This movie, also known as Dodes'ka-den, was strange but interesting. Everyone had their own routine during the day and lived in such slums. I am not sure what to make of this movie in the end, what it's message was, or if it was worth watching it at all.
You may ask: why would you rate this film as a 7 out of 10? This film was Kurosawa's first film which was in cover and it being a commercial failure upon its initial release, with its reception in Japan sending Kurosawa into a depression and an attempt of suicide in 1971! Still, it continued to draw mixed responses and is considered by some to be one of the world's greatest films, even winning the Belgian Film Critics Association's Grand Prix award. I found the interplay of the characters enjoyable, although the question remains: what will happen to all these characters in the urban shantytown...and will anyone care for them?
Kurosawa is an interesting director whose style is bold and dynamic, strongly influenced by those in Western cinema but also being quite distinct. While this film was a strong drama, I liked his other films such as Rashomon (1950) which showed the same story from various viewpoints, Seven Samurai (1954), The Hidden Fortess (1958), and The Bad Sleep Well (1960), along with parts from Dreams (1990). Perhaps I will rewatch those films and review them on her in the future. With that, my review of this film comes to an end.
You may ask: why would you rate this film as a 7 out of 10? This film was Kurosawa's first film which was in cover and it being a commercial failure upon its initial release, with its reception in Japan sending Kurosawa into a depression and an attempt of suicide in 1971! Still, it continued to draw mixed responses and is considered by some to be one of the world's greatest films, even winning the Belgian Film Critics Association's Grand Prix award. I found the interplay of the characters enjoyable, although the question remains: what will happen to all these characters in the urban shantytown...and will anyone care for them?
Kurosawa is an interesting director whose style is bold and dynamic, strongly influenced by those in Western cinema but also being quite distinct. While this film was a strong drama, I liked his other films such as Rashomon (1950) which showed the same story from various viewpoints, Seven Samurai (1954), The Hidden Fortess (1958), and The Bad Sleep Well (1960), along with parts from Dreams (1990). Perhaps I will rewatch those films and review them on her in the future. With that, my review of this film comes to an end.