I too have seen all the Samurai films. It was gratifying to watch this tender little film. How would we act if we knew when the end was coming? There are so many terrifying and tender moments in this film. The scenes with the young office mate went from charming to cold-- we knew there was no more than companionship, but she can't really even give him that anymore. The scene when he is about to tell his son about his condition and the young man goes off on a rant about how embarrassingly his father has been acting actually brought me to tears. Of course, it's the price he pays for his cold distance all those years. Then there's the whole bureaucratic nightmare of the office. Even at the wake they don't want to give credit. All the buck passers want a share of his legacy. Maybe families who are living on the edge should watch this movie. Even after more than 50 years, it wears extremely well.
284 Reviews
Another fabulous film from Kurosawa.
Sleepin_Dragon15 June 2023
Kanji Watanabe discovers that he has cancer, and tries to seek some sort of meaning in his final days, he becomes aware that he's operated as a cog in the giant domestic machinery, and fights against the system.
I've been working my way through The Kurosawa films, and thus far I've been impressed with the lot, I'll be honest, I expected a Samurai film, and when it became apparent that that wasn't the case either, I thought it may have been a mystery, it wasn't that either, instead it turned out to be a rather intimate, absorbing character study.
It shows that despite being essentially part of a machine, Kanji has a very human side, only he realises it too late.
This film moved me to tears on occasion, it had me laughing, it certainly had be captivated for the whole running time. That moment where Kanji explains what's happening to his son, it was phenomenal.
I am learning more about Kurosawa with each film I watch, but I must admit, this one threw me totally off guard, it wasn't what I was expecting, it further enhances my realisation that Kurosawa was a genius.
Remember all work and no play! There's a really meaningful message in this film.
9/10.
I've been working my way through The Kurosawa films, and thus far I've been impressed with the lot, I'll be honest, I expected a Samurai film, and when it became apparent that that wasn't the case either, I thought it may have been a mystery, it wasn't that either, instead it turned out to be a rather intimate, absorbing character study.
It shows that despite being essentially part of a machine, Kanji has a very human side, only he realises it too late.
This film moved me to tears on occasion, it had me laughing, it certainly had be captivated for the whole running time. That moment where Kanji explains what's happening to his son, it was phenomenal.
I am learning more about Kurosawa with each film I watch, but I must admit, this one threw me totally off guard, it wasn't what I was expecting, it further enhances my realisation that Kurosawa was a genius.
Remember all work and no play! There's a really meaningful message in this film.
9/10.
Complex and thought-provoking masterpiece
The_Void16 December 2004
Ikiru is a film about life. Constantly complex and thought-provoking, although simple at the same time; it tells a story about life's limits, how we perceive life and the fact that life is short and not to be wasted. Our hero is Kanji Watanabe, the most unlikely 'hero' of all time. He works in a dreary city office, where nothing happens and it's all very meaningless. Watanabe is particularly boring, which has lead to him being nicknamed 'The Mummy' by a fellow worker. He later learns that he is dying from stomach cancer and that he only has six months to live. But Watanabe has been dead for thirty years, and now that he's learned that his life has a limit; it's time for Watanabe to escape his dreary life and finally start living. What follows is probably the most thoughtful analysis of life ever filmed.
Ikiru marks a departure for Akira Kurosawa, a man better known for his samurai films, but it's a welcome departure in my opinion. Kurosawa constantly refers to Watanabe as 'our hero' throughout the film, and at first this struck me as rather odd because, as I've mentioned, he's probably the least likely hero that Kurosawa has ever directed; but that's just it! This man is not a superhero samurai, but rather an ordinary guy that decides he doesn't want to be useless anymore. That's why he's 'our hero'. Kurosawa makes us feel for the character every moment he's on screen - we're sorry that he's wasted his life, and we're sorry that his wasted life is about to be cruelly cut short. However, despite the bleak and miserable facade that this movie gives out, there is a distinct beauty about it that shines through. The beauty emits from the way that Watanabe tries to redeem his life; because we feel for him and are with him every step of the way, it's easy to see why Watanabe acts in the way he does. Ikiru is a psychologically beautiful film.
It could be said that the fantastic first hour and a half is let down by a more politically based final third - and this is true. The movie needs it's final third in order to finish telling the story, but it really doesn't work as well as the earlier parts did. However, Kurosawa still delights us with some brilliant imagery and the shot of Watanabe on a swing is the most poetically brilliant thing that Kurosawa ever filmed. Together with the music and the rest of the film that you've seen so far; that picture that Kurosawa gives us is as moving as it is brilliant.
Ikiru marks a departure for Akira Kurosawa, a man better known for his samurai films, but it's a welcome departure in my opinion. Kurosawa constantly refers to Watanabe as 'our hero' throughout the film, and at first this struck me as rather odd because, as I've mentioned, he's probably the least likely hero that Kurosawa has ever directed; but that's just it! This man is not a superhero samurai, but rather an ordinary guy that decides he doesn't want to be useless anymore. That's why he's 'our hero'. Kurosawa makes us feel for the character every moment he's on screen - we're sorry that he's wasted his life, and we're sorry that his wasted life is about to be cruelly cut short. However, despite the bleak and miserable facade that this movie gives out, there is a distinct beauty about it that shines through. The beauty emits from the way that Watanabe tries to redeem his life; because we feel for him and are with him every step of the way, it's easy to see why Watanabe acts in the way he does. Ikiru is a psychologically beautiful film.
It could be said that the fantastic first hour and a half is let down by a more politically based final third - and this is true. The movie needs it's final third in order to finish telling the story, but it really doesn't work as well as the earlier parts did. However, Kurosawa still delights us with some brilliant imagery and the shot of Watanabe on a swing is the most poetically brilliant thing that Kurosawa ever filmed. Together with the music and the rest of the film that you've seen so far; that picture that Kurosawa gives us is as moving as it is brilliant.
"Only when he learned he would die did he start to live!"
OttoVonB11 January 2003
Ikiru ("to live")is a Kurosawa film devoid of samurai or Toshiro Mifune. It is an oddity in his canon, neither an adaptation, nor an epic, or even a detective story. Instead, it is the simple and touching story of the last months of the life of a man, Watanabbe, public official, who decides to give a meaning to his life by transcending the obtuse and stiff mind of government bureaucracy to get a small public children's park built. As a parable for the soulless workings of modern bureaucracy, the goal is set pretty high, and Kurosawa goes even further, giving this story a lot of character, frequent humor, life and, most of all, heart. And going beyond the strengths of the direction and script, is the central performance by Takashi Shimura (later Kambei in Seven Samurai). Shimura gives his character such a transparently good heart and such great pain that every second of Watanabe's plight and struggle tugs at your heart, not in an overwhelmingly sentimental manner, but in one than feels honest and pure. If even many hardened souls will be drawn to tears, it is not for pity, but, admirably, because of envy for Watanabe's beautiful human dignity in the end, and for a film to have such power is beyond pure accomplishment, as the need to see this and, more importantly, feel it, goes beyond pure necessity...
