A man who gets a reprieve when he is at the cusp of capital punishment considers it a reincarnation & decides to be as kind as he could be to everyone. His naivety and innocence make him get tagged as ‘an idiot’. Only to two ladies does he seem the best. They love and loath him. One of his companions marries one of those ladies. It’s pandemonium all the way in a triangular possessive game.
|
Language:
|
Japanese
|
|
Running Time:
|
166 min
|
|
Rating:
|
PG
|
|
Release date:
|
23 May 1951
|
|
Directed by:
|
Akira Kurosawa
|
|
Produced by:
|
Takashi Koide
|
|
Written by:
|
Akira Kurosawa
Eijiro Hisaita
|
|
Based on:
|
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
|
|
Starring:
|
Masayuki Mori
Toshiro Mifune
Setsuko Hara
Yoshiko Kuga
|
|
Music by:
|
Fumio Hayasaka
|
|
Shot by:
|
Toshio Ubukata
|
|
Editing by:
|
Akira Kurosawa
|
|
Distributed by:
|
Shochiku
|
What’s Hot
- This Kurosawa translation of the Dostoevsky novel is as complex a drama as I have seen; It’s a cut version I gather and so the magic is not in full-flow.
- The guy who plays Kameda, the idiot has been aptly chosen for the role; Toshiro Mifune, as the thug, happily plays second-fiddle only to terrorize at the end!
- The contrast in the two lady characters who adore the idiot – Ayako & Nasu – has been explained brilliantly in the scene where they face each other – Classic scene!
- Background score, camerawork and editing departments impress making this another high-quality Kurosawa product.
What’s Not
- As the film is adapted from Russian Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel of the same name, the abstractness in presentation is evident and that may make some to stay away from it.
Badges
Verdict
Leave A Comment