Fantastic opening but got somewhat boring for the last third. Nice cinematography and image composition. Very good central performance.
"How tragic that man can never realize how beautiful life is until he is face to face with death."
So after I watched the masterpiece "Seven Samurai" back in April, I couldn't wait to watch another Kurosawa movie. "Ikiru" was one of his movies that I wanted to watch next after hearing so much recommendation for it from The Criterion Collection selection. And the fact that this has been on my watch-list for quite awhile. Actually, it's been on there for over three years now and I finally got myself to watching it.
And what can I honestly say about this one.
This movie broke me, but surprisingly in the best ways.
Ikiru is a miserable and yet powerful film that has a hard hitting message. And to think that this movie was made in the 50's can have a deep impact on you and make you think twice about your life.
I have this feeling inside of me that Kurosawa is slowly becoming my favorite director. The camera work, the transmissions and the finest of acting are only naming a few things that's great about this movie. Never as a film that captured depression and people who are diagnose with cancer so damn accurate. Or how relatable it is even today. He really dose live up to be the most influential directors of all time, as he's film making style is seriously impressive beyond any words. As for right now, I only seen two of his films and I'm already in love. Akira Kurosawa is cinema. No question about it.
Takashi Shimura delivers such a raw and haunting performance that you just want to reach out and give the guy a hug. It's one of the finest piece of acting I've ever seen. I don't think any other performance broke me down like this guy did. I mean, a scene that involves a man simultaneously reminisces over a favorite song of his, whilst contemplating imminent death in a drunken state of melancholy. The sadness and regret was captured so perfectly just by his face and eyes that tells so much without him saying anything. Even as I'm writing this right now, I see have the image of Shimura sad face is implanted in my head. And to think that about two years later this guy will be in "Seven Samurai", which I didn't know while watching this. That's how good he is.
This is one of the most honest look at life anyone has ever portrayed on the screen and it will be long before anyone can do the same. What makes this Akira Kurosawa greatest achievement is by displaying the most poignant images in cinema. Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) swinging slowly in the children’s playground, singing to himself, “Life is so Brief/short" while snow softly falling. And here's something interesting I found out before I started writing this. Akira Kurosawa instruct Shimura to sing "Song of the Gondola," as if you are a stranger in a world where nobody believes you exist.
Kurosawa is just a genius and he never stops to make us be so awed at his work.
Overall rating: Ikiru is a movie that I think everyone needs to see. To anyone who lived through cancer or got cancer, I know this movie will touch you very deeply. It's depressing and inspirational at the time.
Beautiful, devastating, yet hopeful. Shimura's dual performances of "Gondola No Uta" absolutely rip my heart out--first because of the despair, and then because of the magic. This is a film to keep close.
A tragic story which is told in an impressive way. Until the last part that is. After the guy dies it becomes dull very fast. You can’t really expect a movie to stay interesting if it's just a bunch of guys talking about what happened. Could’ve kept that part a lot shorter imho. Would’ve been more balanced that way.
I will call this movie the slap in the middle class.
I see that the film follows the same old pattern of new cinema. And not that this is a problem, however seeing that this movie is the one before the classic 7 samurais it is difficult to like it more. After all, compared to its successor. Ikiru, is a more austere and conservative film. That way, it's hard to like the movie more. However, Kurosawa's stamp of quality is still visible and his cinema has an unrivaled craftsmanship. Both in camera movement and editing and despite not liking so many script formalities and the theatricality of the cast, we still managed to feel the film.
I highly recommend the film.
I watched 'Living' last night, which is the remake of this movie. It was good but nowhere near as good as Ikiru. My goodness is this such a superior movie! So much more depth and feeling to the main characters. Also, the story just flows much better and has more of a purpose to it. Kurosawa at his best and that means a lot!
The third act is kind of a drag. The old man dies with 50 minutes left in the movie (!) and it's mostly old bureaucrats getting drunk and recapping what happened.
The remake did it better by making the same point in much less time.
“How beautiful! Truly beautiful. A sunset. I don't think I've really looked at one in 30 years. However, I do not have time for this now.”
I thought it was another It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1941), but it turns out to be a Rashômon where only the audience knows the truth.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2019-03-05T23:32:55Z
"It's our human duty to enjoy life."
My first Kurosawa has left me astounded. Ikiru - meaning 'To Live' - successfully crushes that ever-so-reputable challenge in making the audience think about life yet still remain as an artistic escape for them. It made me think about my future and my past, it made me think about family and friends, it made me think about you - it didn't once make me think about the year this was made; Ikiru never feels like a black and white film from 1952, and that's because it is from the work of a master.
Takashi Shimura's quietly powerful lead performance is spectacular; the windows to his soul are certainly not clean yet still bring out a reflection of myself when I look into them. Shimura and his terribly upset eyes really make the most of this fantastic script and generously bring this character along for all of us to see. When he gets drunk, we forget about the cancer too - until the film barbarously reminds us again just as a bulky thunderstorm begins outside. Kurosawa expertly balances out his interaction with the audience and his expression for the audience to witness, as shown in a phenomenal final shot that will leave you immured in thought.
hops off swing