The most moving and human film I have ever seen.
will_butler21 October 2002
I can safely say that I have seen no finer film than Kurosawa's true masterpiece, Ikiru. The story of a dying petty bureaucrat in 1950's Japan, Ikiru is as uncompromisingly honest and beautiful a film as has ever been made on the subject of life. Kurosawa elevates a story that could have been simple melodrama to the level of masterwork with a genuine love of his characters, and with an incredible technical direction. The film's structure accentuates and deepens its many, many lessons on life, and the performances, including a heartbreakingly earnest turn by Shimura are all flawless.
In short, Ikiru is easily one of the greatest works committed to film, and no discerning film aficionado should avoid experiencing it. Had Kurosawa directed only this film, it would still be enough to include him in the pantheon of the greatest storytellers who ever lived. Fortunately for us, it is simply the pinnacle of a staggeringly amazing career. It is the absolute definition of a 10/10 film.
In short, Ikiru is easily one of the greatest works committed to film, and no discerning film aficionado should avoid experiencing it. Had Kurosawa directed only this film, it would still be enough to include him in the pantheon of the greatest storytellers who ever lived. Fortunately for us, it is simply the pinnacle of a staggeringly amazing career. It is the absolute definition of a 10/10 film.
To Live in Death
Serge_Zehnder11 June 2004
Probably one of the most difficult aspects a film like "Ikiru" has to overcome is the very rough march of time. To actually find someone these days, let's say a crowd of regular movie-goers to sit down and watch a film about an old Japanese man dying of cancer would be too much to ask.
Long held shots, hardly uplifting subject, to westerners very foreign. An array of reasons not to see it. And yet, once you actually start getting into the picture it doesn't let you go. Which is why it may be rightfully considered to be a classic.
Of all of Kurosawa's films this is probably the one movie that works perfectly on a universal level. Because at its core it is about one of the most basic desires of human existence...namely to be able to look back on your life and say "It was worth it."
In its starch and unforgiving black-and-white form the movie records the time of one man's life in such a beautiful and yes, colorful way, that by the time the final moments of the film play out, it will be very hard for anybody not to be touched. A glorious moment in 20th century cinema, that will hopefully be preserved for decades to come.
Long held shots, hardly uplifting subject, to westerners very foreign. An array of reasons not to see it. And yet, once you actually start getting into the picture it doesn't let you go. Which is why it may be rightfully considered to be a classic.
Of all of Kurosawa's films this is probably the one movie that works perfectly on a universal level. Because at its core it is about one of the most basic desires of human existence...namely to be able to look back on your life and say "It was worth it."
In its starch and unforgiving black-and-white form the movie records the time of one man's life in such a beautiful and yes, colorful way, that by the time the final moments of the film play out, it will be very hard for anybody not to be touched. A glorious moment in 20th century cinema, that will hopefully be preserved for decades to come.
Beautiful & touching, also very clever
Raff-318 December 1998
This film touched me in a way no other film has. Filmed in black and white and gorgeous, both in the visuals and in how the story unfolds. Behold the clever manner of gradually unfolding the story as people jog each other's memories at his funeral (an obligation for them, that gradually turns into a real eulogy). Everything is told in flashbacks: the mourners' memories unfold naturally, as people remember what the man did and struggle to comprehend why.
This film I would nominate for the golden five of the century!
I first saw it in 1956 or so at a small theater in downtown Chicago. A second viewing, years later, confirmed my initial pleasure!
This film I would nominate for the golden five of the century!
I first saw it in 1956 or so at a small theater in downtown Chicago. A second viewing, years later, confirmed my initial pleasure!
a cinematic experience that's a near-nexus of existentialism- life, living, dying, death, and can be done while alive- remarkable
Quinoa198419 May 2004
Akira Kurosawa knew how to get in touch with human nature through his art. With his visual expressiveness and storytelling, he could pierce through his subjects, even in his big and occasionally comical samurai films, and find the elemental things do work. What he probably learned off of Rashomon probably helped out with Ikiru (To Live), a story of an old man who finds out he will die within a year, as both stories deal with perceptions of the significance of a life spent and a life wasted. Though that was to a different degree in Rashomon, with Ikiru Kurosawa expands into full-on existentialism.
The old man Kanji Watanabe (in a wholly believable and often heart-breaking performance by Takashi Shimura) knows his life hasn't amounted to much as a (chief) clerk for the city. He knows he hasn't had a great kinship with his son. He's accepting his fate with a heavy soul. One of the tenets of existentialism is that there's free-will, and the responsibility to accept what is done with one's life. Kurosawa might've (as I speculate, I don't entirely know) caught onto this for his lead, and it works, especially with the little details.
Such little details, unforgettable ones, have been expounded upon by other reviewers and critics, such as the drunken, sullen singing of "Life is short, fall in love my maiden" in the bar. A scene like that almost speaks for itself and yet it's also subtle. But one scene that had me was one not too many talk about. It's when Watanabe is in the Deputy Mayor's office, asking for permission so that a park can be built. At first the Mayor ignores him, but then Watanabe begs, but not in a way that manipulates the audience for sympathy with the old man. The mayor must be sensing something in his eyes, desperate and weak, however determined, and it's something that probably most of the audience can identify with as well, even if they don't entirely identify with the character.
But aside from the emotional impact Ikiru can have on a viewer, composition-wise (with the help of Asakazu Nakai, wonderful cinematographer on less than a dozen Kurosawa films) and editing-wise the film is ahead of its time and another example of Kurosawa's intuitive eye. There are some to-tomy shots sometimes (which could be called typical via master Ozu or other), but everything appears so precise on a first viewing, so descriptive. I think I almost can't go into all of them without a repeat viewing, but there were two that are still fresh in me. The first was right as Watanabe was about to sing in the bar, and there were these bead-strings looming in front of the camera. Perhaps mysterious, but definitely evocative.
The other was when Watanabe and one of the other clerks are on a bridge during a dark part of the day. Both characters are in silhouette, and Watanabe gives an indication to the character that he will die soon. But for me, I wasn't even paying a terrible amount of attention to the words. The way the two are lit as they are, with the light in the background and darkness in the foreground, it could maybe give an indication of what Kurosawa's trying to say: we're all not in the light of life, but it doesn't have to be an entire down-ward spiral if the will is good. Whether you're into philosophy (ies) or not, Ikiru won't disappoint newcomers to Kurosawa via his action pictures. A+
The old man Kanji Watanabe (in a wholly believable and often heart-breaking performance by Takashi Shimura) knows his life hasn't amounted to much as a (chief) clerk for the city. He knows he hasn't had a great kinship with his son. He's accepting his fate with a heavy soul. One of the tenets of existentialism is that there's free-will, and the responsibility to accept what is done with one's life. Kurosawa might've (as I speculate, I don't entirely know) caught onto this for his lead, and it works, especially with the little details.
Such little details, unforgettable ones, have been expounded upon by other reviewers and critics, such as the drunken, sullen singing of "Life is short, fall in love my maiden" in the bar. A scene like that almost speaks for itself and yet it's also subtle. But one scene that had me was one not too many talk about. It's when Watanabe is in the Deputy Mayor's office, asking for permission so that a park can be built. At first the Mayor ignores him, but then Watanabe begs, but not in a way that manipulates the audience for sympathy with the old man. The mayor must be sensing something in his eyes, desperate and weak, however determined, and it's something that probably most of the audience can identify with as well, even if they don't entirely identify with the character.
