Read the Hammett article, and noticed that it repeated as
fact, a claim I've seen at times in discussions here, namely
that Kurosawa got his idea for Yojimbo from Red
Harvest.
I do see some similarities, but I sure see some big
differences too. Who of the Kurosawa or Hammett biographers
has made this claim and what basis did he or she give? I'd
like something more substantial than similarities.
Thanks. Apologies if this has been answered before and I have
forgotten. Sometimes I wonder whether I should eat a
peach.
Bill Hagen
I'm not sure who, if any, of the Hammett biographers made the
claim. Kurosawa denied the Hammett connection, just as Leone
denied that "Fistful of Dollars" was inspired by "Yojimbo."
But the films' plots speak for themselves. This is not to say
that Kurosawa was stonewalling. Quite often in the course of
making a movie the question of who-contributed-what is
impossible to recall. Had he or his co-writer Ryuzo Kikushima
read Hammett decades before? Had they seen a review or
synopsis of the plot of "Red Harvest" or overheard someone
describing the setup?" For whatever reason, the 1961 movie
has a story outline that very closely resembles a fiction
work that had been available since 1927. To my mind, the
similarities are substantial enough to justify the claim.
Dick Lochte
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