One of the greatest Samurai films - and for that matter just a great film: Harakiri

Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 film, Harakiri, is truly one of the great Samurai films of all time, maybe one of the great films of all time, though it's not as well known or recognized, perhaps because overshadowed by Kurosawa's work in the same genre. The film engages viewers right from the start - the first half hour or so is among the most powerful sequences in Japanese film: A "ronin" (i.e., a Samurai at large, w/out attachment to any army or leader) appears before the Samurai army and sks the leader for permission to kill himself by Harakiri on their temple grounds. He explains that in this "time of peace" (1630) he has been living in poverty and unable to support his family and wants to die in the honorable Samurai manner. But apparently this has been a scam, or so it seems, w/ many seeking this approval with the hope and understanding that the warrior leaders will give the would-be victim some money to go away in peace. But this guy's different; he insists that he wants to and will go through with the gruesome procedure. Over the course of the film, he tells his back story to the Samurai ruler, and we over time come to understand his motives (I won't give anything away - see the film for yourself). The film ends with a terrific sword-fight and with a chilling expose of the Samurai way of life or at least of the hypocrisy of this Samurai clan. Tatsuyu Nakadai is terrific in the lead, with his obsessive almost hypnotic stare dominating the mood throughout; the score (by Toru Takamitsu) is great as well. I don't know anything offhand about the director (I will look him up) but if this film typifies his work he's worth further watching (or maybe this was a one-off). Note: Have just looked up Kobayashi's filmography and see that before Harakiri he directed the terrific trilogy, The Human Condition - definitely a classic and must-see - though I know little about his later works.)