Rikyu (1989)

Rikyu: Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara. With Rentarô Mikuni, Yoshiko Mita, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kishida. Legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu is faced with his warmongering lord’s unrealistic pretensions.

“Without knowing much of the history, I found this to be very absorbing – slow tempo or not – and Teshigaharau0026#39;s understated style is perfect. The performances (especially the title character) are top-notch, and the heavily detailed sets are stunning.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat noted, the DVD available in the US is one of the worst Iu0026#39;ve ever seen – the pan-and-scan, along with butchering Teshigaharau0026#39;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 Iu0026#39;d encourage a viewing, but beware that (if you watch the DVD) that the quality will be atrocious.”