• Kurosawa’s Dostoevsky adaptation was taken from him by the Shochiku studio and cut down from his version (running nearly 4 ½ hours apparently) to the 166 minute version that survives
  • Even before his Shakespeare works (and he’s the greatest adapter of The Bard cinema has seen though I’d listen to an argument for Welles I guess) Kurosawa had an interest in adapting the great works of literature
a shot — even in 1951– that has become a staple in Kurosawa’s work– a master of using character blocking to design his frame
  • Has both titles and a narrator early in the film which is exhausting exposition and bad form- I have to think this is because of the Shochiku studio cutting it down—both declaring clearly that this is a “faithless world” as always in Kurosawa’s worldview – a “world full of wolves” at some point in the text
  • The actors on display are terrific- not only Mifune and Shimura, but Setsuko Hara (Ozu’s muse) comes off very well- a great actress
  • Overall there are great shots (at the seven minute mark a picture of Hara with two men reflected off the glass window framing her) and cinematic moments but too few and far between, especially for such a long film. Unless the studio cut out nearly 2 hours of cinematic bliss I don’t see this being counted alongside the great butchered films like Greed, The Magnificent Ambersons, or even A Star Is Born from Cukor
there are great shots —at the seven minute mark a picture of Hara with two men reflected off the glass window framing her
  • At 33 minutes Hara is in the foreground kneeling with the two rivals behind her in the frame
  • Long stylistically quiet stretches of speechmaking
  • The snow covered bridge shot and sequence at 90 minutes is a standout
The snow covered bridge shot and sequence at 90 minutes is a standout
  • The icicles blocking and obstructing the frame on the right at 131 minutes
  • At 151 minutes both male leads are lined up in parallel, Mifune in the background facing left and
Even before his Shakespeare works (and he’s the greatest adapter of The Bard cinema has seen though I’d listen to an argument for Welles I guess) Kurosawa had an interest in adapting the great works of literature
  • True to Kurosawa’s oeuvre the weather is a character- this is a relentless winter
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1951