Red Beard

If a spaceship would land on Earth and aliens ask me to tell them what the humanity is, I would simply lend them this film. However, if they wouldn't give it back after watching, than I would simply kill them! I'm serious!

Red Beard is touching, overwhelming, and inspiring. It is perhaps Kurosawa's most humanistic film right alongside Ikiru. It is so beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and passionately thought out that it is hard to dislike this work of art. Perfection is a word I would use to describe this film if it were not for its flaws, most notably the out of place fight scene. The end of one of the great collaborations in film, and what an end it is.

Kurosawa's humanism is taken all the way here, and though tending towards the melodramatic, it's done with such truthfulness and empathy for the characters, that it never feels manipulative. It also boosts some superbly acted long takes, and beautiful b&w cinematography. A great testament to Kurosawa's belief in the good in man, which, regardless of how naive one might think it is, has to be admired.

Every technical aspect is developed to perfection, all the performances are exactly what they need to be but this handles almost too many themes, deals with too much emotion. The narrative evolves into something very close to Dostoevsky in its humanism [though, never overt] and delivers some of the most gut-wrenching moments I've ever seen. It begs repeating - Kurosawa was a master.

This leisurely film, full of warmth and humanity, is composed of many disparate narrative strands, but by '65 Kurosawa was a master storyteller who knew how to weave such strands into a satisfying whole. Each individual shot is gorgeously photographed in black-and-white and artistically framed, yet each is subordinate to the narrative. There are three moments when Kurosawa overdoes it (one violent, two sentimental), but these are small flaws in what is remains an epic artistic achievement.

The movie feels like it's going in a bunch of different directions at once, it's melodramatic, there are scenes that just flat out don't fit (such as Mifune randomly breaking like 18 limbs - what the fuck?), and it's sloooow - but it works despite this. Mifune is more understated than in any other performance I've seen him in, and it works fantastically, the photography is gorgeous, and it's the most emotionally effective and satisfying Kurosawa I've seen - yes, more than Ikiru.

It's heavy-handed, chock full of "life lessons" and characters sobbing at the drop of a hat (at least a dozen crying scenes). Mifune's performance is not up to par. The use of music is overbearing. The shifting focus can be frustrating. Despite all this, I love it. It's Kurosawa's most emotionally satisfying work. The episode with Otoyo and the bowl is the most moving work he's ever done, Ikiru included. And the photography is the culmination of all of Kurosawa's talents.

At first it's pretty slow, but eventually you come to appreciate the previous character developments as they start to tie the plot strings together. The movie runs along the same line as Ikiru in its sheer thoughtfulness and emotional qualities, but it's more subtle and, I think, efficient. Kurosawa's direction is uncharacteristically restrained but graceful, giving everything time to flesh out. He doesn't let a single second go to waste, so it never really feels boring or overbearing.

Stunning, a film I came to love and appreciate as it progressed and one that in many ways, feels like the culmination of Kurasawa's grandiose career, combining the refined and humane elements of his more restrained pictures together with the engaging characters of his samurai epics. I feel as though I have entered a desolate and obscure territory and walked away, just like our main character, a wiser person. Sincere and profound, a remarkable achievement.

The narrative is predictable and way too drawn out for its own good. Mifune, who I typically love, is terrible and quite boring here. His mannerisms are usually great to watch but here they just felt forced and unneeded. The fight scene was so unbelievably stupid too. It looks good, sure, but all the random characters start to feel repetitive after awhile and it's difficult to care about most of them. A rare Kurosawa failure.

tekil planlarin uzun tutulmus olmasi kurgu butunlugunu zedelemis olsa da derebeyligin fakirlestirdigi halkin hastaliklarla sinavini, adanmis bilge doktorun hastalardan ziyade butun bir paradigmayi tedavi etmekteki maharetini anlatan guzide film. Iyiligin tavizsiz ve musamahasiz bir karakterden aktarilmis olmasi da insanin iflah olmaz suistima aliskanligina atifta bulunmaktadir.

Surprisingly affecting melodrama, especially considering it has more than a whiff of high-grade soap (along with an unexpected and unnecessary action scene: was this the film that established the cinematic law that says that, in a 20-against-1 fight scene, the bad guys will always attack serially rather than in concert?), but the situations presented are psychologically interesting and the lessons being taught mostly fairly subtle.

Kurosawa da olsan vasatı geçtim, kötü film yapabiliyorsun. çok kötü film

On human suffering, trauma, devotion and proposal of utter hope. Impactful, perhaps too much.

Not bad but Kurosawa's samurai epics are too much like one another

Un-epic epicness. That's Kurosawa here. The tale of two doctors or just one, a stoic Mifune. Ready to unleash the energy of a hurricane, like in the scene where all the bones of the gangsters or yakuza are broken. Time to hold on to life!

Long but never drags

Guy with the red beard is like "get on my level"

What a wonderful, wonderful movie, whose images are emblazoned in my memory--the wind chimes, the girl offering a sweet to the boy amongst the hanging mats. As far as anamorphic compositions go this is probably just about as good as it gets. Very original experiments with both the wide screen and the long lens. This is truly the culmination of Kurosawa's work throughout the sixties and is a resounding end to that phase of his career.

The episodic nature made it feel a bit too long and the sum felt less than the sum of its parts. Thankfully those parts are so wonderful that it's still a really good film. Both Mifune and Kayama are excellent and every scene is filled with meaning and enough of interest to keep your attention. The lighting also stood out, with excellent use of shadows.