But aside from the emotional impact Ikiru can have on a viewer, composition-wise (with the help of Asakazu Nakai, wonderful cinematographer on less than a dozen Kurosawa films) and editing-wise the film is ahead of its time and another example of Kurosawa's intuitive eye. There are some to-tomy shots sometimes (which could be called typical via master Ozu or other), but everything appears so precise on a first viewing, so descriptive. I think I almost can't go into all of them without a repeat viewing, but there were two that are still fresh in me. The first was right as Watanabe was about to sing in the bar, and there were these bead-strings looming in front of the camera. Perhaps mysterious, but definitely evocative.
The other was when Watanabe and one of the other clerks are on a bridge during a dark part of the day. Both characters are in silhouette, and Watanabe gives an indication to the character that he will die soon. But for me, I wasn't even paying a terrible amount of attention to the words. The way the two are lit as they are, with the light in the background and darkness in the foreground, it could maybe give an indication of what Kurosawa's trying to say: we're all not in the light of life, but it doesn't have to be an entire down-ward spiral if the will is good. Whether you're into philosophy (ies) or not, Ikiru won't disappoint newcomers to Kurosawa via his action pictures. A+
Simply Brilliant - Kurosawa's Greatest
Brave Sir Robin29 December 2004
Kanji Watanabi is a quiet, melancholy man who has spent all his life behind his office desk doing sweet eff-all. When he is diagnosed with stomach cancer he realizes that he has been petty much dead his whole life, and searches desperately for away to live again.
This is Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, yes, even better than Rashomon and The Seven Samauri. It is a perfect true story of everybody's life- how we don't even realize we have it until we know it will be over in a short while. Watanabi's quest for self-discovery is one of the greatest from any motion picture ever made. The all-too-true paradox is one to end all paradoxes- that Watanabi is dead, and had been all his life, until he realized he was sick, which is when he began living for the first time. Takashi Shimura, the actor best known for his role as the wise, bald-headed Samauri in The Seven Samauri, and the professor out of the early Godzilla films, plays Watanabi perfectly- in my mind, it's one of the greatest film performances of all time.
Not everyone will love this movie. It was made a long time ago, the main character is an old fogey, it has subtitles, and it's pretty long. Many people today, especially young kids, would find it boring. Well, let 'em. There's no need to worry about them, they'll always have Pirates of the Carribbean, they'll always have The Matrix. Leave Ikiru and films like it to the true lovers of cinema.
This is Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, yes, even better than Rashomon and The Seven Samauri. It is a perfect true story of everybody's life- how we don't even realize we have it until we know it will be over in a short while. Watanabi's quest for self-discovery is one of the greatest from any motion picture ever made. The all-too-true paradox is one to end all paradoxes- that Watanabi is dead, and had been all his life, until he realized he was sick, which is when he began living for the first time. Takashi Shimura, the actor best known for his role as the wise, bald-headed Samauri in The Seven Samauri, and the professor out of the early Godzilla films, plays Watanabi perfectly- in my mind, it's one of the greatest film performances of all time.
Not everyone will love this movie. It was made a long time ago, the main character is an old fogey, it has subtitles, and it's pretty long. Many people today, especially young kids, would find it boring. Well, let 'em. There's no need to worry about them, they'll always have Pirates of the Carribbean, they'll always have The Matrix. Leave Ikiru and films like it to the true lovers of cinema.
Not just a film, but an incredible learning experience
PureCinema26 December 1998
Warning: Spoilers
A quiet, but very moving film. Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a clerk who has been living a dull, unsatisfying life working in the government's offices who is diagnosed with cancer and is given one year to live. He tries to enjoy his days by picking up a former co-worker (Miki Odagiri) and taking her out on the town. She finally convinces him that this is not the way to spend the rest of his life. He soon realizes that he has a strong desire to do something with his life so that it will not have been a total waste. Therefore he begins to work in cooperation with the people... accomplishing something that nobody in the office had the nerve to do before.
I consider Ikiru to be Kurosawa's first truly excellent film. The story moves along very low-key and we gradually realize the power and emotion that is in this great film. Roger Ebert said of Ikiru that it is one of the few films that can actually change the way you look at life after watching it.
I consider Ikiru to be Kurosawa's first truly excellent film. The story moves along very low-key and we gradually realize the power and emotion that is in this great film. Roger Ebert said of Ikiru that it is one of the few films that can actually change the way you look at life after watching it.
The second hour of the film fails to capture the greatness of the first.
Eternality21 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Looking back at Akira Kurosawa's impressive fifty-year career in filmmaking, it's impossible to determine which film was his best. Fans of the late Japanese legend might cite The Seven Samurai or The Hidden Fortress, while critics believe that it should be Rashomon or Ran.
A growing band of Kurosawa worshippers has recently named Ikiru as his indisputable masterpiece. Unfortunately, I don't see myself joining the latter soon. Yes, Ikiru is Kurosawa's most deepest and reflective film, though in my opinion it's far from the masterpiece that it's touted to be.
Ikiru is a film best described as 'a game of two halves'. The first hour is vintage Kurosawa. It starts out with an X-ray image of a stomach diagnosed with cancer, and then introduces the film's pitiful lead character Kanji (Takashi Shimura) to the viewers. Kanji is a government official who has been loyally serving his department for many decades.
Upon receiving news that he's suffering from terminal cancer, he decides to take an extended break from work (which he has never done before) to reflect about his life. After some inner soul searching, Kanji realized that he has been missing out on life since he began working. He sets himself on a quest to live out his final months with a motto, "I cannot die until I'm satisfied with my life".
Cancer has taught people that life cannot be taken for granted. Kanji is a character that we can all relate to, from his humble personality to his simple outlook on life. Kurosawa cajoled out a magnificent performance from Shimura, not only was Shimura able to make us feel sympathetic toward his character, but his character was also able to earn our admiration by the end of the picture.
However, Kurosawa is no Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story, Late Spring). Those familiar with the works of these two Japanese legends will know that Ikiru is the kind of story that Ozu would have relished. Kurosawa is simply not as capable in handling intense dramatic material as Ozu.
This is perhaps the reason the second hour of the film fails to capture the greatness of the first. Kurosawa focused too much on the bureaucratic aspects and its faceless officials during the long funeral sequence than Kanji's final farewell gift to the community after an immense struggle involving politics and red tape.
Ikiru's lackluster second half dilutes the film's emotional value. Kurosawa did not have an off day; it's just that he was too ambitious to have attempted such a complex urban drama, though his ambitions have often led him to more successes than failures in life.
GRADE: B- (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved.
A growing band of Kurosawa worshippers has recently named Ikiru as his indisputable masterpiece. Unfortunately, I don't see myself joining the latter soon. Yes, Ikiru is Kurosawa's most deepest and reflective film, though in my opinion it's far from the masterpiece that it's touted to be.
Ikiru is a film best described as 'a game of two halves'. The first hour is vintage Kurosawa. It starts out with an X-ray image of a stomach diagnosed with cancer, and then introduces the film's pitiful lead character Kanji (Takashi Shimura) to the viewers. Kanji is a government official who has been loyally serving his department for many decades.
Upon receiving news that he's suffering from terminal cancer, he decides to take an extended break from work (which he has never done before) to reflect about his life. After some inner soul searching, Kanji realized that he has been missing out on life since he began working. He sets himself on a quest to live out his final months with a motto, "I cannot die until I'm satisfied with my life".
