Akahige (Red Beard) (1965)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Aditya G

  
  Perhaps the most important reason "Red Beard" is remembered is because this was Akira Kurosawa's last film starring Toshiro Mifune before they had a fall-out! I would like to remember it another way though...as one of the most unconventional films in the great… More
  Perhaps the most important reason "Red Beard" is remembered is because this was Akira Kurosawa's last film starring Toshiro Mifune before they had a fall-out! I would like to remember it another way though...as one of the most unconventional films in the great director's impressive filmography. "Red Beard" isn't really a single story or plot...it is about a young intern Dr. Noboru Yasumoto (Yūzō Kayama) educated in Nagasaki, sent for his post-graduate medical training in a rural charity clinic. The director of this clinic is Dr. Kyojō Niide (Toshiro Mifune) also known as "Akahige"(the "Red Beard"), who on the surface appears tyrannical and a steadfast individual who dictates certain "rules" around the hospital. Yasumoto is supposed to work under Niide and serve in the clinic but he is immediately disappointed with the kind of environment he finds himself in. There aren't enough funds to support the infrastructure in the clinic and patients are kept in pathetic conditions. There is poverty, disease and death all around and Yasumoto finds himself trapped in the stricken atmosphere and wishes to leave immediately. When he finds he won't be able to leave for a while, a miffed Yasumoto comes to believe there is nothing he can possibly gain from working in that environment and is certain that Niide has a vested interest in him for his advanced notes from his Nagasaki medical education. Yasumoto becomes a silent rebel and starts his non-cooperation movement by refusing to wear his uniform, drinking "Sake" in the clinic when it has been prohibited by Niide, among other things. The film then chronicles Yasumoto's tenure at the clinic, the various individuals he comes across, patients as well as staff, several unexpected episodes that ultimately make him more compassionate and enable him to come to terms with the situation. [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lb1IDLz_lhY/Thx4azsb0kI/AAAAAAAAB44/FBVEywbMOEQ/1.jpg[/img] Throughout its sprawling 185 mins length, "Red Beard", for the most part is a depressing film. A few very interesting characters are shown, each one, mostly a tragic figure, supported by an even more tragic back story as to why he/she has ultimately reached the state of misery he/she is in! So there is this ailing yet extremely good-hearted patient Sahachi (Tsutomu Yamazaki) who in spite of being seriously ill himself goes out, does some odd jobs and earns money to buy himself and some of his fellow-patients their much needed medicines which seem to fall short in the already impoverished clinic. Then there is Rokusuke(Kamatari Fujiwara), an old man dying of cancer who refuses to say anything! A wonderful scene in the film comes to mind in which Niide asks Yasumoto to sit next to Rokusuke as he dies, for "there is nothing as solemn as a man's final moments"! [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eiCOiqXViY8/Thx4a3uweYI/AAAAAAAAB48/BMyz4RUFdJo/3.jpg[/img] There are other characters like The "Mantis" Madwoman (Kyoko Kagawa) a supposed murderess with a history of abuse, and the teenage prostitute, Otoyo (Terumi Niki) rescued by Niide and Yasumoto from a local brothel, who finally finds a "decent" life in Niide's clinic! In fact, Otoyo's story dominates the entire second half of the film, clubbed with the heart-rending story of a little boy named Chobo. "Red Beard" is a unique film, especially for Kurosawa, no doubt. It could be the only one of its kind amongst all the pictures Kurosawa made. So while the film isn't really plot-driven, it is an intense study of various characters and an account of the impact of the various challenges in their lives on them. The film moves at a considerably moderate to slow pace, but that helps us sink in, be at one with the environment of the film and relate to the characters. The film is extremely engaging, but there are times when the long length seems to be a deterrent especially when some of back stories take too long to unfold as the audience waits in patience for the back story to reach its conclusion. Some of these scenes also lead to some unnecessary melodrama. But these minor quibbles in no way bring the film down in terms of the overall quality of this passionate picture. [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R3421K3onE8/Thx4bD-eSlI/AAAAAAAAB5A/hqc7UUkEauY/2.jpg[/img] Toshiro Mifune's towering performance is unfortunately given limited screen time while Yuzo Kayama gets to do more scenes in this one. Apparently one of the scriptwriters Hideo Oguni told Kurosawa that Mifune's performance had been "all wrong" in the film, which supposedly led Kurosawa, for the first time, to doubt Mifune's abilities, which ultimately led to the rift, partly due to Mifune's own misgivings about the project and how it was taking a toll on his other projects. Whatever the back story of the Mifune-Kurosawa rift, it is indeed sad that this prolific partnership had to end. That said, this remains one of the most restrained, accomplished and memorable performances by Toshiro Mifune. While he plays a calm, yet stern individual, he gets to re-live his action-hero persona in a brief fight sequence. Then there is the "real" lead actor, Yuzo Kayama who impresses with his superb performance. It is sheer pleasure watching the initial arrogance turn into tender compassion as the film progresses. "Red Beard" may not match the brilliance of his masterpiece "Seven Samurai", but it certainly does not deserve to be pushed into oblivion, for it certainly is one of Kurosawa's finest but underrated works! Score: 9/10

