| To put my review in short terms,
"amazing" is simply an understatement
for Akira
Kurosawa's Ikiru. Of Japanese cinema,
the film is possibly the best, and easily one
of the best, drama films. While it may not have
the action seen in other Kurosawa films like Yojimbo
(1961) and Seven
Samurai (1954), it is a great display
of plot, characters, and excellently executed
for Toho's twentieth anniversary when it was made
in 1952.
The story follows Kanji Watanabe,
an old widower who simply did a lifeless job everyday
as a bureaucrat, losing touch with his son and
growing older everyday. To top the problems he
cannot control, he goes to the hospital only to
find out he has stomach cancer. Rather then being
diagnosed, he is simply told he has a small ulcer,
as the doctor says to everyone. Feeling down that
he has what seems to be less than a year to live,
he dedicates the rest of his life trying to build
a children’s park, accomplishing one good
thing before he dies of his fatal disease.
The acting in this movie is simply
fantastic. Takashi
Shimura has never played a better part in
any other movie, with the possible exception of
Seven
Samurai (1954). He simply keeps you there,
stealing the show with his excellent performance.
The supporting characters are just the same, keeping
the movie alive up until the end. The other bureaucrats
were simply great, along with the son who shows
his true form, simply waiting to obtain his fathers
inheritance. While sometimes the son seemed a
little over dramatic, he still played an excellent
role.
The film doesn't go without flaw,
however. The character development, while excellently
developed for Watanabe, does not give enough time
towards the development of a few of the supporting
characters. While they still had a good amount,
there was a good chunk left to be desired. Despite
such for some characters, the lack of development
given to the bureaucrats is great symbolism of
the fact they are lifeless in their own ways.
It helps show the message Kurosawa was trying
to bring up - whether you understood where he
was going for from the beginning or you don't
know anything about the bureaucracy in Post-War
Japan.
While there is not much music
in the film, for what there is it is a well-rounded
performance. The songs played into the film are
all all very strong toned, whether relevant to
the plot or scene. The song "Life is Brief"
is a near perfect reflection of Takashi Shimuras
performance. While it's certainly not the best,
it does what is needed when it is needed.
Despite my
short review, I highly recommend you rent, buy,
or borrow Ikiru. It is simply something
you cannot miss out if you can.
|
(4.5/5)