# 632

I think this is the most mature work I've seen by Kurosawa so far. And although it has its bleak moments it's also uncharacteristically warm and optimistic for him. It's also quite possibly his best-looking film. I will say that I thought the movie was a bit overlong and could probably stand to be cut down by 15-30 minutes, but even the parts that are less pertinent to the main story (such as the story of Sahachi and Onaka) are well worth watching, so I can understand why they were kept in.

A film that positively crackles with energy, vitality and atmosphere. It is a long old film, but, so absorbing that it doesn't feel like it. It's films like this - films that are so accomplished - that made me fall in love with movies in the first place, and, when you watch and rewatch films like this, you fall in love with them all over again.

What a beautiful story of a doctor who comes to terms with the reality of illness and death. He had to swallow his pride and, in essence, made a respectable friend/mentor (red beard) and learned many life lessons along the way. Giving to the neglected comes with a price but creates a sense of belonging and purpose in the end. Indeed a watch worth your time.

good movie

Beautifully shot but uneven, varying from mawkish to magnificent, Mifune, as usual, is king.

86.250

Dr. Handayu Mori: "The cooks are calling Chobo back. There's a belief that if you call into a well, you can call a dying person back. Wells lead to the bottom of the earth."

It's preachy and a little sentimental, and as with most of his non-action films Kurosawa relies very heavily on expositional dialogue (three hours of almost constant foreign-language dialogue will wear on anybody's powers of concentration) but he got his hooks in me eventually, and Otoyo's character arc got me pretty hard a few times. It's interesting how episodic this is; I suspect Kurosawa would have taken to modern cable television drama storytelling techniques with great gusto.

Quietly astonishing, rapturously moving, and not a slow moment in 3 hours. Except for the ridiculous scene where Red Beard takes out all the whorehouse guards and we're suddenly in the world of cheesy kung-fu flicks, no scene is extraneous. Every scene is involving, even enthralling--I wanted to know what came next at every moment...how is that possible for a 3-hour movie? (obvious answer: genius) Every shot is beautifully composed and filmed. Only the faux-classical score is sub-par.

Humanity

Outstanding drama about how selfless service to others is often the best remedy for one's own problems. A young, ambitious and overly proud doctor finds himself working at a clinic that serves the poor under Red Beard (Toshiro Mifune, in an excellent performance).

An uneven but overall worthwhile drama by Kurosawa. Although there are several factors preventing me from loving this (the inflated runtime, the forced "life lessons", some ponderous melodramatic scenes and a totally pointless fight scene), there is also an abundance of admirable elements, such as the loose yet smartly structured narrative, some poignant moments, solid camerawork and strong acting by Kayama and Mifune. Overall, one of my favorite Kurosawa films.

The number of ideas and topics this movie talks about and the way they all seem completely resolved, convincingly, make this movie a pre-requisite to be a doctor, psychologist or politician. I mean, it's a complete manifest about patient treatment, the necessity of a health and social care system, childhood protection and share of knowledge. That, and a great story, just spoiled by a (for me) good but pointless short-movie included (a patient story) and a completely out of place fight.

To me, this drama about a young hospital doctor outshines many of Kurosawa's Samurai thrillers, thanks to its character development and humanity.

703

red beard is another one knocked out of the park by kurosawa, but my two cents is that it could have used a bit of condensing.

Toshiro Mifune is the most badass doctor. Muthafucka.

One of the most thoughtful of Kurosawa's films. Mifune really shines here.

The re-creation of 19th-century Japan is evocative, and the story is powerfully acted.

Magnificently designed, as you would expect from Kurosawa, but kinda sappy.

An underseen classic. A doctor in nineteenth century Tokyo trains a young doctor about compassion and inner strength in his clinic for the poor. Brilliant, and wonderful performances.

Started off in a direction where I didn't know what to expect, but progressed into a warm tale about humanity above all other things. And hitting people with giant radishes.

#704

714

It shouldn't work as well as it does but damn does Kurosawa make it work. Such great use of character and emotion throughout, and one of the most beautiful films in a career of absurdly beautiful films. A very satisfying experience. Also, looks like Mifune was contractually obligated to kick ass at least once in every film he was in.

Kurosawa's best B/W photography.

"I'm afraid I went a bit too far" says Mifune after breaking the arms of about twenty people in this, what I thought to be, medical melodrama. I wish Kurosawa was as self-aware as his protagonist. He goes so overboard with the melodrama and it just feels shamelessly manipulative. The scene where all the patients sob in unison at Sahachi's story is a prime example of this. It's also too long with too many superfluous subplots. Beautiful & poignant, but not one of Kurosawa's (or Mifune's) best.

87.000

Kurosawa's visual masterpiece, and given the quality of his work throughout his career, that's saying something. He frames his shots perfectly, makes use of space in fascinating ways, and gives us a real sense of place--particularly at the clinic. The story carries significant weight on its own, the gradual humanization of a young, proud doctor. Mifune's Dr. Niide is one of Kurosawa's greatest achievements--compassion embodied. Excellence all around.

Red Beard suffers from a loose overarching storyline (it was adapted from many short stories and it shows) where things sometimes progress sporadically, and certain significant plot details come into play surprisingly late, but good can be said about nearly everything else. Red Beard radiates the warm humanism that defines Kurosawa's strength and appeal, and also contains some of the best, most subtle performances of the director's career. Not an entry point, but fans will love this slow burner.

Excellent.

One of Kurosawa's darkest outings. Gorgeously shot, of course. I almost forgot how much I love any Toshiro Mifune role.