Ikiru
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Ikiru (生きる) is a 1952 black and white movie written and directed by the acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. The title ikiru translates to "to live" in English. Ikiru looks at the problem of a bureaucracy in post-war Japan and explores existentialism. Can and does one meaningful act define your existence and overcome the absurdity of life? It is one of his lesser known movies, and was the film that he made directly after his huge success Rashomon, which won an Academy Award in 1952. Despite the fact that it is not as well known as some other Kurosawa films, it is considered by many American film critics to be one of his best.
The movie stars Takashi Shimura, who played in many of Kurosawa's films, as Kanji Wantanabe. Kanji is an old man who has worked in the same bureaucratic position for decades. His job entails sitting at a desk stamping papers and generally doing nothing until it is time to go home. In addition to his lifeless job, Kanji's son has become estranged from him and shows little affection to his father. But to Kanji's surprise, he is diagnosed with stomach cancer, giving him less than a year to live. Since nothing can be done to save him, the doctors lie to him about his condition, but Kanji had been warned already about their false reassurances and understood their true meaning. This prompts him to make some drastic changes to his ever shortening life. He first attempts to live a life of hedonism, seeking women in noisy clubs but soon finds "pleasure" hollow. He then dedicates the rest of his life to a project neglected by bureaucracy and remiss bureaucrats. His persistent will may be able to overcome the inertia of bureaucracy and turn a mosquito-infested cesspool into a children's playground.
Ikiru is a significant Kurosawa film because it manages to be a powerful movie and stray from the regular Kurosawa-film conventions. This movie takes place in modern-day Japan (when the film was made), as opposed to Japan's feudal period (c. 13th century–17th century). Therefore there are no samurai or sweeping battle scenes, which Kurosawa is probably most known for to American audiences. Also, Toshiro Mifune does not appear in this film like he does in so many other well known Kurosawa films.
External links
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- Bohème Magazine (http://www.boheme-magazine.net/july03/ikiru.html) Ikiru: The Art of Livingja:生きる