Kurosawa's movie about a man learning to really live ("
ikiru" means "to live") because he learns he will die was a film which was personally important to Kurosawa as he'd been deeply effected by watching a friend of his go through the same experience. It also happens to be a film which is deeply important to me, probably because the themes resonate so deeply with my own life experiences. It is a very impressionistic and expressionistic film, meaning that the acting style and filming style do not mean to reflect reality but convey a reflection of the emotions happening inside the characters. As you reflect and comment on the film, keep the following in mind:
- What did you see in this film that was stylistically similar to the other Kurosawa film we watched,
Seven Samurai?
What was different? (Remember to talk about style, not genre -- we all know this is not a samurai flick.)
- What did you learn about Japanese culture by watching the film? What questions about the culture did the film raise for you?
- What did you like and not like about the film? Why? Be specific.
This is Tucker . . .
ReplyDeleteI disliked this movie a lot, the main reason was the lack of color but this time there was more. It was slow for my taste and there wasn't much talking to keep me intrigued. I also didn't like the fact there was a sudden change to his death.
The opening to this movie was very misleading because I was expecting a dark movie with maybe some deaths, but no there was only one death and it was just of cancer and nothing awesome like samurai deaths. I was also expecting some action sequences but was once again disappointed.
There were some parts I found alright, one of them being when the main character had his realization on how he could make a difference and he then pursued that goal.
I would not recommend this movie unless someone enjoyed films of this genre.
Thanks for being detailed in your detractions.
DeleteWhen you first told us about this film, I was interested to see what Kurosawa's idea of the meaning of life is. And what you can do to live life to it's fullest. I've been thinking lately about philosophical ideas. Why are we here? Is there a God? It was kind of nice to see someone else's ideas on life.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this would be exactly stylistically similar, but I watched Yojimbo recently, and both that and Ikiru have a lone protagonist. The main character in Yojimbo is alone just because he's the lone western protagonist. But the protagonist in Ikiru is alone sort of because of his own doing. His way of approaching life, by just lying low and doing your job.
To be honest, this is probably my least favorite Kurosawa film I've seem so far. I know you wouldn't have samurai jumping around in modern times, but this movie seemed to move pretty slowly. It was easy to feel for the main character though. To see what he's going through, and just wanting to help him out. So I guess this movie did have pretty good characters. But I hated that girl he hung out with. She was so annoying, and she acted like a child. The thing that is quickly becoming my most hated feature in Kurosawa's movies are characters that have the compulsively laugh at everything.
After watching Ikiru, and thinking about it. I think that what Kurosawa thinks the way to live a full life is the live it for other people. A person living for only themselves, hasn't actually lived. What you should do in life is look after other people. Make your life harder, just to make theirs a little bit easier.
Great thoughts, Jason. And I'm glad the film contributed to your thoughts about the meaning of life. Kurosawa's thoughts on this subject matter evolved. His early films were all about finding meaning in life by making the world a better placed. He believed strongly that if mankind just exerted enough willpower, it (as a collective body) could overcome all the nasty problems in society. Then, around the time he made Yojimbo, he began to lose hope in society and his films, more and more, began to be about destruction. He seemed to feel that society was doomed and this really depressed him. Then, at the end of his life, he decided there is hope again but not in changing society but rather by escaping it. He made a bunch of films about people getting away from society and going to live among nature to find happiness. Dreams is probably the best example of this.
DeleteI thought this film was really kind of creative but I agree with Tucker, it was really slow paced. They had a lot of shots of just peoples faces looking at each other. But I think the message is what we're supposed to be looking at, not so much the action part of it.
ReplyDeleteI can see that Kurosawa was thinking about death in this film. I was very centered around pondering things like life and death and kind of what would you do if you were in his situation. For me, I think I would make one last amazing movie that would bring an important message. But I mean blowing all your money and building a park is a good idea too.
I did really like how he changed and did one last great thing for people. I think that's the way to go. For real. Instead of being selfish and just sitting around whining, trying to get pity. The character arch was really grand. A lot of his co-workers really bugged me because they were rude and selfish and didn't follow through with their promise at the end. I'm glad that one guy stood up for him though. But he backed down in the end. I wanted him to tell them all off and then others would join his side and they would over throw them.
liked it.
Sir Whovian, Out!
I do like, though, how the last shot sends the message that the guy who backed off this time might not back off next time. I think this character represents Kurosawa himself, watching a friend die and then having that experience move him to think about what he will do with his life. Watching that character stare at the swing causes me to think that he is thinking about what he will do with his life and how he will apply Watanabe's influence to his life. This is the moment that invites all viewers to decide what they will do with what they just saw.
DeleteI thought it wa an okay movie, i got really bored in it though, it didnt make me think of my life like i thouhgt it would, and the actor kind of sucked. He was trying way to hard to be sad and thoughtfull, and i HATED that stuuuuuuppppiiiiiiidddddd puppy dog face he would make. very annoying.
ReplyDeleteIt was way to slow pace for me.i understand that the japanise people had slow films, but it just got way to boring for me, im sorry. haha. i like feel bad that i didnt enjoy it but i just didnt.
its seems to me like japanese people have alot of thoiught about dying, it eems like a very big deel to them. this movie kind of reminded me of 50/50. but that was a much better movie. infact 50/50 is one of my favorites.
im sorry i didnt like this movie.. but i didnt ;/
You don't have to like the movie. :) Great explanation of your opinion.
