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Lady Kaede--One of the Great Characters of Cinema

posted 18 years ago by twm-2
39 replies | jump to latest

For me, this is absolutely the most terrifying portrayal of a female character in any film--without a close second. We can attribute this to some measure, of course, to Kurosawa's dialogue and direction, but a great deal of the credit most go to the actress, Mieko Harada who makes Kaede's rage palpably explode off the screen. Her intensity is such that we recoil from it. That alone would make this among the most memorable of performances--but there is more to her character than just psychopathic rage. She is also incredibly intelligent, perceptive, fearless, with remarkably dexterity and astounding gracefulness (and beauty)--yet when all is said and done, the reason she makes such an indelible impression, the reason we feel SO uncomfortable in her presence, is that we are made to understand her rage. We actually sympathize with her--a reaction we may find almost as appalling as the actions of Lady Kaede herself. Alfred Hitchcock would have loved this aspect of the film as this--making the audience sympathize with the villain--was one of his cherished techniques by which he toyed with the emotions of his audiences.

I will have to explore some of this actress' other films. One thing I can be certain of, there is no need to worry that she might have been typecast as THIS character is a one-of-a-kind item.

"Nothing in this world is more surprising than the attack without mercy!"--Little Big Man

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] twm-2 18 years ago

Yes, be still my beating heart! .

That was a joke.

"Nothing in this world is more surprising than the attack without mercy!"--Little Big Man

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Better be careful. THAT kind of heat would likely incinerate you--if you didn't get your throat cut first.

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] animatestate 15 years ago

I'll just say that I was so happy when she got sliced.

[–] twm-2 15 years ago

I can certainly understand that view, but me, I empathized with her. I certainly didn't condone the horrific mayhem she engineered, but I could certainly understand the rage. To say that she was screwed big-time by the powers she was subverting is an understatement. And besides, she had a lot of great qualities—extraordinary beauty, razor-sharp intelligence, highly motivated, focused, sexy as 'ell—just that ~ahem~ tiny little problem with blood-thirsty murderousness. But hey, don't we all have problems?

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Sounds like you have some SERIOUS issues. Well, join the club!

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] eerwicker 15 years ago

The best performance in the film, I'd say. And (spoiler here, sort of)

it eventually transpires she has been driving events all along, so it's almost the key performance of the film. A nod to Shakespeare's original, of course, where the warring offspring were daughters, not sons (and check out Diana Rigg and Dorothy Tutin in the 83 version of Lear for some pretty impressive studies of evil); she's also got something of a Lady Macbeth about her.

How much is the fish? Does the fish have chips?

[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Definitely. Definitely the best performance in the film (of course, she has the advantage of being cast in the best role)--one of the best in any film. There should be a list of the greatest performances of murderous psychopaths--off hand, only Anthony Perkins' role as Norman Bates stands beside it in my mind, though his portrayal was darkly comic (which is not to downplay--achieving that balance of horror and humor was something to behold), while Mieko Harada's performance is shear savagery--albeit a controlled savagery. The only thing Hitler had on her was modern technology.

Cheerio!

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] eerwicker 15 years ago

My favourite Anthony Perkins performance is The Trial. Norman Bates was a great piece of piece of work, though. But I'd say it was a study in sickness and perversion and repression rather than out-and-out evil. And sadness and loneliness. Psycho's a more subtle film than it gets credit for. My favourite male evil roles are Bruno Ganz as Hitler in Downfall, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List, Ian McKellen's Richard III, Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter, and Klaus Kinski in Aguirre.

Lady Kaede gives them all a run for their money, though; a tour de force ...although my favourite ever murderous evil woman remains Sian Phillips as Livia in I, Claudius. More calculated and never frenzied, but then she's never backed into a corner like Lady Kaede.

How much is the fish? Does the fish have chips?

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Actually, I don't see Kaede as "evil," which might be surprising considering how much evil results from her machinations. I see her as terribly damaged by the horrors inflicted on her by Lord Hidetora. Though I loathed her actions, I sympathized with her feelings--and mourned her lost sanity. Usually, I don't care much for performances that could be categorized as "pure evil"--unless they are buoyed by an abundance of style and/or wit. Norman Bates, I'd agree, wasn't so much "evil" as sick. I could say the same about Aguirre, though I empathized with him less than Norman as Herzog doesn't give us as many humanizing moments for us to hang our sympathies on as Hitch does.

You mentioned Mitchum in the VERY stylish Night of the Hunter, which I agree was a terrific performance, but it made me think of another of his great psychopathic performances, as Max Cady in Cape Fear. Comparing that performance with De Niro's in the remake illustrates my point about finding "purely evil" performances less interesting than more nuanced performances. De Niro's Cady is nothing less than a monstrously savage, evil man--essentially demonic--with no hint of redemptive qualities. One might say the same of Mitchum's Cady, but HIS performance is definitely more subtle--displaying a wicked sense of humor and a wealth of charm--his "evil" given a sly slant. It made his character more believable, more human, but more menacing. I think people sometimes underestimate his acting chops.

