Red Beard (1965) Akahige (original title)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Masato Ide (screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 December 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In 19th century Japan, a rough tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.

Plot Keywords:

Clinic | Doctor | Intern | Japanese | Japan

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Dr. Kyojô Niide
Yûzô Kayama	...	Dr. Noboru Yasumoto
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Sahachi
Reiko Dan	...	Osugi
Miyuki Kuwano	...	Onaka
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Madwoman
Tatsuyoshi Ehara	...	Genzô Tsugawa
Terumi Niki	...	Otoyo
Akemi Negishi	...	Okuni, the mistress
Yoshitaka Zushi	...	Chôji
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Dr. Handayû Mori
Eijirô Tôno	...	Goheiji
Takashi Shimura	...	Tokubei Izumiya
Chishû Ryû	...	Mr. Yasumoto
Haruko Sugimura	...	Kin, the madam
Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Madame Yasumoto, Noboru's mother
Eijirô Yanagi	...	Madwoman's father
Kôji Mitsui	...	Heikichi
Kô Nishimura	...	Chief retainer
Nobuo Chiba	...	Matsudaira
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Rokusuke
Ken Mitsuda	...	Genpaku Amano, Masae's father
Yôko Fujiyama	...	Chigusa, Masae's sister
Yôko Naitô	...	Masae
Reiko Nanao	...	Otoku
Imari Tsuji	...	Okatsu
Akiko Nomura	...	Ofuku
Sue Mitobe	...	Otake
Kin Sugai	...	Chôji's Mother
Michiko Araki	...	Brothel owner
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Patient A
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Patient B
Yasuzô Ogawa	...	Businessman
Yutaka Sada	...	Resident
Ikio Sawamura	...	Resident
Noriko Honma	...	Resident
Miyoko Nakamura	...	Okoto
Akiko Kazami	...	Masae's mother
Chisato Aoki	...	Prostitute
Kyoko Kurisu	...	Prostitute
Yukiko Yanagishita	...	Prostitute
Toshiko Fukai	...	Prostitute
Keiko Tomita	...	Girl on street
Shôji Ôki	...	Thug
Shôichi Hirose	...	Thug
Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi	...	Thug
Masanobu Ôkubo	...	Chôji's Father
Fujio Tokita	...	Thug
Yasuo Araki	...	Thug
Hiroshi Tanaka	...	Thug
Shin Ibuki	...	Thug
Kanzô Uni	...	Thug (as Kan Uni)
Hiroto Kimura	...	Thug
Shû Komoro	...	Thug
Ryû Kuze	...	Thug

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Masato Ide		(screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay) &
Ryûzô Kikushima		(screenplay) &
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay)
Shûgorô Yamamoto		(novel "Akahige shinryô tan")

Produced by
Ryûzô Kikushima	....	producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	producer

Original Music by
Masaru Satô

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai
Takao Saitô

Production Design by
Yoshirô Muraki

Costume Design by
Yoshiko Samejima

Makeup Department
Yoshiko Matsumoto	....	hair stylist
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masanobu Deme	....	assistant director
Yôichi Matsue	....	assistant director
Shirô Moritani	....	first assistant director
Kenjirô Ohmori	....	assistant director

Art Department
Nozomi Fukusako	....	assistant art director
Akio Nojima	....	property master

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Zen Sashida	....	sound assistant
Hisashi Shimonaga	....	sound mixer
Shin Watarai	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Fumiyoshi Hara	....	assistant lighting technician
Kazutami Hara	....	assistant camera
Katsuhiro Kato	....	assistant camera
Hiromitsu Mori	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Reiko Kaneko	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Yoshio Sekine	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Shigeru Kishima	....	production assistant
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor
Yuichi Yoshitake	....	acting office

Production Companies

• Kurosawa Production Co.
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1965) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Toho Company (1966) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Frank Lee International (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• trigon-film (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• New KSM (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Toho Video (2010) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• Kinuta Laboratory  video editing
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Akahige" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

185 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track 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:

Period construction of the hospital went as far as to use the right kind of aged wood that would have been used in the region at the time the film is set, per Akira Kurosawa's request.

Goofs:

Continuity: Niide's uniform is drenched when he arrives at Sahachi's house, but is completely dry when he goes to leave a short time later.

Quotes:

Genzo Tsugawa:[Showing Yasumoto a waiting room filled with sick people] The waiting room for outpatients. They're treated for free in the afternoons...
Genzo Tsugawa:[Giving a heavy sigh] I don't know... All of them would be better off dead.

The end of an era

Red Beard marked the end of an era for Kurosawa. It was the last of his period costume dramas (excluding Ran and Kagemusha, though these were more of a glorious revisit to his 'old' style anyhow), the last film he shot in black and white, and the last film he ever made with Toshiru Mifune, thus ending what is, to me at least, the finest director-actor pairing in the history of cinema. Perhaps it is for these reasons that I look on this film with so much fondness, and it remains one of my favourite Kurosawa films (alongside Ran and Rashomon). That aside, it is also filled with warmth and sincerity, but then that's to be expected from the man I consider to be the greatest director of all time. Highly recommended.