Critique of Mifune's 'animalistic' acting
They say 'animalistic.' Is it so wrong to be true to the primal? A man facing death, or starvation, or injustice – he doesn't recite poetry. He reacts. He fights. He endures. In Yojimbo, the ronin isn't thinking noble thoughts; he's surviving. His movements, his choices – they come from a deep, raw place. If that looks like an animal, then perhaps we are more animal than we admit. It's not about being unthinking; it's about letting the body express what the mind might try to hide. Action is character.
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