I haven't seen "I Claudius"--which my make me a clod, but I must admit to my shortcomings. I have heard hardly anything but stellar things about it, so one day I must take the plunge.

Cheerio!

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] Prismark10 15 years ago

She makes Lady Macbeth look like a pussycat in comparison.

Its that man again!!

[–] twm-2 15 years ago

I don't think we should underestimate Lady MacBeth--truly one of the great villains in all of literature. Created by an intellect so powerful, so creative, so perceptive that we mere mortals must remain forever flummoxed by the baffling fact that Shakespeare too was but a mortal--THIS author then lent some of his own abilities to this "Lady," giving her preternatural talents in the realms of manipulation and deceit. Still, your point is apt. Ms. MacBeth retained some rudiment of a conscience as evidenced by her imaginary "spots." We see no such evidence in Lady Kaeda. Like the Lady MacBeth, Kaeda was a master puppeteer, managing to prod those around her into setting into motion her nefarious plots. But unlike Lady MacBeth, she was quite capable of being the actor of her own nihilist fantasies--though her appetite for destruction was so great that she could never have been satisfied with slitting the throats of a few of her enemies--so she, for the most part, kept her own knife sheathed (save for that great scene where she utterly dominated her own husband) and moved others on to provide the oceans of blood she craved.

One thing in Kaeda's favor, however, we at least can understand where her unquenchable lust for revenge comes from, can even empathize with it to a degree as it arises out of the huge injustice done to her family by those in power. Lady MacBeth's motives, however, are nothing but a naked desire to accumulate power for its own sake.

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Force of nature, indeed!--though a force given animation by Lord Hidetora's ruthlessness.

And THAT scene truely was pure bravura!--balletic, violent, suspenseful, sexually charged, and even comic.

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] twm-2 15 years ago

Sadly, I haven't seen La Notte.

But what's a crimbo? Any relation to all akimbo?
[
Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] chester-copperpot-1 15 years ago

There's a parallell between Kaede and Sue. Both are daughters to warlords that Hidetora killed in battle or conquest. Both got their entire families destroyed, both got their birthright castles impounded or destoryed, both ended up married to one of Hidetoras sons. But while Sue succumbed to the powers at be, embraced her fate, and found her inner peace, Kaede made a journey in the entirely opposite direction. Where Sue found religion, Kaede found revenge.

[–] ELOrocks17 13 years ago

And thats why Kaede had to destroy her..she was extremely jealous of Sue accepting her fate and embracing Bhudda

*********************
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[–] rc-108 15 years ago

Twm-2 well said...

I just saw this movie for the first time...

She was like WOW!!! scary!!!... what a character..and how well played... I dont think I could have slept with her next to me... for fear of what might happen...plus I don't think I would have taken any clothes off for fear of what she might cut off...

The only thing close to her was Mercedes McCambridge playing the demon's voice in 'The Exorcist'.

[–] deeveed 15 years ago

The lady's a character alright. But I think she had alot of "enablers" around her. Her relationship with Jiro kind of reinforces the fact that for sure one of Hidetora's sons wasn't up to the job of being a leader.

[–] vincebruno11 15 years ago

if you notice in the movie, Lady Kaede is always seen holding Ojuzu in her right hand. it makes you wonder; is she a hypocrite or is she just totally unhinged?

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[–] land-on-the-moon 14 years ago

Now that you mentioned I remember I saw something in her hand : -)(Ojuzu=Buddhist prayer beads)
I think she is both, hypocrite and distraught - only the second one transformed her in the deceitful and shrewd character that she became, staying vigilant to any chance of revenge (for certain the only thought that kept her sane ). My sympathy for her ended when she started to ask for heads, although doesn't deter my admiration for the power Mieko Harada used to bring her to life - great acting !

[–] tabernac_estee 14 years ago

How many people bring a rosary into battle? She's a believer, but she believes more in her desire for vengeance. To me, she's merely human.

And hot...damn was she hot. I'd destroy my clan to bang her.

[–] land-on-the-moon 14 years ago

True - it depends for what she was praying :-), yet she's clearly using the string of beads to simulate a pious wife, but I wasn't judging her, tabernac estee.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 13 years ago

Lady Kaede was a magnificent character. One has to question sympathising with her though as she is directly compared to Sue who has turned to religion to try and make sense of the loss she suffered, which was as great as Kaede's.

my vessel is magnificent and large and huge-ish

[–] twm-2 13 years ago

Well, speaking for myself, I had no trouble sympathizing with her, which is not the same thing as saying I approved of her actions.

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and making it the American way.