Dersu Uzala

Derzu Usala
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Written by Akira Kurosawa and Yuriy Nagibin from a novel by Vladimir Arsenev
1975/USSR
IMDb Page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

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.

This is a beautiful movie about how different cultures view the wilderness.  I doubt I’d guess it was directed by Kurosawa if I didn’t already know.

The year is 1902. Captain Arsenev and a small troop of soldiers are on a mission to explore the Siberian wilderness.  At the beginning of their trek, they run into Dersu Uzala an indigenous trapper and hunter.  He is immediately enlisted as a guide.  A good thing too as his survival skills save the Russians more than once.

Dersu has a pantheistic belief system in which the natural world is treated with the utmost respect.  He is terrified of a menacing spirit currently represented by a tiger.  The Russians go home to their families.

Later, Arsenev leads a larger and more extensive exploration of the same area.  He soon reunites with Dersu.  However, the years are catching up with his friend.  His vision is failing and he can no longer hunt as well.  He agrees to return to the city with Arsenev but finds life there is not for him.

The scenery is beautiful and Kurosawa gets to exercise his love for wind and rain.  The story is a good one too.  I don’t know if I’d call this a must-see but it is enjoyable.

Dersu Uzala won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Trailer is dubbed for American audiences.  Version I watched was in Russian with subtitles.