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The Idiot ()

Hakuchi (original title)
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A Japanese veteran, driven partially mad from the war, travels to the snowy island of Hokkaido where he soon enters a love triangle with his best friend and a disgraced woman.
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Taeko Nasu
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Kinji Kameda
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Denkichi Akama
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Ayako
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Ono, Ayako's father
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Satoko, Ayako's mother
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Tohata
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Mutsuo Kayama, the secretary
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Takako
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Jumpei
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Karube
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Madame Kayama
Chiyoko Fumiya ...
Noriko
Mitsuyo Akashi ...
Madame Akama
Daisuke Inoue ...
Kaoru
Jun Yokoyama
Atsumi Nakama
Kunio Miyogi
Shôichi Kofujita ...
(as Shôichi Kotôda)
Yôichi Ôsugi ...
(as Yoichi Osugi)
Keiko Izumi
Haruko Chichibu

Directed by

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Akira Kurosawa

Written by

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Fyodor Dostoevsky ... (novel "The Idiot")
 
Eijirô Hisaita ... ()
 
Akira Kurosawa ... ()

Produced by

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Takashi Koide ... executive producer

Music by

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Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by

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Toshio Ubukata

Editing by

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Akira Kurosawa

Editorial Department

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Yoshi Sugihara ... assistant editor

Production Design by

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Takashi Matsuyama

Set Decoration by

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Ushitarô Shimada

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Kazui Nihonmatsu ... assistant director
Yoshitarô Nomura ... chief assistant director

Art Department

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Genzô Komiya ... settings
Shohei Sekine ... settings

Sound Department

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Yoshisaburo Imo ... sound

Camera and Electrical Department

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Akio Tamura ... lighting technician
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Kinji Kameda, a war veteran, was almost executed in a military process, that was until a last minute reprieve found him innocent of the charge. The resulting turmoil, spent in a VA hospital, led to him suffering mentally, he now clinically deemed an idiot. The military having declared him legally dead in the ensuing time makes him open to abuse by anyone who wants to take advantage of him. While outwardly he seems an odd man to most, some can see below the surface to his wisdom and humanity. With nothing, he heads to Sapporo where his only contact to the outside world, Mr. Ono, will help him get back on his feet. En route, he befriends Denkichi Akama, a proverbial redneck who knows a certain darkness hangs over him. Akama went away to earn enough money to marry Taeko Nasu, a woman of ill-repute having lived her entire life the kept woman of older wealthy Mr. Tohata. Taeko is now an inconvenience in Tohata's life, and as such he has offered a substantial dowry to any man willing to take her off his hands. The man stepping forward is Mr. Ono's associate, Mutsuo Kayama, who truly loves Ono's daughter, Ayako, a straight-forward woman not one to suffer fools. Kayama vows that he will still marry Ayako if she makes the simple request to him not to marry Taeko. Upon his arrival in Sapporo, Kameda begins to fall in love with Ayako himself, while on their chance meeting, a deep emotional bond forms, which some construe as the truest of love, between Kameda and Taeko in each understanding the other's sadness. That bond does not sit well with Akama, who is more prone to violence than to peace and happiness. This situation becomes more complex as some try to do what is best for him/herself, while others want what is best for others, this potent mix which may lead to tragic consequences. Written by Huggo

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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • 白痴 (Japan, Japanese title)
  • The Idiot (United States)
  • The Idiot (World-wide, English title)
  • The Idiot (Canada, English title)
  • The Idiot (Ireland, English title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 166 min
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Did You Know?

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Trivia Filmed as a two-part production running 265 minutes. Shochiku (the studio) told Akira Kurosawa that the film had to be cut in half, because it was too long; he told them, "In that case, better cut it lengthwise." The film was released truncated at 166 minutes. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful Movies (2000). See more »
Soundtracks In the Hall of the Mountain King See more »
Quotes Ayako: How did it feel when you were facing certain death?
Kinji Kameda: Everyone in the world suddenly seemed so dear to me.
Ayako: Everyone in the world?
Kinji Kameda: Each and every person I'd ever known. Everyone I'd ever passed on the street. And not just people - the puppy I'd thrown a rock at as a child. Why hadn't I been kinder?
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