Review of Ikiru (1952) by Christian H — 25 Sep 2009

It's no spoiler to tell you that the protagonist is dying of cancer--the very first image is an x-ray of his stomach tumor. A man who's been emotionally dead for 25 years sets off on a quest for meaning to his life in the few remaining months he has.

This could have been trite or sentimental, but Kurosawa's screenplay, and the incredible acting from his cast make this an inspirational, beautiful film. Lead actor Takashi Shimura has some of the most expressive eyes in cinema history.

Kurosawa was still on his way to developing his individual style of placement of actors and objects in the frame--he wasn't quite there yet in Ikiru, and yet there are many poetic shots that are mystically lovely to see.

For a director who's perhaps best known for violent and/or tragic subject matter, this is a surprisingly uplifting and lovely movie.