This is among the worst of Kurasawa's films. Oddly enough, that doesn't make it a bad movie. It simply isn't a great movie...
Kurasawa's metaphor's got more sophisticated after this movie. The stagnant pond in the middle of town which emphasized the corrupt nature of the neighborhood was a little blatant. Ignore that and what do we have? Good performances by Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. Shimura is in a different kind of role than the sane figure he normally plays. The doctor he plays looks more like a Mifune role (and was, in Red Beard). He is a little unstable and is prone to violent outbursts. Mifune seems to be around mostly to look cool. He has a very western look in this feature.
The influence of the west in 1948 is pretty apparent. The music and dancing are all western. The characters are violent and ineffectual, mirroring the mood of a conquered nation. Kurasawa would improve much as he went along, but he captured what he wanted to capture in this film.
I would recommend this movie, but only after watching a few of his later movies.
Kurasawa's metaphor's got more sophisticated after this movie. The stagnant pond in the middle of town which emphasized the corrupt nature of the neighborhood was a little blatant. Ignore that and what do we have? Good performances by Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. Shimura is in a different kind of role than the sane figure he normally plays. The doctor he plays looks more like a Mifune role (and was, in Red Beard). He is a little unstable and is prone to violent outbursts. Mifune seems to be around mostly to look cool. He has a very western look in this feature.
The influence of the west in 1948 is pretty apparent. The music and dancing are all western. The characters are violent and ineffectual, mirroring the mood of a conquered nation. Kurasawa would improve much as he went along, but he captured what he wanted to capture in this film.
I would recommend this movie, but only after watching a few of his later movies.