Akahige (1965)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Masato Ide (writer)
Ryûzô Kikushima (writer)

Release Date:

19 December 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In a charity hospital, a hard-bitten but honorable older doctor, Dr. Niide, takes a young intern under...

Plot Keywords:

Clinic | Intern | Doctor | Japan | Japanese

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Dr. Kyojio Niide, 'Akahige' ['Red Beard']
Yûzô Kayama	...	Dr. Noboru Yasumoto
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Sahachi
Reiko Dan	...	Osugi
Miyuki Kuwano	...	Onaka
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Madwoman
Tatsuyoshi Ehara	...	Genzo Tsugawa (as Tatsuya Ebara)
Terumi Niki	...	Otoyo
Akemi Negishi	...	Okuni, the mistress
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Dr. Handayu Mori
Eijirô Tôno	...	Goheiji
Chishû Ryû	...	Mr. Yasumoto
Takashi Shimura	...	Tokubei Izumiya
Haruko Sugimura	...	Kin, the madam
Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Madame Yasumoto, Noboru's mother

Also Known As:

Red Beard (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

185 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 (re-rating) (2002) | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Kurosawa Production Co.

Trivia:

Principal photography took two years.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the brothel where young Otoyo is being rescued: when Red Beard (Toshiro Mifune) prepares to step out of the brothel opening to confront the thugs gathered outside, from the inside camera view, right before he steps through the door flap, there are a couple of thugs standing just right outside the opening. But from the outside shot, which shows Red Beard stepping out, the nearby thugs have changed position, and are now standing much farther away from the opening.

Quotes:

Dr. Handayu Mori: The pain and loneliness of death frighten me. But Dr. Niide looks at it differently. He looks into their hearts as well as their bodies.

Human drama at it's best

This being my sixth Kurosowa film I must confess that I am constantly baffled by how timeless and powerful his directing, casting and storytelling are (check out Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Sanjuro, Dodes'keden and the sublime Seven Samurai!). But since this artist is so rennouned for his samurai pics, this one must be seen for proof of his versatility. The last film Kurosowa and Mifune did together is a triumph: it combines a perfect handling of such themes as coming-of-age, compassion and the great strength of the human heart (Mifune's titular Redbeard is a character any actor would die to play!!!). The screenplay sometimes admittedly veers close to sappiness but never indulges, despite the fact that this is a story about human suffering. Take a look at films today and you'll see how significant an accomplishment that is!!!