Cancer has taught people that life cannot be taken for granted. Kanji is a character that we can all relate to, from his humble personality to his simple outlook on life. Kurosawa cajoled out a magnificent performance from Shimura, not only was Shimura able to make us feel sympathetic toward his character, but his character was also able to earn our admiration by the end of the picture.
However, Kurosawa is no Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story, Late Spring). Those familiar with the works of these two Japanese legends will know that Ikiru is the kind of story that Ozu would have relished. Kurosawa is simply not as capable in handling intense dramatic material as Ozu.
This is perhaps the reason the second hour of the film fails to capture the greatness of the first. Kurosawa focused too much on the bureaucratic aspects and its faceless officials during the long funeral sequence than Kanji's final farewell gift to the community after an immense struggle involving politics and red tape.
Ikiru's lackluster second half dilutes the film's emotional value. Kurosawa did not have an off day; it's just that he was too ambitious to have attempted such a complex urban drama, though his ambitions have often led him to more successes than failures in life.
GRADE: B- (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved.
Kurosawa is Kafka going Kawabata...
wobelix29 August 2004
Being one of the Founding Fathers of Cinema, Kurosawa shines to all directions. In his diverse oeuvre it is hard, if not impossible, to find a weak work.
Ikiru is the most humane film of this grand Humanist. Kurosawa's story telling skills are sublime, and he has surpassed himself with this movie.
The slow pace and ditto camera movements (except in the night with 'Mephistofeles' where all is logically much more frantic) enhances the story superbly. What a pity some of the nowadays public can't find the tranquility and maybe serenity to watch a gorgeous film like that. That part of the movie lovers will miss a brilliant film, that would have lingered in the mind forever...
Ikiru is the most humane film of this grand Humanist. Kurosawa's story telling skills are sublime, and he has surpassed himself with this movie.
The slow pace and ditto camera movements (except in the night with 'Mephistofeles' where all is logically much more frantic) enhances the story superbly. What a pity some of the nowadays public can't find the tranquility and maybe serenity to watch a gorgeous film like that. That part of the movie lovers will miss a brilliant film, that would have lingered in the mind forever...
Lethargic Pacing and Uneven Acting
kenjha7 August 2011
A dying man tries to seize what's left of his life. The pacing is lethargic throughout, but the film practically comes to a halt during the wake scene of the last hour. After the central character dies, it drags on for nearly an hour. As is usually the case with Kurosawa, he has his cast engage in theatrical acting. Perpetually wide-eyed and depressed, Shimura mumbles his lines while barely opening his mouth or moving his lips. It's a one-dimensional performance that saps the film of whatever potential it had. On the other hand, Odagiri is charming as a young lady who's everything Shimura is not: good-humored and spirited, enjoying life to the fullest.
Ikiru - Doesn't quite live up to its reputation
The_TJT16 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Can't say I agree with critical acclaim for Ikiru, all critics seem to be in perfect unison that it's a masterpiece. Perhaps, but also a very tedious one.
Yes I can appreciate the message about finding your meaning of life and making a difference etc but a film having a serious message doesn't mean it has to drag; Ikiru was very slow and rather long as well. Not a good combination.
What cheered up the film a bit was the female lead, the girl from the office... Ikiru, imo, has only one great scene; The girl showing her emotions at the restaurant, her sheer disgust/pity was quite fascinating to watch. Other than that it was the sad puppy face and slumped shoulders of the protagonist for almost couple hours which sure is memorable but also one note acting.
The wake scene, which consisted of almost last hour of the film, was some sort of critical social commentary on Japanese culture, way of thinking and bureaucracy - but also rather poor storytelling since it was hard for the viewer to relate to arguments by characters that had not really been introduced properly earlier in the film. More emotionally effective would have been to actually witness the protagonist perform his life altering bureaucratic heroics himself.
Well, to be fair, Kurosawa actually did show some of it using flashbacks...It seems that Kurosawa has a fetish for flashbacks, as seen in "Rashomon" as well. Yet those scenes in Ikiru were pretty much protagonist merely nodding and begging in apologetic manner. I found that less than convincing way to get the job done... or to achieve a legacy for that matter.
Oh well, at least they played Pachinko and visited a strip tease show.
But couple breaks from tedium and the life altering philosophy just couldn't save the film from its slow pace, predictability and dare I say rather mediocre cinematography. I'll give it 5/10.
Yes I can appreciate the message about finding your meaning of life and making a difference etc but a film having a serious message doesn't mean it has to drag; Ikiru was very slow and rather long as well. Not a good combination.
What cheered up the film a bit was the female lead, the girl from the office... Ikiru, imo, has only one great scene; The girl showing her emotions at the restaurant, her sheer disgust/pity was quite fascinating to watch. Other than that it was the sad puppy face and slumped shoulders of the protagonist for almost couple hours which sure is memorable but also one note acting.
The wake scene, which consisted of almost last hour of the film, was some sort of critical social commentary on Japanese culture, way of thinking and bureaucracy - but also rather poor storytelling since it was hard for the viewer to relate to arguments by characters that had not really been introduced properly earlier in the film. More emotionally effective would have been to actually witness the protagonist perform his life altering bureaucratic heroics himself.
Well, to be fair, Kurosawa actually did show some of it using flashbacks...It seems that Kurosawa has a fetish for flashbacks, as seen in "Rashomon" as well. Yet those scenes in Ikiru were pretty much protagonist merely nodding and begging in apologetic manner. I found that less than convincing way to get the job done... or to achieve a legacy for that matter.
Oh well, at least they played Pachinko and visited a strip tease show.
But couple breaks from tedium and the life altering philosophy just couldn't save the film from its slow pace, predictability and dare I say rather mediocre cinematography. I'll give it 5/10.
death exposes life and bureaucracy, showing why Kurosawa was one of the greatest
lee_eisenberg2 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Any film buff is bound to have heard of Akira Kurosawa, and likely knows his most famous movies ("Rashomon", "Seven Samurai", etc). But there's a lesser known one that's just as good. 1952's "Ikiru" focuses on the approaching death of government bureaucrat Kanji Watanabe, and how it turns into a quest for his life's meaning. After an introduction in which the protagonist's cancer gets addressed - complete with an X ray of it - we see a sequence where several people try to bring attention to a cesspool that they want cleared, but the sheer level of bureaucracy prevents any action (and Japan is supposed to be the most well run country in the world). But probably the most important scene is at the Watanabe's wake. The attendees are supposed to praise him, but one person addresses an unpleasant topic and gets chastised by his peers. Even as these men vow to live their lives with the same dedication that the deceased did, it's clear that the bureaucracy will continue to plague their lives.
While an obvious indictment of bureaucracy, the movie also addresses the issue of life and death. Can a person truly live if his job dominates his life? Watanabe sings "Gondola no Uta", which references life's brevity. His singing expresses loss. Indeed, Watanabe doesn't have much of a relationship with his son, meaning that the children have faltered in their duty to take care of their parents. All in all, the movie offers a more cynical take on post-war Japan than we're used to. Once again, Kurosawa turned out a masterpiece. I recommend it.
