Ikiru (To Live) **** ( Not Rated )

Reviewed By Vittorio J. Carli

Director: Akira Kurosawa

"Ikiru (To Live)" is a moving drama about a man who struggles to come to terms with his terminal cancer. The film is being re-released on its 50th anniversary with new prints and improved subtitles.

Ikiru is a lonely, bureaucrat who works for a government agency. He makes decent money, but his job is completely unfulfilling. Nothing he does seems to have any effect on anyone else, and he is over looked and under appreciated. He rarely rocks the boat or takes any chances in his job. In the early part of the film, he is a Kafkaesque loser/anti-hero.

Ikiru's personal life is just as bleak. He is estranged from both his son and daughter. Then one day he makes a shocking discovery when he goes to the doctor for a checkup. From the doctor's replies, he correctly guesses that his days are numbered.

He led a miserly existence and deprived himself of most of life's pleasures. Now he decides to take a more active role, and radically changes his lifestyle. He begins drinking and frequents taverns. He starts dating a much younger woman who playfully calls him "the mummy." It's not clear if she has any loving feelings for him or if she is just using him.

Ikiru's son thinks it is the latter. The relationship angers his son, who believes that she is only after Ikiru's inheritance. His son doesn't understand him and thinks he is having a typical mid-life crisis.

After Ikiru's death, we see poignant flashbacks, which show how he made a difference at the end of his life. The conclusion is life affirming, and unforgettable. But it is also critical and unflinching in how it portrays the dehumanizing effects of government bureaucracy.

Akira Kurosawa is the most popular and critically acclaimed Japanese director in the west. He was also the first Japanese director to cross over in the west with his film, "Rashoman." This may be because his work is accessible and it is very influenced by American film in general, and John Ford's works in particular. Some in his native Japan prefer the works of his peers, Yasujiro Ozu or Kenji Mizoguchi because they have more of a "Japanese sensibility."

The highly respected star of Ikiru, Takeshi Shimura, was one of Kurosawa's favorite actors. They worked together in "Rashoman," "The Seven Samuraii," "Throne of Blood," "The Hidden Fortress," and virtually all of Kurosawa's early works. Shimura also played the altruistic doctor who martyrs himself in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters."

"Ikiru" is one of the most accomplished films by one of the best directors. It's mandatory viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in Asian film. It's also a perfect gateway film for international film novices.