"Red Beard" was a wonderful movie. The story was engaging and the acting superb. Two scenes stand out for me. The first was the "Mantis" scene with the seduction and assault on Dr. Yasumoto. Kyôko Kagawa as the Mantis was great in portraying her madness and the scene itself is an example of great film making. The other scene was the operation on the young woman. The actress who played the victim deserves praise for making it look like she was writhing in pain. What a striking scene. Toshirô Mifune was great as Red Beard and the rest of the cast were also outstanding. The acting by any of the characters in this movie far surpasses the narcissistic emoting of Hollywood films.
