1948, an era when Japanese
cinema was getting ready to enter its "golden
age". The road to such a boom, though,
was marred with hardships. Strikes, censorship
from the US occupation, and a populace suffering
from poverty from their recent loss was all
at the forefront. Despite this, acclaimed
director Akira
Kurosawa marshaled forward with a new
movie. Picking the relatively unknown Toshiro
Mifune in a leading role, the director
was about to make history and start the beginning
of Japan's most famous director-actor duo.
The vehicle for this was none other than Drunken
Angel, an excellent production which today
is far more than simply an important mark
in uniting two soon to be giants in the industry.
While not the director's finest hour, which
given the prestige of his work is hardly a
bad mark against it, the movie features a
well crafted story backed by rich characters
and extraordinary acting talent that make
it a must see for those interested in the
early stages of Japanese cinema.
The movie's plot involves a
doctor, Sanada (Takashi
Shimura), working in postwar Japan at
a fairly impoverished location of the country.
He receives a patient, a gangster in charge
of the area called Matsunaga (Toshiro
Mifune), who has recently suffered a gun
shot wound. While treating the man, Sanada
checks him for tuberculoses after hearing
his cough. His hunch proves correct, but Matsunaga
is unwilling to hear the news, briefly assaulting
the doctor before leaving. Sanada, stubborn
and dedicated, searches out the gangster to
try and convince him to seek treatment before
he succumbs to his illness. The second confrontation
ends like the first, with Sanada being briefly
assaulted; however, it draws Matsunaga back
to the doctor's office eventually as his health
begins to decline. Matters are complicated,
though, by the return of another gangster
from prison, Okada (Reisaburo Yamamoto), who
slowly takes advantage of Matsunaga's situation
while still eyeing his old flame, Miyo (Chieko
Nakakita) who is Sanda's nurse.
Admittedly, there are aspects
of the plot that are a bit more "hollywood"
than what one would normally come to expect
from Kurosawa. Sanada's early fascination
with treating the gangster probably being
at the forefront, at least on paper. In practice,
Kurosawa weaves the elements together in a
way that, while not at his best, show a level
of craft and care that successfully make the
unfolding events and motivations credible.
His sense of drama is also on display here,
used perfectly in relation to the Okada character,
the antagonist of the production. His background
history with Miyo, and the rather shocking
revelation that he gave her an STD before
leaving her, sets the stage for his eventual
return. His previously unknown connection
with Matsunaga successfully connect this subplot
into focus of the production as Okada's importance
continues to escalate up until the climax.
It's worth noting that, due
to the time that this movie was produced,
it was edited and censored for content due
to the American occupation of Japan post World
War II. Well documented at this stage, several
points of the story, such as the STD, were
at one point considered for removal, yet stayed
for the final product. Other plot points,
such as the original ending, were lost to
the submission process. The original ending,
which to spoil involved both Okada and Matsunaga
being killed, is completely different and
gives the production a less hopeful outlook.
Its message was that, although the gangsters
respect Okada more, Matsunaga's friends end
up giving him the better reception and to
better show the impact his character's transformation
left on those involved in his life. This,
though, was all axed in favor of Sanada talking
near his house about the two gangsters' fate,
in which Okada simply goes to jail in the
final draft. This is interrupted by the return
of a schoolgirl, that he was helping early
in the movie, and Sanada treats her to some
candy as he promised if she followed his instructions
and got better. It's uplifting, but feels
forced and not at all like Kurosawa's normal
preference for hope mixed with tragedy, such
as in Seven
Samurai (1954), while this is more
hope ignoring the tragedy that unfolded. Still,
it hardly deters what came before it, and
if anything makes Drunken Angel stand
out a bit more amongst the numerous productions
that Kurosawa directed.
Now, in regards to the characters,
they are well fleshed out and often complex.
At the center stage is Sanada, an alcoholic
doctor and an interesting figure: a self described
saint due to his desire to help even those
he deems don't deserve it. A heavily conflicted
character who, outside of his success in curing
a schoolgirl, is rarely allowed a moment of
joy or happiness. Instead, he spends the picture
obsessively seeking out any and all liquor
he can find, even from his own medical supplies,
to try and drown out his own emotions and
failings. His frustration with the patients,
in this case Matsunaga, that he burdens himself
with makes the character an interesting one
as he often gets frustrated as to why he should
be even be giving them aid in the first place
when things don't go right. The gangster Matsunaga
is another complex character, fitting nicely
into the role of an emotionally detached "tough
guy", at least on the outside. His utter
fear and unwillingness to accept his disease
quickly remove this facade, and begin to develop
a character who is hopelessly trapped between
the fearless man he wants to be and the one
who is so utterly terrified of his illness.
As the doctor himself notes, the characters
are similar, each unflinchingly stubborn men.
It takes Matsunaga awhile to even accept the
doctor's help, yet his resolve to follow his
advice is often short lived due to his lifestyle
and the influence those in his gang have over
him. In the end, Matsunaga is a ultimately
tragic figure, but because of his own actions
and naiveness. His absolute faith in those
in his gang, who ultimately turn their back
as his disease gets worse, leaves the man
broken before finally giving him the courage
to act and face them to set things right.
In terms of the acting, it's
expectedly spectacular. Mifune lights up the
screen with his Matsunaga character, which
becomes the perfect vehicle to show off the
actor's enormous talents. His always amazing
physical presence and power, displayed in
scenes such as when he assaults Sanda or during
the climax, are on display here. However,
its his more reserved and depressed acting
which gets the nods for impressing, as Mifune
effortlessly conveys all aspects of his character.
Although somewhat looked over in favor of
Mifune, due to this being the actor's first
real feature with Kurosawa, Shimura takes
an equal focal point in the movie. While Mifune's
character dramatically changes through the
course of the production, Shimura's stays
stoically focused, painting a nice contrast
to the distraught Matsunaga. His tantrums,
where he throws all of the glass bottles he
can find, are a little over the top, but otherwise
he delivers a stellar performance. The rest
of the cast isn't given a whole of time to
shine. Reisaburo Yamamoto, who plays Okada,
does well with the role he is given, but it's
more the writing than his onscreen presence
which makes the character loathsome. Chieko
Nakakita, as the nurse Miyo, is probably the
weak point of the actors. She's not bad, but
does not give off the same level of devotion
to her craft that the other players do. Given
the more timid and subdued character she plays,
though, this thankfully isn't something that
draws a lot of attention to itself.
Now, the music for this production
marks the first time that Fumio
Hayasaka would be joined with Kurosawa.
His compositions here are solid, supporting
the on screen images although they don't draw
a lot of attention to themselves. The exceptions
are the opening credits and the end of the
climax, the latter of which is a silent scene
and Hayasaka appropriately steps up to make
it a fantastic one.
Overall, there are a lot of
movies from Kurosawa that most people will
probably want to check out first before Drunken
Angel. Ikiru
(1952), Seven
Samurai (1954), and Yojimbo
(1961) immediately jump to mind. This early
entry from the director, though, is another
great mark in his long career. Its importance
as the first Kurosawa-Mifune collaboration
also can't be overlooked, although even ignoring
this the movie excels on its story and characters,
a foundation of most of the director's excellent
movies. Those interested in the early stages
of Japanese cinema cannot afford to overlook
this production.
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