IMDb > Kanzo sensei (1998)

Kanzo sensei (1998) More at IMDbPro »


IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   768 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Shohei Imamura

Writers:

Shohei Imamura (writer)
Ango Sakaguchi (novel)
more

Contact:

View company contact information for Dr. Akagi on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA) more

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | History | War more

Plot:

At the end of WWII, Japanese doctor Akagi searches for the cure for hepatitis in the prisoner-of-war camp. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

9 wins & 10 nominations more

User Comments:

The Doctor's Orders; Common Sense for an ILL Society more (8 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)
Akira Emoto ... Dr. Fuu Akagi
Kumiko Asô ... Sonoko
Juro Kara ... Umemoto
Masanori Sera ... Toriumi
Jacques Gamblin ... Piet
Keiko Matsuzaka ... Tomiko
Misa Shimizu ... Gin
Yukiya Kitamura ... Sankichi
Masato Yamada ... Masuyo
Tomorowo Taguchi ... Nosaka
Masatô Ibu ... Ikeda
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wayne Doster ... Robert Hugh Harper
Ben Hiura
Ayumi Ito
Shoten Kadokawa
Kazuhiko Kanayama ... Sakashita (as Kozuhiko Kanayama)

Nae
Atsuko Nakamura
Tohoku Shinsha
Shinya Yamamoto (as Shin-yo Yamamoto)
Hatsuo Yamaya
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Dr. Akagi (USA)
Kanzo sensei (France)
more

Runtime:

Argentina:128 min | Japan:129 min

Country:

Japan | France

Language:

Japanese | German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Filming Locations:

Hiroshima, Japan


Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Akai hashi no shita no nurui mizu (2001) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
The Doctor's Orders; Common Sense for an ILL Society, 1 March 2005
Author: academic3000 from Hamilton College

Imamura Sohei's Kanzo Sensei (Dr Akagi) is reminiscent of Kurosawa Akira's Drunken Angel (Yoidore tenshi). In Kanzo Sensei, Dr. Akagi struggles with the disease that exacts heavy tolls on the Japanese during wartime. There is the sense that the onset of the disease is almost karmatic; people should know to eat well and sleep well, but—because of the country's involvement in the war—are only allowed to do so when they are diagnosed with hepatitis. The patients make the "best of it," getting their basic human psychological and physical needs met. Relaxation and rest brings people back to their human essence and reclaims their health. The sickness is likened to a psychological sickness—"hepatitis of the mind." We see this in Masumura Yasuzo's Kyojin to gangu (Giants and Toys) where the Japanese have been taken over by the Western principles of capitalism and consumerism. In Yoidore tenshi, the benevolent doctor is somewhat over concerned for his patient, who suffers dually from hepatitis and also—as a yakuza—from the cesspool that Japan has become after the occupation. In both Kanzo Sensei and Yoidore tenshi, the doctor is more of a symbol of the medicinal power of compassion; deeply concerned for their patients, the doctors provide not surgery but the common-sense advice to sleep well and maintain a good diet—to understand how society is plagued.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (8 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Kanzo sensei (1998)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Empire of the Sun Ningen no jôken Ningen no jôken Gunki hatameku motoni Paradise Road
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Comedy section IMDb Japan section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.