While an obvious indictment of bureaucracy, the movie also addresses the issue of life and death. Can a person truly live if his job dominates his life? Watanabe sings "Gondola no Uta", which references life's brevity. His singing expresses loss. Indeed, Watanabe doesn't have much of a relationship with his son, meaning that the children have faltered in their duty to take care of their parents. All in all, the movie offers a more cynical take on post-war Japan than we're used to. Once again, Kurosawa turned out a masterpiece. I recommend it.
A cinematic tour de force
Butch-Higgins16 October 2003
"Ikiru" is supposedly one of Steven Spielberg's favourite films, and one can see the influence it's had on him not only in the sentimentality and the ultimate "feelgood factor" (which may be a little too extreme for some viewers, although the script never condescends), but visually, especially in the virtuoso sequence in which a reprobate leads our hero, a respectable and dull civil servant, on a whirlwind tour of Tokyo's frenzied nightlife - a masterpiece of camera placement and editing. With images throughout that will stay with you for a long time, and a terrific supporting performance by Miki Odagiri as a vivacious young "office lady", "Ikiru" is still an absolute knockout more than 50 years on.
Life is brief
bretttaylor-0402217 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Wow this has made me question my own life. Am I living my life to the full? Is reviewing films at 2am in the Morning on IMDB n the hope of getting two people to find my review helpful a waste of time?
Bureaucracy is the enemy here. This passing around responsibility and never actually getting anything done.
Great leading performance and also a great look at what everyday life was like in early 50s Japan.
Bureaucracy is the enemy here. This passing around responsibility and never actually getting anything done.
Great leading performance and also a great look at what everyday life was like in early 50s Japan.
Truly a masterpiece
grantss29 December 2016
Kanji Watanabe is a civil servant. He has worked in the same department for 30 years. His life is pretty boring and monotonous, though he once used to have passion and drive. Then one day he discovers that he has stomach cancer and has less than a year to live. After the initial depression he sets about living for the first time in over 20 years. Then he realises that his limited time left is not just for living life to the full but to leave something meaningful behind...
Written and directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, this is his magnum opus. Yes, Seven Samurai, Rashomon or Yojimbo might be more popular or more critically acclaimed but this, for me, is his greatest work.
Incredibly profound and thought-provoking, examining life and living it plus death and what you leave behind. Also takes a dig at politicians and the wastefulness of the civil service.
Very engaging too: characters are well-formed and develop throughout the movie. Moreover we empathise with Watanabe and his issues, issues which are relatable.
Highly emotional towards the end too, as we see the impact he has made.
A timeless classic.
Written and directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, this is his magnum opus. Yes, Seven Samurai, Rashomon or Yojimbo might be more popular or more critically acclaimed but this, for me, is his greatest work.
Incredibly profound and thought-provoking, examining life and living it plus death and what you leave behind. Also takes a dig at politicians and the wastefulness of the civil service.
Very engaging too: characters are well-formed and develop throughout the movie. Moreover we empathise with Watanabe and his issues, issues which are relatable.
Highly emotional towards the end too, as we see the impact he has made.
A timeless classic.
Kurasawa's most moving film
TheLittleSongbird17 June 2012
As a great fan of Akira Kurasawa, Ikiru is not just Kurasawa's most moving film it is one of his very finest alongside Seven Samurai and Ran. It is as always beautifully made, sumptuous in look and the cinematography simple yet interesting. Kurasawa's direction is at its most delicate, making a story that could easily be mawkish and manipulative into a genuinely moving, powerful and quite inspiring one instead, and making us also care every step of the way for the dignified central character of Watanabe. Together with a hypnotic score, a thought-provoking script and a powerful, yet in a discreet and heart-wrenching way, lead performance from Takeshi Shimura, and you have a fantastic film.
Overall, I can't praise Ikiru enough. Any complaints of how the final third is not as good as the rest of the movie is valid but I didn't care so much after being moved and inspired so much by the film. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Overall, I can't praise Ikiru enough. Any complaints of how the final third is not as good as the rest of the movie is valid but I didn't care so much after being moved and inspired so much by the film. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Coming Alive
danstephan300014 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
'Ikuru' (Japanese for 'To Live') was one of Kurosawa's personal favorites. Prominent film critics worldwide put it, along with "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon", on their lists of the best films ever made by anyone.
When first shown in the USA during the 1950's , all three quickly earned widespread critical acclaim and strong patronage. USA film enthusiasts by then had clearly grown weary of the tired formulas followed by Hollywood studios in the timid post-war years. They welcomed the more thoughtful and challenging films from Kurosawa and from other acclaimed film directors in Japan (Ozu and Misoguchi), Italy (Rosselini, De Sica), France (Troufault, Bresson), and England (Lean).
All of these great film directors were also able to hold and move their audiences while developing somber themes. 'Ikuru', however, is even more deeply philosophical than any other film that I recall by asking what is needed for us 'to live' well.
Takashi Shimura gives an absolutely convincing performance of a tired old man, numb and alone. After learning he has terminal cancer, he learns that dissipation offers no solution. Then he clings to a cute, vivacious girl, taking her to shops and restaurants. She wearies of his dreary, cringing manner but agrees to have one more dinner together.
In the powerful climactic scene at the restaurant, he learns why she is happy in her new job packaging toys. 'I feel all the babies in Japan are my friends!!'
This gives him an idea. He, too, can do something to help children. 'There's still time!!', he cries, and runs off while she stares in bewilderment. He keeps moving quickly towards his cheerful new life.
Shimura reminded me of Albert Camus' essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus.' Sisyphus plods off to yet another day of struggle but has won over the gods, after all, because he is aware of his quest.
'We must imagine Sisyphus happy,' urges Camus. We must also feel the same for the old man in Ikuru when we see how he is reborn and truly alive for the first time.
When first shown in the USA during the 1950's , all three quickly earned widespread critical acclaim and strong patronage. USA film enthusiasts by then had clearly grown weary of the tired formulas followed by Hollywood studios in the timid post-war years. They welcomed the more thoughtful and challenging films from Kurosawa and from other acclaimed film directors in Japan (Ozu and Misoguchi), Italy (Rosselini, De Sica), France (Troufault, Bresson), and England (Lean).
All of these great film directors were also able to hold and move their audiences while developing somber themes. 'Ikuru', however, is even more deeply philosophical than any other film that I recall by asking what is needed for us 'to live' well.
Takashi Shimura gives an absolutely convincing performance of a tired old man, numb and alone. After learning he has terminal cancer, he learns that dissipation offers no solution. Then he clings to a cute, vivacious girl, taking her to shops and restaurants. She wearies of his dreary, cringing manner but agrees to have one more dinner together.
In the powerful climactic scene at the restaurant, he learns why she is happy in her new job packaging toys. 'I feel all the babies in Japan are my friends!!'
This gives him an idea. He, too, can do something to help children. 'There's still time!!', he cries, and runs off while she stares in bewilderment. He keeps moving quickly towards his cheerful new life.
Shimura reminded me of Albert Camus' essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus.' Sisyphus plods off to yet another day of struggle but has won over the gods, after all, because he is aware of his quest.
'We must imagine Sisyphus happy,' urges Camus. We must also feel the same for the old man in Ikuru when we see how he is reborn and truly alive for the first time.