• First L

  
  Akira Kurosawa's three-hour masterpiece follows young doctor Noboru Yasumoto as he is sent to work at a public health facility. He had been trained overseas and was expecting to be the private doctor of the shogun, and so he's unpleasantly surprised when he finds out what… More
  Akira Kurosawa's three-hour masterpiece follows young doctor Noboru Yasumoto as he is sent to work at a public health facility. He had been trained overseas and was expecting to be the private doctor of the shogun, and so he's unpleasantly surprised when he finds out what his new assignment is. The doctor who he's replacing seems especially cynical: "These people would be better off dead" he says of the empoverished patients. Not only is he cynical when it comes to the patients, he's also cynical of the hospital's overseer, "Red Beard" (Toshiro Mifune). The older doctor paints horror stories for the new young doctor of their boss with the red beard, and Yasumoto tries to get thrown out of his position by rebelling against the hardened Red Beard. Much like the film, Captains Courageous, Yasumoto soon learns his boss isn't really a monster, but a great and kind (if gruff) man, as he's shown how to truly help his fellow man. Red Beard unfolds like a great novel, it takes it's time in giving nuance and depth to the stories of the patients the doctors help. I was wondering how they'd work in a fight scene for Toshiro Mifune, what with him being a respectable doctor and all, but they somehow managed it. Mifune is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors of all time (note, I didnt' quantify it by saing "greatest Japanese actor", his appeal extends beyond national boundaries), and yet here he's probably playing one of his lesser roles (despite being the title character). It's a terrific ensemble cast. Kurosawa directs with his usual flair, but here there are some unique touches that really jump out at the viewer. Most noteably the strange lighting effect used in the scene with the little girl who's rescued from the brothel, as she's recouperating in bed. The way only her eyes are lit creates an eerie, creepy effect. Red Beard is a touching, poignant, comedy, drama, tear-jerker that runs the gamut of emotions. One of the best films ever.

• Randy T

  
  "The pain and loneliness of death frighten me. But Dr. Niide looks at it differently. He looks into their hearts as well as their bodies." Kurosawa does such a magnificent job of infusing the virtues of decency and humanity into the story that they almost become concrete,… More
  "The pain and loneliness of death frighten me. But Dr. Niide looks at it differently. He looks into their hearts as well as their bodies." Kurosawa does such a magnificent job of infusing the virtues of decency and humanity into the story that they almost become concrete, tangible characters. The fact that <i>Red Beard</i> is rarely, if ever, listed as one of Akira's cinematic milestones has me a little perplexed. Highly underrated.

