Review of Judo Saga (1943)
Seen in 2022.
Seen in the 1952 version with cuts made during WW2.
In 1883, an ignorant man hoping to find a jūjutsu master instead joins one of the new jūdō disciplines. He soon fights well but takes a long time to accept the work of moral self-improvement that comes with the career.
Kurosawa’s debut is as smooth and poetic as its reputation suggests.
References here: The Sound of Waves (1954).