The examined life...
mungo3913 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This great film by Kurosawa is probably less well known than his Samurai tales, but is none the worse for that. The film is both long and slow-paced, but the impact is incredible.
We begin with 'our hero' (as Kurosawa calls him) Watanabe's stomach x-ray, and we are told that he has cancer. We then see Watanabe sitting at his desk in the Tokyo city civil service, slowly marking a great pile of papers with his little rubber stamp. He sits at the head of a group of people doing much the same thing, shuffling papers from one place to another, and we are told that he has been doing this for 30 years! We see a group of ladies complaining about stagnant water directed from one office to another as the bureaucratic machinery churns mechanically onwards.
Against this background, Watanabe goes to the doctor with his stomach complaint. He meets a strange man who precisely describes Watanabe's symptoms, and tells him that the doctors will lie to him, as the disease is terminal. This comes true and Watanabe realises that he is to die soon. The stunning waste of his life then becomes apparent to him, and in a really powerful scene he falls asleep, crying below a commendation from the office for 25 years of service. He isn't worried by dying, rather he's worried by never having lived.
He stops going to work, he buys expensive sake and goes to the bright lights, but this fails to make him happy. He then spends time with a young girl from the office, and it is on an evening out with her that he realises what he must do. This realisation is combined with a roomful of people singing 'Happy Birthday' for a friend...but it is clear that they are singing for Watanabe's rebirth. Watanabe goes back to the office and picks up the file concerning the stagnant water...he is determined to do something about it after 30 years of doing nothing!
The next section of the film is the real key to its impact. We are at Watanabe's funeral, with a number of the technocrats from the City Council. My expectation was that they would all be complimenting the memory of Watanabe and his achievement in clearing the stagnant water and building a park in record time...but they aren't! I was frustrated...I wanted them to recognise that he knew he was ill, and fought the established order so as to achieve something with his life.
As they drink more and more, they begin to reflect on what Watanabe had achieved. They become emotional, realising that he knew he was ill, and realising that with determination, the system can be used to achieve things. The final scene, however, is of one of the men present at the funeral subsiding below a pile of papers, unable to change anything.
The bitter ending is tempered by the powerful feelings stimulated by Kurosawa during the funeral scene. I reached the end feeling that one man can make a difference if he is determined, and that this can only be achieved by reflecting on your life and achievements, and then making a conscious decision to do something!
We begin with 'our hero' (as Kurosawa calls him) Watanabe's stomach x-ray, and we are told that he has cancer. We then see Watanabe sitting at his desk in the Tokyo city civil service, slowly marking a great pile of papers with his little rubber stamp. He sits at the head of a group of people doing much the same thing, shuffling papers from one place to another, and we are told that he has been doing this for 30 years! We see a group of ladies complaining about stagnant water directed from one office to another as the bureaucratic machinery churns mechanically onwards.
Against this background, Watanabe goes to the doctor with his stomach complaint. He meets a strange man who precisely describes Watanabe's symptoms, and tells him that the doctors will lie to him, as the disease is terminal. This comes true and Watanabe realises that he is to die soon. The stunning waste of his life then becomes apparent to him, and in a really powerful scene he falls asleep, crying below a commendation from the office for 25 years of service. He isn't worried by dying, rather he's worried by never having lived.
He stops going to work, he buys expensive sake and goes to the bright lights, but this fails to make him happy. He then spends time with a young girl from the office, and it is on an evening out with her that he realises what he must do. This realisation is combined with a roomful of people singing 'Happy Birthday' for a friend...but it is clear that they are singing for Watanabe's rebirth. Watanabe goes back to the office and picks up the file concerning the stagnant water...he is determined to do something about it after 30 years of doing nothing!
The next section of the film is the real key to its impact. We are at Watanabe's funeral, with a number of the technocrats from the City Council. My expectation was that they would all be complimenting the memory of Watanabe and his achievement in clearing the stagnant water and building a park in record time...but they aren't! I was frustrated...I wanted them to recognise that he knew he was ill, and fought the established order so as to achieve something with his life.
As they drink more and more, they begin to reflect on what Watanabe had achieved. They become emotional, realising that he knew he was ill, and realising that with determination, the system can be used to achieve things. The final scene, however, is of one of the men present at the funeral subsiding below a pile of papers, unable to change anything.
The bitter ending is tempered by the powerful feelings stimulated by Kurosawa during the funeral scene. I reached the end feeling that one man can make a difference if he is determined, and that this can only be achieved by reflecting on your life and achievements, and then making a conscious decision to do something!
Overrated, but worth seeing
sgoldgaber13 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I would rate this movie as above average, but not nearly the masterpiece that most other reviewers here see it as.
**SPOILER WARNING**
Plot Synopsis:
A man who's life is perfectly routine and without passion finds out he has a terminal disease. Distractions, such as drink and women are unsatisfactory, so he throws his remaining energy towards a selfless act. Posthumously, his endurance and accomplishment are an inspiration to his former colleagues in a Kafkaesque bureaucracy.
Analysis:
On the whole, the acting in this movie is superb, with the exception of the protagonist, who constantly overacts, with his haunted, wide-eyed look that quickly becomes monotonous after the first dozen or so close-ups. However, there are some effective scenes, such as his newfound girlfriend's boredom and revulsion at Watanabe's pathetic, desperate attachment. His former colleagues are also impressive in their admiration for the deceased.
The plot itself is also a mixture of successes and disappointments. Watanabe's realization of the meaninglessness of his life is presented too suddenly. Finding out that one has a terminal illness is certainly a shock. Still, I believe it would have been more effective to show the emptyness of Watanabe's life gradually dawning on him as he attempted to live it his routine way, rather than immediately running off to seek to live it more fully.
However, Watanabe's disillusion with hedonism is effective and essential. Hedonism only leads to the repetition and boredom that mirrors too closely his earlier life. Watanabe buys company, but it is empty of genuine human affection: the women he is with are only interested in his money.
Watanabe's attempt to live vicariously through a younger, vivacious woman is also convincing, as is her quickly growing tired of a brooding man likely twice her age.
The most unsatisfactory parts of the movie come in the second half of the film, following Watanabe's decision to redeem his life through selfless service. In order for him to succeed several artificial contrivances are necessary which wind up detracting from the effectiveness of the film.
Watanabe is fortunate to be in a position where he can be effective. A mere clerk certainly could not have accomplished the creation of a park. As a clerk would Watanabe have been satisfied with being responsible for the installation of just a bench, or a trashcan instead of the park? The park, though relatively modest, is still a contrived contingency for effectiveness of the redemption through service solution.
Further contingencies are Watanabe's superior's eventual yielding to pressure, and the gangster's deferance to a man who has nothing to lose. Both are unconvincing.
A final note should be made in comparing this film to another movie that treats similar themes of existential meaning, Groundhog Day. Both films avoid the real reprecussions and the ultimately unsatisfactory answers that their protagonists come up with by ending the movie immediately after the answer is proposed.
In Groundhog Day Bill Murray is redeemed through love and caring for others, and the film immediately ends. However, had he gone through as many repetitions of his caring, selfless days as he had days to learn to play the piano or throw cards in to a hat he would likely find his answer unsatisfactory. Likewise, the reality of being married is also sidestepped by immediately ending the film.