• xGary X

  
  An ambitious and arrogant young intern finds himself in a rural clinic for the poor against his wishes, but soon finds there is more to life than wealth and status under the tutelage of a severe but kind-hearted doctor. Red Beard is almost Dickensian. in it's melding of period… More
  An ambitious and arrogant young intern finds himself in a rural clinic for the poor against his wishes, but soon finds there is more to life than wealth and status under the tutelage of a severe but kind-hearted doctor. Red Beard is almost Dickensian. in it's melding of period drama and social commentary, all told with a decidedly left wing slant. The Siu clinic is a fledgling "welfare state", where treatment is free to the needy, and Kurosawa takes great pains to illustrate that a man's worth is not the sum of his material possessions. The film is structured into a series of short stories centering around different patients, each with a tragic event in their past. The finest example is the final story of Ting, a young girl suffering abuse at the hands of a brothel's madam who slowly learns that there are good people in the world, after being rescued in a great scene in which Red Beard ably hands out the injuries he later heals! It's VERY long and rather short on action compared to his samurai films, but it's also a genuinely touching, heartwarming and good natured tale that is Kurosawa at his most human.

• danny d

  
  "hes a great doctor. no, hes a great man." that quote from this film really wraps it up. this movie is flawless, perfect in every way. easily kurosawas best directing job, and mifunes acting performance is one of the greatest in film history. every line of diologue,… More
  "hes a great doctor. no, hes a great man." that quote from this film really wraps it up. this movie is flawless, perfect in every way. easily kurosawas best directing job, and mifunes acting performance is one of the greatest in film history. every line of diologue, every camera shot, everything was perfect. one of the 10 greatest films i have ever seen, absolutely brilliant in every way. the young doctor, the little boy towards the end, all of the acting was great and this story is stunning and beautiful. dont believe that kurosawa can only make samurai films, this one is even better than seven samurai.

• Christopher M

  
  A tremendous film by the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. He binds together a highly engaging and wonderful set of characters and their stories based in Feudal Japan. This is simply an impeccable film, it is beautifully made and heart wrenching at times, and the acting is… More
  A tremendous film by the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. He binds together a highly engaging and wonderful set of characters and their stories based in Feudal Japan. This is simply an impeccable film, it is beautifully made and heart wrenching at times, and the acting is fabulous. An essential film.

• Matthew Y

  
  The final collaboration of possibly the greatest directing/acting combination the world has ever seen between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Red Beard tells of a young medical student with dreams of working in big city, big money hospitals who has to first work in a low money… More
  The final collaboration of possibly the greatest directing/acting combination the world has ever seen between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Red Beard tells of a young medical student with dreams of working in big city, big money hospitals who has to first work in a low money town hospital with an old head doctor. Throughout the film the main character Red Beard (played by Mifune) slowly changes this young doctors views on his profession and his life's values. The film is beloved in its native Japan but met with mixed reactions by western cultures. I personally think it is an hour too long and with some serious hemoraging of dead-weight the film could be universally considered the masterpiece that it ought to be. A rift was created between Kirosawa and Mifune after this film and, though it was never explained what happened or why, the two never worked together again. The two went down drastically different paths after this as Mifune went on to world fame and Kurosawa struggle for the rest of his life to get any financed projects off the ground. The period of (Rashomon) 1950-1965 (Red Beard) was easily the greatest period of Kurosawa's filmmaking and it's not surprising at all that it was during his run with Mifune.

• Gevvy S

  
  A different type of film from Kurosawa than what he usually makes. Sort of like Rashomon, but not quite as provocative or experimental as that film. This film is about relationships between all the people who come in contact with a clinic for the sick and it's head doctor--Dr.… More
  A different type of film from Kurosawa than what he usually makes. Sort of like Rashomon, but not quite as provocative or experimental as that film. This film is about relationships between all the people who come in contact with a clinic for the sick and it's head doctor--Dr. Niide. He is also known as Red Beard and is played very well by Toshiro Mifune, who gives a very wise and sensitive performance as the doctor. This film is very slow moving and calmly paces ahead with it's characters. We see great organic development in the film's characters, something which is very rewarding to watch on film. Genuinely touching, serious, and even funny at times, Kurosawa's last collaboration with Mifune is a very good film, just a little difficult to sit through at times, but really worth it.

• Tom S

  
  The content is average, the form peerless.

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