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Directed by: Akira Kurosawa Starring: Takashi Shimura, Shinichi Himori I must admit that for the first almost 2 hours, I was kind of bored and didn't really think it was a great film. Yeah, it was pretty entertaining, but I didn't really feel much sympathy for Kanji. However, once the second part of the movie (his wake) begins and the flashbacks are presented, it hits you like a sucker punch. After that point, you realize why Kurosawa made the film like he did. This is probably one of the only movies I've had tears brought to my eyes while I was watching it. The ending totally vindicates this movie. CC did a great job restoring this film to a fairly good quality considering its age. One of Kurosawa's best, no doubt. 9/10 RATING: 5 PROS: Beautiful story, great acting, superb directing CONS: Kind of slow ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044741
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Dec 22, 2004 01:59
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 20:10 |
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Agreed, Kurosawa's best non-samurai flick for sure. Nice to see such a change over the likes of Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Your pros and cons are also my pros and cons. But I have to give it: RATING: 4.5
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Dec 22, 2004 10:27
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In my mind, this has a good running for the greatest film ever made. I could say what makes it so monumental is the acting or direction or progression, which is indeed some of the best I've ever been witness to, but that's expected of any Kurosawa film. What really steps this one up above the rest is the feeling and emotion presented in the story. I must have seen a thousand chessy movies that try horribly heavy-handed stabs at pulling on your heartstrings and connecting the audience with the characters on deep and multiple levels. So many have failed in numerous ways, but Ikiru succeeds in this respect so magnificently that it really came as a surprise. It surprised me in that something so down to earth and basic could reach me so completely. You truly feel for Watanabe and feel like it's one of your closest relatives that is dying of stomach cancer. A connection this real comes along much more seldom than it should. This is not to sell the other aspects short. Takashi Shimura gives, quite possibly, the best performance of his career. His associates were also superb in that for the second half of the film the story telling relied entirely upon them and it came out perfectly. And while I think these, in a large part, lend toward making the movie as good as it is, I just cannot state how much of a role the emotional connection plays in really defining what Ikiru is about: realizing humanity and making amends for life wasted. The shot of Watanabe on the swingset singing "Life is Short" is probably the most powerful image I have ever seen. It was so poignant and beautiful I can hardly think of it without tearing up. It emphasizes all the good in the film into one brief little moment of feeling. I will say that during the first run through it does tend to be slow. This is most likely due to the fact that the story telling is a little different than what most people (or at least I) am used to. Once you see it through, though, you understand how it plays out and can enjoy it that much more in each subsequent viewing. 5.5/5 - I simply cannot recommend this film as much as I wish I could
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Dec 24, 2004 02:51
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One of the greatest things I enjoy about this movie, aside from the excellent direction and storytelling, is that it managed to be brutally cynical and still sentimental. As a result the emotional impact is much more genuine instead of a cheap tearjerk. May be boring for some. Personal - 4.5 Technical - 4.5 Rating - 4.5
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Dec 24, 2004 08:34
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This film, along with Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard, is one of a handful of films that has the ability to leave me with tears at its overwhelming beauty and it's understanding of human emotion. Ikiru (literal translation: To Live) showcases the desire to find meaning in a world that is increasingly becoming bureaucratic and unfeeling. Kanji Watanabe is an aging bureaucrat whose work is to simply pass the time by stamping meaningless reports and protecting his position by staying within the boundaries. When he discovers that he has little time to live due to stomach cancer, Watanabe begins to wonder what his life has really been about, and so with the help of others, he begins to learn truly what it means "To live". Like most of Kurosawa's films, he uses stock actors that he was quite familiar with from previous films. Many will recognize the great Takishi Shimura (Seven Samurai, Stray Dog) who was perhaps only second to Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Red Beard) in terms of Japanese starpower. Shimura pulls of this role with a powerful grace. It is said he even strained his voice trying to duplicate that of a man dying from terminal cancer. Kurosawa was often said to be a sentimental man, and so it was probably a good thing that he had some help with the screenplay. Instead of becoming an overly sentimental, wishy-washy film, Ikiru triumphs in it's almost Sisyphean, "rage against the dying of the light" attitude towards death. As close to a perfect film as you can get, but many would probably be turned away from it's long play time and deep messages. Still, if one is looking for thought provoking and emotional cinema, Kurosawa knows how to bring the goods. 5/5 pros: It's Kurosawa and Shimura at their best cons: Slightly long, perhaps too deep for a wider audience
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Dec 24, 2004 20:59
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This film is perfect so I don't really know what I could add. I give it 5.5. Kurosawa was able to stray away from the action genre with seemingly no difficulty at all. He's really the greatest.
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Dec 26, 2004 00:22
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The film touched on so many issues - resistance to change, politics, being true to oneself, but above all, the preciousness of our time. Kurosawa's prodigious insight into human emotion and life will stay with me forever. Rating: 5
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Jan 2, 2005 09:11
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This would have been a really great movie, but it was so slow-paced I can't give it more than a 4. Anyone who's not looking for a long, in not admittedly beautiful movie should not take interest in this movie. It's mostly for Kurosawa die-hards and people who have the patience to sit through it all. It's a great movie, that's the truth. I just wouldn't recommend it to most people because I don't think they would be able to handle it. 4/5
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Jan 2, 2005 23:48
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It's ironic that this has been my favorite film for years, and that only recently my dad passed away with Watanabe's same illness. As such it makes it even more difficult to watch it again, because every time I would watch this I would get teary. I can think of no other movie I've ever seen that has made me want to change my life in THAT INSTANT. Takashi Shimura is far better than Toshiro Mifune when it comes to working with Kurosawa in my opinion for this role alone. Mifune did make a number of greats with Kurosawa, but this performance trumps them all. The "happy birthday" scene of realization, the reminiscing mourners, the characters, the commentary are all funny, intense, and desperate. The swingset in the snow scene in particular causes me to lose it. The way it all comes together is absolutely masterful. I cannot recommend a movie more. 5.5/5
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Jan 10, 2005 08:44
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When I first saw this about 7 or 8 years ago, I was underwhelmed. Mostly I didn't buy that a bunch of bureaucrats would get so philosophical, introspective, and weepy at a wake for a colleague. After this viewing I still don't quite buy it (although I've heard that Japanese wakes can be like this), but I can overlook it in favor of the film's other marvelous attributes. I have a deeper appreciation of cinematography now, and Ikiru features some beautiful compositions and camera moves. And the sadness that previously felt a bit overdone now genuinely touches me. The opening narration is unnecessary, in my opinion. I'm a big fan of "show, don't tell." I put this movie in the same category as Ran -- a brilliant film, but not quite a masterpiece. Rating: 4.5
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Feb 3, 2005 00:27
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This is my favorite film. No film since Life is Beautiful has astonished me so much with its brilliance, beauty and depth. The story was perfectly composed. I know many people feel it dragged a bit in the firt half, but I think that is intentional. Kurosawa takes us "though the motions". The pace was the same type of pace Kanji would take getting from place to place. Sometimes we are lost, sometimes it takes a while for us to even realize where we are going.I believe Kurosawa was mindul of this, and tried to exploit it for his viewer. I feel this film, is the best piece of performance literature since Hamlet. The script was excellent, the directing was incredible, the acting was superb and the music was profound. 5.5/5
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Oct 15, 2005 02:57
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 20:10 |
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A complete and utter MASTERPIECE. 5/5
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Nov 7, 2023 06:05
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