In a similar way, the park that is built by Watanabe is a fantasy park, which is really left unexamined by immediately ending the movie. Furthermore, selflessly devoting one's life to the service of others fails as an antidote to the meaninglessness of one's own life, because one is just passing the buck. Essentially, one is saying that someone else can do better with the life you give them than you can. This is not at all clear.
Weaknesses like these are the sorts of things many Hollywood movies are guilty of. They pull punches in order to create an inspiring and uplifting film. These weaknesses are also what seperate this film from masterpieces worthy of the designation such as works by Kafka and Ingmar Bergman. At their best, the latter do not pull punches. Kurosawa, of course, has his own masterpiece, which I find much more mature than Ikiru. Namely, Ran. Of course, since Ran was based on King Lear, Shakespear must be given some credit.
Still, there are some admirably realistic scenes even in the second half of Ikiru. Watanabe's superiors are hypocritical and self-serving in their robbing Watanabe of credit for the park. And despite Watanabe's colleagues' inebriated, freverent pledges to work as hard as he, in emulation they quickly fall back in to apathy.
All in all, despite many weaknesses of philosophy and plot this movie is well worth seeing for its attempts at dealing with an issue many people find uncomfortable. Namely, how is one to live one's life?
**SPOILER WARNING**
Plot Synopsis:
A man who's life is perfectly routine and without passion finds out he has a terminal disease. Distractions, such as drink and women are unsatisfactory, so he throws his remaining energy towards a selfless act. Posthumously, his endurance and accomplishment are an inspiration to his former colleagues in a Kafkaesque bureaucracy.
Analysis:
On the whole, the acting in this movie is superb, with the exception of the protagonist, who constantly overacts, with his haunted, wide-eyed look that quickly becomes monotonous after the first dozen or so close-ups. However, there are some effective scenes, such as his newfound girlfriend's boredom and revulsion at Watanabe's pathetic, desperate attachment. His former colleagues are also impressive in their admiration for the deceased.
The plot itself is also a mixture of successes and disappointments. Watanabe's realization of the meaninglessness of his life is presented too suddenly. Finding out that one has a terminal illness is certainly a shock. Still, I believe it would have been more effective to show the emptyness of Watanabe's life gradually dawning on him as he attempted to live it his routine way, rather than immediately running off to seek to live it more fully.
However, Watanabe's disillusion with hedonism is effective and essential. Hedonism only leads to the repetition and boredom that mirrors too closely his earlier life. Watanabe buys company, but it is empty of genuine human affection: the women he is with are only interested in his money.
Watanabe's attempt to live vicariously through a younger, vivacious woman is also convincing, as is her quickly growing tired of a brooding man likely twice her age.
The most unsatisfactory parts of the movie come in the second half of the film, following Watanabe's decision to redeem his life through selfless service. In order for him to succeed several artificial contrivances are necessary which wind up detracting from the effectiveness of the film.
Watanabe is fortunate to be in a position where he can be effective. A mere clerk certainly could not have accomplished the creation of a park. As a clerk would Watanabe have been satisfied with being responsible for the installation of just a bench, or a trashcan instead of the park? The park, though relatively modest, is still a contrived contingency for effectiveness of the redemption through service solution.
Further contingencies are Watanabe's superior's eventual yielding to pressure, and the gangster's deferance to a man who has nothing to lose. Both are unconvincing.
A final note should be made in comparing this film to another movie that treats similar themes of existential meaning, Groundhog Day. Both films avoid the real reprecussions and the ultimately unsatisfactory answers that their protagonists come up with by ending the movie immediately after the answer is proposed.
In Groundhog Day Bill Murray is redeemed through love and caring for others, and the film immediately ends. However, had he gone through as many repetitions of his caring, selfless days as he had days to learn to play the piano or throw cards in to a hat he would likely find his answer unsatisfactory. Likewise, the reality of being married is also sidestepped by immediately ending the film.
In a similar way, the park that is built by Watanabe is a fantasy park, which is really left unexamined by immediately ending the movie. Furthermore, selflessly devoting one's life to the service of others fails as an antidote to the meaninglessness of one's own life, because one is just passing the buck. Essentially, one is saying that someone else can do better with the life you give them than you can. This is not at all clear.
Weaknesses like these are the sorts of things many Hollywood movies are guilty of. They pull punches in order to create an inspiring and uplifting film. These weaknesses are also what seperate this film from masterpieces worthy of the designation such as works by Kafka and Ingmar Bergman. At their best, the latter do not pull punches. Kurosawa, of course, has his own masterpiece, which I find much more mature than Ikiru. Namely, Ran. Of course, since Ran was based on King Lear, Shakespear must be given some credit.
Still, there are some admirably realistic scenes even in the second half of Ikiru. Watanabe's superiors are hypocritical and self-serving in their robbing Watanabe of credit for the park. And despite Watanabe's colleagues' inebriated, freverent pledges to work as hard as he, in emulation they quickly fall back in to apathy.
All in all, despite many weaknesses of philosophy and plot this movie is well worth seeing for its attempts at dealing with an issue many people find uncomfortable. Namely, how is one to live one's life?
"I am not angry with anyone, I have no time for that"
Galina_movie_fan7 September 2005
There are good, very good, and even great movies. But among them there are just a few that go beyond great. They belong to the league of their own. Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru" (To Live), 1952, is one of them. The film of rare humanity, profoundly moving and often funny "Ikiru" tells the story of a dying man's last crusade that turned out to be his triumph, the best thing he had ever done in his life; something he will be remembered for. The film reveals both absurdity of life and the ability of man to find meaning in it through selfless action.
Two years before he played the tough lead in "Seven Samurai", Takashi Shimara gave even finer performance in a very different role as a government bureaucrat Kanji Watanabe who seemed to lead a life of quiet desperation at his job and at home. Then, he learns that he has terminal cancer and faced with the fact of death, he first tries to take from life as much as possible and spends the half of his savings on gambling, drinking and women. It leads him nowhere and gradually he determines to achieve one good thing before he dies, and settles on converting a junkyard into a playground for children. Rather than make a feel good movie with co-workers helping Kanji Watanabe in his quest and his family around him at his last moment, Kurosawa portrays him as a lonely crusader. No one can understand why this park is so important to him. The answer is very simple, he does not have time and he wants to live to see the park open. His family and co-workers don't even know how ill he is, and that makes some scenes even more powerful and poignant. His words, "I am not angry with anyone, I have no time for that", the look at his face when asked by a mafia member if he did not care for his life - these scenes are heartbreaking. The film has many quiet but compelling moments like these.
For me, watching "Ikiru" was as close to earth shattering experience as it goes. I think it is one of very few films that could really change one's life. I could not help comparing it to "Cries and Whispers" - how devastated I was by the theme of inevitable death, how ugly it is, and how helpless we all are while facing it. "Ikiru" is about a dying man, too, but how hopeful and life affirming it is. The film did not tell or teach me something I had not known before but it confirmed once more that it is never too late to do something even if you have only few months to live.
