© 1999, 2014 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title The Film Music By Masaru Satoh Vol. 13
CD Label SLC Inc.
CD Number SLCS-7114~15
Music by: Masaru Satoh
Number of tracks Disc 1 - 3
Disc 2 - 5
Running time Disc 1 - 69:00
Disc 2 - 62:51
Number of discs 2
Year of release/manufacture 1993

REVIEW

Feb. 29, 2000

This 2 CD set of Masaru Satoh music focuses on his scores for Akira Kurosawa movies. This is easily the set in this series that I liked the most.

Disc 1 starts off with a suite of music from "Yojimbo" that has a jazzy, uptempo beat. It changes to a slow number mixed with some traditional Japanese sounds. This is the movie that inspired the Italian Clint Eastwood movie "A Fistful Of Dollars". The movie is very enjoyable and the jazz type feel of the music would seem out of place with the setting of the movie but actually works very well. Track #2 is from "Sanjuro" which was the sequel to "Yojimbo" The music for this film has a darker more suspenseful edge to it where "Yojimbo" had a much more uptempo, playful tone to it. Track #3 is from "The Hidden Fortress" and starts off with some really rousing march type music. This film supposedly gave George Lucas his inspiration for the characters and basic story in "Star Wars". I've seen the film and have to say this might be partially true but is a stretch. This suite moves between action oriented pieces and suspense. There is even s piece in here that sounds like slow Jazz music that would seem better suited to a night club.

Disc 2 starts off with a suite from "High And Low" and the first minute sounds mostly like a woman screeching. However it then turns into music that sounds like spy/suspense type music with a great recurring theme. Track #2 from "The Throne Of Blood" sounds more like old traditional Japanese music with sections having a male chorus. For the most part this is a slow moving, plodding, droning track. Track #3 from "The Lower Depths" starts off with some male dialogue and accapella singing. Track #4 is a pleasant romp of uptempo music reminiscent of Big Band music. Track #5 has a pleasant lilting theme throughout. It's a gentle, somewhat romantic sounding track with hints of playfulness. At some points in the track I heard music that reminded me of a theme I had heard in the movie "The Ten Commandments".

Both discs on this set were very good to listen to and one of the best volumes of this series. I did prefer disc 1 over disc 2 but that's my own personal taste. Both discs were great.

REVIEW

Title: The Film Music By Masaru Satoh Vol. 13 (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
Cover: Toshiro Mifune in ‘Throne of Blood’
Translations & notes courtesy of Jolyon Yates

DISC 1

  1. Yojimbo (Yojinbo, 1961, aka The Bodyguard, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Susumu Fujita)
  2. Sanjuro (Tsubaki Sanjuro, 1962, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata,, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akira Kubo)
  3. The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi Toride no San Akunin, 1958, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Susumu Fujita, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya. Title translates as ‘Three Bad Men in a Hidden Fortress’)

DISC 2

  1. High And Low (Tengoku to Jigoku, 1963, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Minoru Chiaki. The title translates as ‘Heaven and Hell’)
  2. The Throne Of Blood (Kumonosujo, 1957, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune,, Isuzu Yamada, Minoru Chiaki, Akira Kubo, Takashi Shimura. Title translates as ‘Spider Web Castle’)
  3. The Lower Depths (Donzoko, 1957, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Bokuzun Hidari, Minoru Chiaki)
  4. The Bad Sleep Well (Warui Yatsu Hodo Yoku Nemuru, 1960, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Chishu Ryu, Susumu Fujita, Yoshio Tsuchiya. Title translates as ‘The Worse You Are the Better You Sleep’)
  5. Red Beard (Akahige, 1965, dir/scr Akira Kurosawa, str Toshiro Mifune, Chishu Ryu, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Takashi Shimura, Bokuzen Hidari)

(Tracks 1 & 5 on disc 2 are in Stereo)