Harakiri

Harakiri, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, is visually stunning, but most interesting in terms of its use of time. A strangers arrives at the gate of a samurai fortress with the intention of committing ritual suicide. In truth, he is harboring a secret, revealed first through the voice of the samurai within the compound and then through his own words. As the two seemingly diverse stroies converge, the motivation of the stranger becomes clear. At this point the deliberate pacing of the film gives way to a frantic showdown.

These stories are told across many layers of time, and the whole film is framed as a tale about a specific date in the history of the ruling clan. In some ways the film exposes the layers of history that are intentionally hidden by those in power. Additionally, the director's use of narration maintains the mystery, allowing for a more dramatic conclusion to the film. Kobayashi doesn't splice the different times periods of the story together through cinematic devices. Instead, the director maintains a linear progression of time by using a number of narrators, who describe the past from the present. He weaves various layers of the past into the present.