These three rip-roaring movies feature exciting stories and lightning-fast swordplay. Hiroshi Inagaki's acclaimed Samurai Trilogy is based on the novel that has been called the Japan's Gone with the Wind. This sweeping saga of the legendary 17th-century samurai Masashi Miyamoto, powerfully portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, plays out against the turmoil of a devestating civil war. The Trilogy follows Musashi's odyssey from unruly youth to enlightened warrior.

In the first part, Musashi Miyamoto, the hero's dreams of military glory end in betrayal, defeat, and the life of a fugitive. But he is saved by a woman who loves him and a cunning priest who guides him to the samurai path. This first part of the Trilogy won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.