FILM TITLE: IKIRU DIRECTOR: AKIRA KUROSAWA COUNTRY: JAPAN 1952 CAST: Takishi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Kyoko Saki SUPER FEATURES: Wonderfull Story....
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of Akira Kurosawa's earlier films.
And it is a beaut. A real beaut.
An elder gentleman finds out that he is going to die soon, and begins his depression. After his affair with the drink, one day he comes face to face with one thing which saves him. He becomes a bit of a child again, and sees an old run down area, and decides that a park should be built there for children.
And much to the chagrin of anyone who gets in his way, the old man succeeds in bypassing all the red tape, and gets the job done. One good deed which made his life seem totally worthwhile. He was no longer empty.
Simplest of stories, simplest of shoots, and yet, as is customary of Kurosawa, the combination of the two makes for an extraordinary film which few people get a chance to see, and which our local video store probably got by accident.
There are many touches through out this film that differ from the Kurosawa mold. One keeps expecting to find a grandiose film with magnanimous gestures and filming, and instead one finds a rather intimate film that uses the close up, not for acting this time, but to get us to understand what is happening around this man. The directing touch is so sweet, that it is difficult to dislike this film, and it makes it very deserving of its awards.
Worth seeing. Truly, a beautiful little film. Excellent acting. And the old man is addictive.......
5 GIBLOONS
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