human thereby escaping medieval barriers, Rikyu was reshaping many of the same medieval barriers into noble form.All film derives from the `Shakespearean' influence, and it is the work of Teshigahara to re-form the principles of quiet engagement with the refined simple life with the folding an refoldings of self-awareness. So when he makes a film like this, it is much in the same vein as Tarkovksy's masterwork : `Andrei Rublyov,' a creator of (static) images who invented the soul of Russia. That is to say, Teshigahara is about reinventing us, and he is a trustworthy master on this voyage.Most know that he heads the influential Sogetsu school of ikeban (the philosophy of expression in "floral" arranging and viewing). It takes previously staid notions of balance/imbalance (`katachi') into radical new, self-aware directions. It is not merely a matter of decorative style, instead an enfolding of western reflection into the meditative symmetries of what Rikyu spawned.The story, bound by actual history, is rather simple and is unrolled in straightforward fashion. What is important here is the depiction of the master, and what it means to be a master. The plot turns on Rikyu's unexpected and radical approach to arranging plum blossoms, which is the real offense against his vulgar ruler.Yes, this is slow by western standards. Yes, the quality of the artifact is ruined, a broken bowl. But for students of life, this is worth looking into.I only know two other of Teshigahara's films; filmmaking is only annotative to his ikeban, and he makes few. But he makes then as if he were speaking, or moving. The first is the remarkable `Woman in the Dunes.' The second I know is an examination of the architect Gaudi, a truly profound thinker -- a master -- who deserves to be ranked with Shakespeare and Rikyu. That film is ordinary in effect, but the ideas behind it are as powerful as those behind `Rikyu.'Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.

VANCELEE i remember seeing "woman of the dunes" and pleasantly enjoyed it, this movie probably made in the director's waning years felt like drinking soapy water. it probably has some similarity with kubrick's earlier work and "eyes wide shut", altho eyes wide shut was still a decent movie.i read that there was some comparisons with "a man for all seasons" but here the drama is so watered down that i was getting very angry. the characters are not developed, and i really didnt learn anything. if i had to watch it again it would take me at least ten expressos.

stan-74 This is a very Japanese and Zen Buddhist film. The observations are almost painfully clear and intense, there is great attention to detail, it is highly ritualized and formal, and moves very slowly. To be appreciated, it must be viewed as a totality, rather than as a linear story with a beginning and an end. It is a snapshot stretched over 2 hours, and very much "there". It's a lot like a Zen garden, and most Americans will probably find it boring, but if you're into the peculiar Japanese view of time, it's such a beautiful film, it almost hurts.