I Live in Fear (Ikimono no kiroku) (1955)

70% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(600 ratings)

As Akira Kurosawa's I LIVE IN FEAR begins, Harada (Takashi Shimura), a soft-spoken dentist, is summoned during a hot summer day to his volunteer position at the Tokyo Family Court. He dutifully responds and arrives to hear a family dispute in a sweltering court room. However, the case is far from… More As Akira Kurosawa's I LIVE IN FEAR begins, Harada (Takashi Shimura), a soft-spoken dentist, is summoned during a hot summer day to his volunteer position at the Tokyo Family Court. He dutifully responds and arrives to hear a family dispute in a sweltering court room. However, the case is far from clear-cut; it involves Nakajima (Toshir Mifune), a rich elderly industrialist who is utterly convinced that his family will only be safe from the threat of the nuclear bomb by moving to Brazil. His relatives (including his wife and various daughters, sons, mistresses, and illegitimate children) are almost unanimously opposed to his plan and aim to have him declared "incompetent," which would negate his authority over both the family and his company. Although the bullheaded Nakajima does come across as bitter and eccentric, Harada begins to empathize the curmudgeonly man and his almost paralyzing fear of the atomic bomb. When the judgment is finally made, it sets off a tragic series of events that will leave both Nakajima and Harada irrevocably changed.

Filmed less than a decade after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I LIVE IN FEAR, upon its Japanese release in 1955, tapped into a national and global mood of anxiety and apprehension. A drastic departure from Kurosawa's previous film, the highly successful and acclaimed SEVEN SAMURAI, this somber drama features the fiery 35-year-old Mifune transformed into a world-weary 70-year-old with only the benefit of minor make-up. His portrayal of the cantankerous Nakajima is utterly convincing and stands as one of his most remarkable performances. As always, Shimura plays an excellent counterpart to Mifune as the pensive doctor, torn by duty and his own conscience. Also known as RECORD OF A LIVING BEING, Kurosawa's bleak tale is a poignant story of humanity pushed to the breaking point by its own horrific inventions.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 22, 1955 Wide

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
I feel sure that Mr. Kurosawa could have come up with a more constructive thought on how people should use their energies to pacifistic purpose than the negative one he gives us here.
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News
A compelling look at postwar Japan as well as the onset of Cold War paranoia.
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
A rough adaptation of King Lear, just as was "Ran" that Kurosawa made 30 years later. Not without its problems, but any Kurosawa is better than the Cineplex crap in your local neighborhood.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Akira Kurosawa's social x-raying is a continuation of Ikiru
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Mifune was miscast.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
I Live in Fear shows that Kurosawa is far from content with humanity, but that doesn't mean he's given up hope entirely.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
Perhaps a bit too loose and leisurely to be entirely effective.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

I live in fear is not typical of Kurosawa's work but it is probably one of his most important films. A reaction to and a social commentary on Hiroshima, a subject avoided at the time, Kurosawa opened up Japan's usual conservative attitude and lead debate on societies fear… More
I live in fear is not typical of Kurosawa's work but it is probably one of his most important films. A reaction to and a social commentary on Hiroshima, a subject avoided at the time, Kurosawa opened up Japan's usual conservative attitude and lead debate on societies fear and anxiety and in doing so built bridges of understanding with the western world. Mifune is brilliant in a role unfamiliar and unusual for him, and although the film is one of Kurosawa's least popular, it just might be one of his greatest performances. He is joined by the ever brilliant Shimura once again, although he really doesn't get enough screen time for my liking. Not Kurosawa's most exciting film but he is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, so that doesn't mean much, this is still an amazing and important piece of cinema. performances. He is joined by the ever brilliant Shimura once again, although he really doesn't get enough screen time for my liking. Not Kurosawa's most exciting film but he is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, so that doesn't mean much, this is still an amazing and important piece of cinema. I live in fear is not typical of Kurosawa's work but it is probably one of his most important films. A reaction to and a social commentary on Hiroshima, a subject avoided at the time, Kurosawa opened up Japan's usual conservative attitude and lead debate on societies fear and anxiety and in doing so built bridges of understanding with the western world. Mifune is brilliant in a role unfamiliar and unusual for him, and although the film is one of Kurosawa's least popular, it just might be one of his greatest performances. He is joined by the ever brilliant Shimura once again, although he really doesn't get enough screen time for my liking. Not Kurosawa's most exciting film but he is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, so that doesn't mean much, this is still an amazing and important piece of cinema. ?If the birds and the animals knew what we know, they would leave?
danny d

this is a very profound film. mifune nails his portrayal of an old man losing his grip, and you see that he doesnt genuinely go crazy because of the reasons his family thinks he's crazy, he goes crazy because of his family themselves. shimura's character was great and even… More
this is a very profound film. mifune nails his portrayal of an old man losing his grip, and you see that he doesnt genuinely go crazy because of the reasons his family thinks he's crazy, he goes crazy because of his family themselves. shimura's character was great and even underused, and he is the character with the real moral dilema that the audience can relate to. very good and different film.
Luke B

