"Red Beard" was Akira Kurosawa final prayer for human kindness. Most of his previous work touched on this issue, especially "Ikiru", but this would be the last. Afterwards, his films grew dark in their examination of human weakness, and unable to see a good future for mankind. They also lost the talent of Toshiro Mifune; this too would be his last appearance in a Kurosawa film.
The story is simple, almost elementary in its convention. In early 19th century Japan, the young, naïve doctor Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama) comes to work in a free health clinic. He accepts his post grudgingly, judging his surroundings to be beneath him. Through the instruction of an older doctor, the wise Red Beard (Mifune), and exposure to human suffering around him, he grows up and finds his place in the world of medicine. Although the plot seems predictable, the human emotion Kurosawa discovers is not.
Each episode of the movie feels alive with emotion, alive with sorrow and with hope. Although the story surrounds Yasumoto with human suffering, it is not about suffering, but about learning step by step to find compassion. As we journey with Yasumoto through the story, we are also the ones being challenged.
Modern life bombards us suffering on a global scale. We read headlines from around the world, know statics on poverty, wars, genocides, and natural disasters. We see the overwhelming tide of human weakness, and feel duly overwhelmed. Yet, it felt so refreshing to see a film with characters who did not know the statics, who only knew the hurting people in front of them. I felt challenged to know people the same way.
The story is simple, almost elementary in its convention. In early 19th century Japan, the young, naïve doctor Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama) comes to work in a free health clinic. He accepts his post grudgingly, judging his surroundings to be beneath him. Through the instruction of an older doctor, the wise Red Beard (Mifune), and exposure to human suffering around him, he grows up and finds his place in the world of medicine. Although the plot seems predictable, the human emotion Kurosawa discovers is not.
Each episode of the movie feels alive with emotion, alive with sorrow and with hope. Although the story surrounds Yasumoto with human suffering, it is not about suffering, but about learning step by step to find compassion. As we journey with Yasumoto through the story, we are also the ones being challenged.
Modern life bombards us suffering on a global scale. We read headlines from around the world, know statics on poverty, wars, genocides, and natural disasters. We see the overwhelming tide of human weakness, and feel duly overwhelmed. Yet, it felt so refreshing to see a film with characters who did not know the statics, who only knew the hurting people in front of them. I felt challenged to know people the same way.