I Live in Fear (Ikimono no kiroku) (AKA “Record of a Living Being”)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Written by Shinobu Hashimori and Hideo Iguni; story by Akira Kurosawa and Fumio Hayasaka
1955/Japan
Tojo Company
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed. — Albert Einstein [/box]
This has an intriguing premise and Toshiro Mifune as a 70-year-old but it doesn’t rank with the best of Kurosawa’s films.
Dr. Harada (Takashi Shimura) is a dentist who volunteers his time as a judge in the court that arbitrates family disputes. The wife of Kiichi Nakajima (Mifune) has filed a petition with the court asking that the old man be deemed incompetent at the insistence of her children. The problem is that Nakajima, who has made his fortune in the foundary business, wants to move his entire family to Brazil. He figures that Brazil is safe from the hydrogen bomb and has an opportunity to buy a farm there. No one else shares his sense of urgency and the entire family relies on the foundary, which would have to be sold, for their employment and income.
We follow the story behind the scenes where the children reveal themselves to be ingrates. Nakajima also has a couple of mistresses and illegitimate children whom he also wants to move to Brazil. These people outdo the legitimate family in their ingratitude and grasping ways. Harada has sympathy for the old man’s fears but the court finally agrees it has no choice but to grant the certificate of incompetency. Nakajima immediately appeals. But when his exit route is cut off, his fear builds to dramatic proportions.
It’s just hard to buy MIfune as an old man once one has been so familiar with him as an action hero. He certainly gives it his all however. The movie is a little heavy on the message but it’s not bad. Just not the ideal follow-up to Seven Samurai!
Theme music – sorry no video