Certainly not Kurosawa's best this is another example of his fear of nuclear disaster. Also apparent in Dreams. The paranoia aspects are as true today as they ever were but the film comes off too heavy handed and preachy. There is certainly a hell of a lot to love about this film… More
Certainly not Kurosawa's best this is another example of his fear of nuclear disaster. Also apparent in Dreams. The paranoia aspects are as true today as they ever were but the film comes off too heavy handed and preachy. There is certainly a hell of a lot to love about this film and I'm sure at the time of realease it was very relevant. Wonderful performances if a slightly uneven script.
Walter M

"I Live in Fear" starts with Dr. Harada(Takashi Shimura), a dentist, about to do his civic duty by being an adjudicator in family court. The case he gets is a real doozy. Kiichi Nakajima(Toshiro Mifune, even more amazing than usual) is a wealthy foundry owner who thinks… More
"I Live in Fear" starts with Dr. Harada(Takashi Shimura), a dentist, about to do his civic duty by being an adjudicator in family court. The case he gets is a real doozy. Kiichi Nakajima(Toshiro Mifune, even more amazing than usual) is a wealthy foundry owner who thinks nuclear war is unavoidable, so he first tries to build a shelter in a remote part of the country. He abandons it partially built when even that does not turn out to be totally safe. His next idea is to move his entire family to Brazil, at which point they file for an injunction to delcare him mentally unfit. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, "I Live in Fear" is a deeply unsettling movie made in 1955 at the height of the Cold War in Japan where nuclear bombs have already been exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is also a country that had a ringside seat for MacArthur's attempt to start World War III. Nothing could be done at the time, leaving the population feeling helpless, until a thriving anti-nuclear movement could get started. So, maybe a case could be made that Nakajima is not crazy, under the circumstances. He is not afraid for himself, for he has lived a good life. Perhaps too good a life since he has had at least three mistresses.(I guess mistresses might be an open secret in Japan but still...) Now, his concern is for his children and grandchildren but they all have their own lives by now. So, in trying to save the future for those he loves, he is only making their present miserable.(Excuse me, while I borrow a line from "Quantum Leap.")
Gevvy S

It is missing a little something but it is well worth the watch. Toshiro Mifune gives another good performance, this time as a tough old man who is paranoid about the atomic bomb. I found this difficult to relate to since Icannot begin to imagine what people must have thought 10-15… More
It is missing a little something but it is well worth the watch. Toshiro Mifune gives another good performance, this time as a tough old man who is paranoid about the atomic bomb. I found this difficult to relate to since Icannot begin to imagine what people must have thought 10-15 years after Nagasaki and Hiroshima. But I have heard that people indeed lived in fear of one day just having a bomb dropped on them that would be capable of whipping out an entire city. The film is great for showing how a paranoid person's mind works and how it will not listen to reason, but instead just dwell on the one fear they have. In the film, Mifune tries to relocate his family to Brazil in hopes of living safely away from the threat of being killed by an atomic weapon. His family refuse and take him to court to try to stop him from spending money in pursuit of his 'dream'. Strong performances all around bring the conflicts between family members to life. This was a very interesting film because it is difficult to side with either Mifune or his family. Throughout the film, both give reasons for the audience to give them support and both give reasons for the audience to side with their opponent. Nobody seems to be completely right and worthy of our support, but everyone in the film is always deserving of our sympathy for the tough situation that they are in. Kurosawa again shows post-war industrial Japan, however his focus is not the city but the people and their mentality. His film shows how complex family squabbles can be and indeed are in real life. Not a masterpiece but a good solid effort from Kurosawa.
Chris B

After the successes of many films which include Kurosawa's masterpiece Seven Samurai and Rashomon, I Live in Fear departs back to the Drama's Kurosawa also was a master at. I Live in Fear involves a family, a quite large extended family, and the head of the family Nakajima… More
After the successes of many films which include Kurosawa's masterpiece Seven Samurai and Rashomon, I Live in Fear departs back to the Drama's Kurosawa also was a master at. I Live in Fear involves a family, a quite large extended family, and the head of the family Nakajima who is 70 years old and paranoid of being bombed. His family relies, almost obnoxiously, on him for their livelihood and as such are dependent on Nakajima. After trying to deal with his paranoia, Nakajima decides the only way to escape his fears is to move to Brazil with his family and thus escape Japan. Therein lies the plot of the film as his family is quite content living off their father and having it easy. The film displays Kurosawa's depth of characters and talent he drew from them. Toshiro Mifune who at the time was 35, plays Nakajima who is portrayed as 70 and as such is almost unrecognizable. His prowess and acting skills as well as his rather large frame aren't however so easily concealed with makeup and glasses. This is a great Drama from the master of Japanese cinema and is highly recommended!