DeleteSentimental plot, sweet character, but too slow of a pace and often confusing for me; especially the flashbacks, I felt it was hard to recognize when there was one. You had to have been paying attention for every moment in that film to realize what was going on, where, why, etc, and I honestly don't have the patience for that kind of thing, especially when I get bored forty-five minutes in. The introduction in which the village people were going from one business person to another for the issue of the watering hole or whatever in their town was pretty funny and reminds me of my mother trying to handle things with the government (the past, ha ha.) But I also felt that even THAT was too slow-paced and after ten minutes of it, it's like, "C'mon, end already."
ReplyDeleteBut, like I said at the beginning, I can truly appreciate how sentimental and touching the story is. I do like how the main character tries to make a difference in the way he works, since he works so much. I like how people take notice after he is gone, and strive to be more like him, to figure out his super secret, which was only the conclusion that he needed to make a difference before he was gone from the world. I also thought that his disappearance halfway through the movie was pretty unique, you definitely do not see that much in films, but the story seemed to keep going and turned into a sub-plot, which still seemed appropriate for the beginning of the story.
I appreciate how we become immersed in everything Watanabe, we get to see his pain, see what he is going through, and how sincerely he wants to change the way he lives. I also can appreciate how easily relatable this can be for some people in their lives, in any way. It makes me think about how I would react if I found out I had terminal cancer. At this moment in my life, with the people I know and love and the events that have been, or had, occurred, what I would do. that's a strong point of this plot, which is admirable.
It was just too slow, I was so bored at times. I had a hard time keeping my head off the table or glancing at the clock. There's no doubt that Kurosawa thinks everything that he directs very thoroughly, and I don't feel like a simple-minded person at all, I just... can't take the simplistic, dullness of the film at times.
I'm never really against black and white films, I actually quite love them, and this isn't really Akira's fault, but it also seemed to make the film much, much more boring. So. Yeah.
I feel like this is a film my dad would love. Probably the only person I'd recommend this too, with the feelings that I have at the moment for it.
When Kurosawa died, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (who were huge admirers of his) talked about doing a remake of Ikiru in honor of Kurosawa but it (so far) never happened. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?
Deletehey, sup.
ReplyDeletei really liked everything about this film.
somethings that seemed similar to other kurosawa films were that the characters other than the main character seemed to have pretty detailed back storys, obviously the kurosawa triple jump cut during the wake was similar to his other movies.
i liked that the protagonist died in the middle of the movie but the story went on without him, and it showed the flash backs of him and his coworkers and how he effected them and what not.
-zak
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Makes me feel good. For a while, I was worried that I made a very bad choice of movies for this class :) I'm curious to know what exactly you liked about it in addition to the typical Kurosawa stuff and the unique plot structure.
DeleteI enjoyed this movie, nor did I mind the pacing. It allows us time to see just how far Watanabe has come. What a poor guy, stomach cancer but dying isn't the part that bothers him, it's that he hadn't even been living anyways. If I had spent 30 years in the same job only to find out I had a year left I would be pretty disappointed myself. My favorite part is where he starts to sing in the bar, really giving the people there something to ponder. Also I like how nicley it ties into the last time we see him alive. It also speaks for people who have had to go through this sort of thing, a friend of mine had learned of her limited time of 2 years or so, people really do change but its a hard process, since even if you change it won't be something to last very long. Wanatabe is able to create something for others to enjoy, something he feels is worth the last of his time. This movie was very, very good.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you articulated this: "dying isn't the part that bothers him, it's that he hadn't even been living anyways." Yeah, the SU of the first time he sings combined with the PO of the second time. I'm glad you loved the film so much!
DeleteI love this film, it was really adorable in my opinion. I love how the director portrayed the quote, " You Don't Live Till Your About TO Die." If i were in the same position as him i probably would have done the same thing, blow off my money on pointless things i would have never paid for before, do things i would have never done, and find someone and try to connect. Life would have no meaning if we didn't have those pointless things we'd never do or say.
ReplyDeleteQuestions that came to mind while watching this film were: What is going on in that Town Hall Place? Why is it so Complicated? What was the point of the narrator at the beginning? Did he die half way through the movie or something... It really did bother me that he only talked at the beginning.. and when he did, i couldn't tell it was him.
The only thing i didn't like about this movie was that the narrator disappeared for some unknown reason. I loved everything else but the things i liked the most were probably, His outrageous facial expressions and the truth in people start to listen when your dead thing.
I think it would be possible to take the narrator out completely. I guess there is a reason Kurosawa normally had a co-writer. This is the sort of thing that happens the one time he writes by himself! I feel like he subconsciously felt compelled to include that weird narrator as a way to add his personal voice to the movie, to say, "Hey, pay attention to this character! His story is really personal to me!" It's a bit on the nose.
DeleteHey Bree, don't forget to email me the digital versions of your three essays. Thanks!
DeleteAs I was reading the cultural response, I remember one little cultural note that I feel is significant to appreciate some of the nuances of this film. "Watanabe" is one of, if not THE, most common name in Japan. So, it's the equivalent to the protagonist being named "John Smith", the most common name in the U.S. Why do you think Kurosawa picked this name for the character?
ReplyDelete