A bureaucrat tries to find a meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
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Title: Ikiru (1952)
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Top Rated Movies #125
|
Nominated for
1
BAFTA Film Award.
Another
5 wins & 1 nomination.
See more awards »
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Takashi Shimura | ... | Kanji Watanabe | |
| Shin'ichi Himori | ... | Kimura | |
 |
Haruo Tanaka | ... | Sakai |
| Minoru Chiaki | ... | Noguchi | |
| Miki Odagiri | ... | Toyo Odagiri, employee | |
| Bokuzen Hidari | ... | Ohara | |
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Minosuke Yamada | ... | Subordinate Clerk Saito |
| Kamatari Fujiwara | ... | Sub-Section Chief Ono | |
|
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Makoto Kobori | ... | Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother |
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Nobuo Kaneko | ... | Mitsuo Watanabe, Kanji's son |
|
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Nobuo Nakamura | ... | Deputy Mayor |
|
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Atsushi Watanabe | ... | Patient |
|
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Isao Kimura | ... | Intern |
|
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Masao Shimizu | ... | Doctor |
|
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Yûnosuke Itô | ... | Novelist |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Kanji Watanabe is a civil servant. He has worked in the same department for 30 years. His life is pretty boring and monotonous, though he once used to have passion and drive. Then one day he discovers that he has stomach cancer and has less than a year to live. After the initial depression he sets about living for the first time in over 20 years. Then he realises that his limited time left is not just for living life to the full but to leave something meaningful behind... Written by grantss
Taglines:
A big story of a little man which will grip your soul... See more »Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
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Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
25 March 1956 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Ikiru See more »Filming Locations:
JapanEdit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$7,590, 5 January 2003, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$55,240, 28 September 2003Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (cut)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston
Performed by Dinah Shore
Heard in the background immediately after Watanabe and Kimura leave the striptease show
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
In the last scene with Toyo (in the restaurant with the birthday party going on), the position of the bell on the mechanical bunny changes, even though neither actor has touched the bunny. See more »Quotes
Novelist: Come on. Let's go reclaim the life you've wasted. Tonight it will be my pleasure to act as your Mephistopheles, but a beneficent one who won't ask for your soul.See more »
Soundtracks
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo(uncredited)
Written by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston
Performed by Dinah Shore
Heard in the background immediately after Watanabe and Kimura leave the striptease show
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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A quiet, but very moving film. Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a clerk who has been living a dull, unsatisfying life working in the government's offices who is diagnosed with cancer and is given one year to live. He tries to enjoy his days by picking up a former co-worker (Miki Odagiri) and taking her out on the town. She finally convinces him that this is not the way to spend the rest of his life. He soon realizes that he has a strong desire to do something with his life so that it will not have been a total waste. Therefore he begins to work in cooperation with the people... accomplishing something that nobody in the office had the nerve to do before.
I consider Ikiru to be Kurosawa's first truly excellent film. The story moves along very low-key and we gradually realize the power and emotion that is in this great film. Roger Ebert said of Ikiru that it is one of the few films that can actually change the way you look at life after watching it.