Dersu Uzala (1975)

The Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa (as Akira Kurosava)

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) (as Akira Kurosava), Yuriy Nagibin (screenplay)

Stars:

Maksim Munzuk, Yuriy Solomin, Mikhail Bychkov

Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yuriy Solomin	...	Arsenev
Maksim Munzuk	...	Dersu Uzala
Mikhail Bychkov	...	Otryad Arseneva (as M. Bychkov)
Vladimir Khrulyov	...	Otryad Arseneva (as V. Khrulyov)
V. Lastochkin	...	Otryad Arseneva
Stanislav Marin	...	Otryad Arseneva (as S. Marin)
Igor Sykhra	...	Otryad Arseneva (as I. Sykhra)
Vladimir Sergiyakov	...	Otryad Arseneva (as V. Sergiyakov)
Yanis Yakobsons	...	Otryad Arseneva (as Ya. Yakobsons)
V. Khlestov	...	Otryad Arseneva
G. Polunin	...	Otryad Arseneva
V. Koldin	...	Otryad Arseneva
M. Tetov	...	Otryad Arseneva
S. Sinyavskiy	...	Otryad Arseneva
Vladimir Sverba	...	Otryad Arseneva (as V. Sverba)

Storyline

A Russian army explorer who is rescued in Siberia by a rugged Asian hunter renews his friendship with the woodsman years later when he returns as the head of a larger expedition. The hunter finds that all of his nature lore is of no help when he accompanies the explorer back to civilization.

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Plot Keywords:

siberia russia | hunter | explorer | forest | guide | 

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Taglines:

Kurosawa's Academy Award Winning Masterpiece

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Teruyo Nogami, Kurosawa's loyal assistant - she worked for him in a variety of capacities and titles from 1950 until the end of his career - has written, in her memoir about her long collaboration with the director, that the two most difficult and arduous productions that they had ever worked on together were this film and Seven Samurai (1954).

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie, when Dersu gives Vova his forked walking stick, he tells the boy that he's had that stick for "many, many years." In the first half of the film Dersu's walking stick had much longer forks.

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Quotes

Dersu Uzala: Fire angry, forest burn for many days. Fire get angry, frightful. Water get angry, frightful. Wind get angry, frightful. Fire, water, wind. Three mighty men.

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Connections

Referenced in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

A hauntingly beautiful film set in the wilderness of eastern Siberia

On the face of it, Dersu Uzala would not seem like a candidate for a great film. The story is about a young Russian (Imperial Russia) officer is sent to the far east of Siberia to explore. He meets with a native of the region and they form a bond together. The territory in question is the wild, rugged eastern Siberia (north of Valdivostok). I would say that you have not lived until you have seen what Kurosawa can do filming nature in its raw splendor and magnificence. The scenes in this film like the wind rushing through the tall reeds, or the mist draping the forested hills, are images of haunting beauty.

Kurosawa, one of the greatest film directors of the 20th century, made his final masterpiece with film. The characters are well drawn, the sub-text of the story (the clash of civilization vs. nature) is nuanced, but most of all it is the wild beauty of nature which is the focus of this film. Once you see it, I don't think you will forget it, I know I never have.

Details

Official Sites:

Mosfilm [Russia]

Country:

Soviet Union Japan

Language:

Russian Chinese

Release Date:

20 December 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dersu Uzala

Filming Locations:

Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,480

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atelier 41, Daiei Studios, Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1