At first glance, you probably expect me to start talking about pirates or vikings. That's not the case. What I'm talking about in this little excerpt is probably one of the most amazing and beautiful movies I've ever seen.
I'm a sucker for old movies. Gone with the Wind, Annie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, etc. I love them! This one is no different, expect in the fact that it is an older Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa. The film from 1965 (okay, so not too old), in black and white, and runs about 185 minutes long with an intermission. The language is in Japanese of course, with the option of english subtitles.
The movie is based off the novel "Red Beard" by Shugoro Yamamoto. The story is based at the end of the Tokugawa era, and a young man by the name of Yasumoto has just returned to Edo (now called Tokyo) from Nagasaki, where he was studying medicine under Dutch tutolage. Upon his return, he's told to go pay his respects to a doctor by the name of Niide at a Public Clinic. Once he's there, he learns that it's been arranged that he is to stay and work there as an intern.
Yasumoto is offended. He'd hoped to begin working for the shogun as a doctor, and had never thought about working as a public doctor. He is disgusted with the state of the poor who come to the clinc for medicine or to die. However, the agreement isn't negotiable, and he finds himself stuck at the clinc.
He tries to get himself thrown out, by breaking the hospital rules, behaving rudely, etc. He believes himself too good to dirty his hands with the destitute and desperate, but the longer he is stuck there, the more he beings to see himself and the world in a new light.
As he mingles with the poor, he learns that life is often unfair and harsh. He meets a man on his death bed whose entire family was torn from him by a decietful wife, a homicidial girl driven into madness from her repeated sexual abuse, a young boy who's family decided it was best for them all to die, than to live life because of their extream poverty, and a young girl, beaten by into a state of autistic like madness by her "geisha mistress". Yasumoto observes their hardships, and finds himself not a hardworking, upstanding, honest individual, but instead arrogant, self centered, pampered, insensitive. He realizes that he's known nothing of hardship or pain brought about by life, and finds himself to be a lacking man. He sees the world through different eyes as the movie continues. He sees the evil of humanity, and how precious it is to grasp the good when it comes your way.
Red Beard is a story about learning and growing. It's about leaving behind the illusions we're brought up with and becoming brave enough to make our own decisions about life. It's about the evils of humanity and how precious it is to cherish the good in life.
This film is incredibly touching and heartbreakingly sad. The characters are all beautiful, realistic individuals and the story moves at a wonderful pace. Kurosawa has done an amazing job pitting the difference of good and evil is a very human, very believable setting. It's truely an incredible masterpiece. I highly recommend this film for those who enjoy a seriously well told story.
Posted by Zoso at May 16, 2004 12:50 AM