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IMDbPro

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love

Original title: Ningen no jôken
  • 19591959
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 3h 28m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
Play trailer4:35
1 Video
27 Photos
DramaHistoryWar
A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
    • Masaki Kobayashi
    • Zenzô Matsuyama(screenplay)
    • Masaki Kobayashi(screenplay)
    • Jumpei Gomikawa(novel)
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Michiyo Aratama
    • Chikage Awashima
    • Masaki Kobayashi
    • Zenzô Matsuyama(screenplay)
    • Masaki Kobayashi(screenplay)
    • Jumpei Gomikawa(novel)
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Michiyo Aratama
    • Chikage Awashima
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 37User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 4:35
    Watch Trailer

    Photos27

    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    Michiyo Aratama and Tatsuya Nakadai in The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    Tatsuya Nakadai in The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    Tatsuya Nakadai in The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
    Michiyo Aratama and Tatsuya Nakadai in The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tatsuya Nakadai
    Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Kaji
    Michiyo Aratama
    Michiyo Aratama
    • Michiko
    Chikage Awashima
    Chikage Awashima
    • Tôfuku Kin
    Ineko Arima
    Ineko Arima
    • Shunran Yô
    Keiji Sada
    Keiji Sada
    • Kageyama
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    • Okishima
    Akira Ishihama
    Akira Ishihama
    • Chin
    Kôji Nanbara
    Kôji Nanbara
    • Kô
    • (as Shinji Nanbara)
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    • Kyôritsu Ô
    Tôru Abe
    Tôru Abe
    • Watarai Gunsô
    Masao Mishima
    Masao Mishima
    • Kuroki Shochô
    Eitarô Ozawa
    Eitarô Ozawa
    • Okazaki
    Kôji Mitsui
    Kôji Mitsui
    • Furuya
    Akitake Kôno
    Akitake Kôno
    • Kôno Taii
    Nobuo Nakamura
    Nobuo Nakamura
    • Honsha Buchô
    Kyû Sazanka
    Kyû Sazanka
    • Meisan Chô
    Eijirô Tôno
    Eijirô Tôno
    Yasushi Nagata
      • Masaki Kobayashi
      • Zenzô Matsuyama(screenplay)
      • Masaki Kobayashi(screenplay)
      • Jumpei Gomikawa(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Tatsuya Nakadai, a marathon screening of the entire nine-and-a-half-hour "Human Condition" trilogy is held once a year in Japan, and he has once or twice attended these screenings, which are always sold out.
    • Goofs
      At one point a Japanese guard begins to whip Kao, yet the motions he makes are just a flailing of his arms, visibly missing the actor. Kao retaliates by throwing a rock at the guard, but the rock never strikes the guard. However, the actor playing the guard overreacts as if he has been struck.
    • Quotes

      Kaji: [discussing the pardoning of prisoners due to be executed for an alleged escape attempt] I'll be honest. There's only one chance in one hundred.

      Kyôritsu Ô: This does not concern us alone. Just as my companions stand between life and death, so do you now stand at an important crossroads.

      Kaji: You're right.

      Kyôritsu Ô: If you fail now, no one will ever trust you again, and you too will lose faith in yourself.

      Kaji: It's true.

      Kyôritsu Ô: Yet you would do nothing?

      Kaji: What can I do?

      Kyôritsu Ô: Must a man outside this barbed wire ask me such a question? Not all the Japanese working here are murderous devils. Their combined opinion objecting to this execution will be more effective than one individual alone.

      Kaji: If I'd always acted as you wanted me to there'd be no Kaji here today. I'd like to see what you'd do in my position.

      Kyôritsu Ô: You and I will both make minor mistakes. Such things can be forgiven. But an error made at a crucial moment is an unforgivable crime. Your life has been a series of errors stemming from the conflict between your work and yourself. Such errors can possibly be corrected. But this one cannot.

      Kaji: Meaning?

      Kyôritsu Ô: You'll either be revealed as a murderer wearing the mask of humanism or as one worthy of the beautiful name... "man".

    • Connections
      Followed by The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959)

    User reviews37

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Spellbinding filmmaking
    This is an excellent film about one man attempting to change the system. Kaji brings his youthful enthusiasm, idealism, and humanism against a cruel, unjust machine. The acting, direction, and cinematography are all world class. This is a gripping film which will leave you yearning for part two. This is just the start of a stunning epic.
    helpful•25
    14
    • Tequila-18
    • Nov 9, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1959 (United States)
      • Japan
      • Japanese
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hokkaido, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Toho Company
      • Bungei Production Ninjin Club
      • Shochiku
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 3 hours 28 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

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