• It doesn’t entirely transcend its stage bound origins (a turn of the century play by Maxim Gorky is the source material) but Kurosawa infuses his depth of field staging (particularly in the second half of the film) to elevate the film beyond a simple recommend
  • This is certainly Kurosawa’s nihilistic worldview: suicide, strangling, illness, depressing, likes like “how can you go to hell when you’re already there?”
  • An ensemble piece in one setting/set piece/dwelling
  • At 15 minutes the foreground, middle-level and background—man is lying in the foreground, face to the camera. There is a man kneeling down behind them and a third standing

At 15 minutes the foreground, middle-level and background—man is lying in the foreground, face to the camera. There is a man kneeling down behind them and a third standing

  • At 17 minutes Mifune shows up and infuses the film with energy

    At 17 minutes Mifune shows up and infuses the film with energy

  • At 48 minutes the sour-faced Bokuzen Hidari in the foreground center- with the two men playing the game in the background on the sides
  • The best shot/sequence in the film is the stunner at 74 minutes and Kurosawa knows it- he holds it for a long 5 minutes. It’s the leaning against the wood at an angle in the foreground shot here.

    The best shot/sequence in the film is the stunner at 74 minutes and Kurosawa knows it- he holds it for a long 5 minutes. It’s the leaning against the wood at an angle in the foreground shot here.

  • A dark film, ugly dog-eat-dog
  • A B-side Kurosawa—accentuated with it being the lesser of his two 1957 releases- Throne of Blood
  • The wood plans diagonally breaking up the screen has roots back to Rashomon
  • Recommend/Highly Recommend border