Two years before he played the tough lead in "Seven Samurai", Takashi Shimara gave even finer performance in a very different role as a government bureaucrat Kanji Watanabe who seemed to lead a life of quiet desperation at his job and at home. Then, he learns that he has terminal cancer and faced with the fact of death, he first tries to take from life as much as possible and spends the half of his savings on gambling, drinking and women. It leads him nowhere and gradually he determines to achieve one good thing before he dies, and settles on converting a junkyard into a playground for children. Rather than make a feel good movie with co-workers helping Kanji Watanabe in his quest and his family around him at his last moment, Kurosawa portrays him as a lonely crusader. No one can understand why this park is so important to him. The answer is very simple, he does not have time and he wants to live to see the park open. His family and co-workers don't even know how ill he is, and that makes some scenes even more powerful and poignant. His words, "I am not angry with anyone, I have no time for that", the look at his face when asked by a mafia member if he did not care for his life - these scenes are heartbreaking. The film has many quiet but compelling moments like these.
For me, watching "Ikiru" was as close to earth shattering experience as it goes. I think it is one of very few films that could really change one's life. I could not help comparing it to "Cries and Whispers" - how devastated I was by the theme of inevitable death, how ugly it is, and how helpless we all are while facing it. "Ikiru" is about a dying man, too, but how hopeful and life affirming it is. The film did not tell or teach me something I had not known before but it confirmed once more that it is never too late to do something even if you have only few months to live.
a movie I shall undoubtedly come to understand and cherish more and more as I grow older
TheUnknown837-19 April 2010
Some people consider "Ikiru" ("To Live") as the greatest movie that Japanese director Akira Kurosawa ever made. And remember, this is the same man who also directed acclaimed masterworks such as "Ran," "Kagemusha," "Seven Samurai," "Yojimbo," and "Rashomon." Many of Kurosawa's movies also touched on a human level amongst their scenes of gritty, visceral violence and the brilliance of "Ikiru" is that its emotional levels outscore all of those without one clip of actual, physical barbarism unless you count a death threat scene near the end of the picture.
No swords are swung, no blood is sprayed in "Ikiru" because this is not a period piece like "Seven Samurai" or "Kagemusha." Set in modern-day Japan, a middle-aged bureaucrat discovers despite his doctor's attempts to hide the truth from him, that he has stomach cancer in that he will die in six months...or less. The bureaucrat, Kanji Watanabe, played by the great Takashi Shimura in what may be his finest performance, mourns over the lack of a real life that he has had so far. At work, one of his unenthusiastic employees calls him "the mummy" because he does live life to its fullest. He has spent his entire life stamping sheets of paper without bonding with his son or enjoying the time he has on earth. As the title would hit, Watanabe decides that he has "to live" before he inevitably dies, and leave something for him to be remembered by.
The ways that Akira Kurosawa tugs on our heart strings is utterly brilliant. The level of sympathy that our souls generate for poor Watanabe is simply amazing as even the younger generations can identify with his fears. I don't think there's a person alive on this earth who is not at least subliminally afraid of the dreadful disease of cancer and the even greater fear of knowing that you only have a short time left to live. Like John Wayne's last film "The Shootist," we develop incredible amounts of sympathy and remorse for the protagonist and the tender moments are truly tear-jerking.
Kurosawa's storytelling skills are displayed to their absolute fullest in the first two-thirds of "Ikiru" when Watanabe discovers he has cancer and then begins to encompass all opportunities that he has left to him. There's a wonderful subplot where he begins to bond with a younger woman who has an unbelievable passion for living. Now this sounds like a formula for a creepy, off-putting payoff, but it does not. Rather, this becomes one of the most enthralling elements of the picture.
Now, I will admit it, "Ikiru" is not, to my mind, a perfect motion picture and therefore it is not on the same level (to me) as some of Kurosawa's other films. The reason why is because the last third of the picture, I'm terribly sorry to say, runs out of steam. It does not stretch out with the same passion and enthralling emotions that the previous two-thirds did. Perhaps it just did not flow through the way I had wanted it to.
But then again, I am still rather young. Film critic Roger Ebert has stated that "Ikiru" was his choice for Kurosawa's best film and that every time he saw it, it became more powerful for him because as he grew older, he identified more and more with Kanji Watanabe. I shall undoubtedly come to cherish and adore "Ikiru" as I grow older. As it is now, in my youth, I see it as a wonderful movie that does a tremendous job up to a certain point where it only runs slow just by a smidgen. Everything before that is absolutely wonderful and absorbing. "Ikiru" is one of Kurosawa's most emotionally-strong pictures and one of the greatest to tackle the subjects of cancer and more importantly, life and death.
No swords are swung, no blood is sprayed in "Ikiru" because this is not a period piece like "Seven Samurai" or "Kagemusha." Set in modern-day Japan, a middle-aged bureaucrat discovers despite his doctor's attempts to hide the truth from him, that he has stomach cancer in that he will die in six months...or less. The bureaucrat, Kanji Watanabe, played by the great Takashi Shimura in what may be his finest performance, mourns over the lack of a real life that he has had so far. At work, one of his unenthusiastic employees calls him "the mummy" because he does live life to its fullest. He has spent his entire life stamping sheets of paper without bonding with his son or enjoying the time he has on earth. As the title would hit, Watanabe decides that he has "to live" before he inevitably dies, and leave something for him to be remembered by.
The ways that Akira Kurosawa tugs on our heart strings is utterly brilliant. The level of sympathy that our souls generate for poor Watanabe is simply amazing as even the younger generations can identify with his fears. I don't think there's a person alive on this earth who is not at least subliminally afraid of the dreadful disease of cancer and the even greater fear of knowing that you only have a short time left to live. Like John Wayne's last film "The Shootist," we develop incredible amounts of sympathy and remorse for the protagonist and the tender moments are truly tear-jerking.
Kurosawa's storytelling skills are displayed to their absolute fullest in the first two-thirds of "Ikiru" when Watanabe discovers he has cancer and then begins to encompass all opportunities that he has left to him. There's a wonderful subplot where he begins to bond with a younger woman who has an unbelievable passion for living. Now this sounds like a formula for a creepy, off-putting payoff, but it does not. Rather, this becomes one of the most enthralling elements of the picture.
Now, I will admit it, "Ikiru" is not, to my mind, a perfect motion picture and therefore it is not on the same level (to me) as some of Kurosawa's other films. The reason why is because the last third of the picture, I'm terribly sorry to say, runs out of steam. It does not stretch out with the same passion and enthralling emotions that the previous two-thirds did. Perhaps it just did not flow through the way I had wanted it to.
But then again, I am still rather young. Film critic Roger Ebert has stated that "Ikiru" was his choice for Kurosawa's best film and that every time he saw it, it became more powerful for him because as he grew older, he identified more and more with Kanji Watanabe. I shall undoubtedly come to cherish and adore "Ikiru" as I grow older. As it is now, in my youth, I see it as a wonderful movie that does a tremendous job up to a certain point where it only runs slow just by a smidgen. Everything before that is absolutely wonderful and absorbing. "Ikiru" is one of Kurosawa's most emotionally-strong pictures and one of the greatest to tackle the subjects of cancer and more importantly, life and death.
Long Moralistic Tale
montferrato8 March 2021
Overrated, as many movies from Kurosawa. It is very long, the performance of the lead actor is not the best. A lot of Moralistic interference. It looks like a Frank Capra movie. Some people like this type of stories. I prefer doing the judgement myself, instead of being administered " Moraline Pills".
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