Ikimono no kiroku (1955) Reviews

• "Living things like us are here – what will become of us?"

  Steffi_P2007-04-23

  I Live in Fear, more accurately translated from the Japanese as Record of a Living Being, marks a move towards gloomier, more pessimistic works from Kurosawa. It is, as far as I know, the earliest film to deal head-on with the issue of nuclear weapons. While Japan's own Godzilla (1954) and US films like Kiss Me Deadly (1955) made metaphors for the destructive capabilities of the bomb, I Live in Fear looks directly at the unspoken social terror by which those other allegorical films were inspired. But this is not a one-issue film. Kurosawa also rails against the problems in a typical patriarchal Japanese family – both with the family elder's demanding control over his children and also the younger generation's disrespect for the old man. However, an overarching theme seems to be an attack on individualism. Niide, the patriarch seeks only to save himself and his family. Throughout the picture we are reminded that there is a wider society out there, beginning with the opening shots of crowded streets scenes (which remind me of the beginning of The Public Enemy). So Kurosawa puts several of his political eggs in I Live in Fear's basket, but the points are skilfully woven together around the theme of the nuclear threat. While we aren't confronted with an actual demonstration of the effects of nuclear war, the imagery of total destruction is there in subtle ways. The iron foundry which Niide owns resembles a ruined, burnt out city. At one point, Niide is startled by the beginning of a thunderstorm – the perfect metaphor for a nuclear strike; a flash, a boom and rainfall (in other words, the radioactive fallout after the explosion). It's a slightly obvious device, but the timing is perfect. One of the most haunting images comes towards the end, in a scene where a dusty wind is blowing through Niide's house, flapping through the pages of a book he has left open on the floor. Kurosawa's regular leading man Toshiro Mifune is daringly cast as the elderly Niide. With makeup ageing his features, the thirty-five year old is in a role unlike any he had played before. He's perhaps a little too lively to convince as an old man, but what counts is that he brings as much power to the performance as he did to his role as Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai the previous year. His standout scene is the one in which he confronts Dr Harada after getting off the bus, and confesses that he is now terrified. Kurosawa cleverly amplifies his speech by having it take place under a road bridge. Kurosawa's favourite supporting actor, Takashi Shimura, plays Dr Harada, and turns in a strong performance as a kind of consistent voice of reason throughout the picture. One criticism I sometimes have of Kurosawa is that in his effort to make a point, he occasionally forgets to make a film enjoyable for the audience, and this is somewhat the case here. I Live in Fear is not the most entertaining of Kurosawa's pictures. On the other hand, it's not all that long, and there's a slightly hysterical tone to it that occasionally makes it spellbinding. Kurosawa said this was the picture that he was most proud of, and you can see why. It was a flop at the Japanese box office, and has never been all that popular, but as a record of the atmosphere of the times, it really deserves more recognition.

• excellent, moving film

  sleepdeprived2004-11-22

  "I Live in Fear" is a thought-provoking, moving film about love, greed and fear, framed as only Kurosawa could. If you're a fan it's a must see, as it explores new and old themes in a stark, interesting manner. Excellent acting through-out, and please look carefully--Mifune wears no make-up, just huge glasses and a perpetual scowl; his talent and intensity were all he needed. This film also gives us an interesting look at Japan after the bomb, and the different ways people chose to deal with the fear they all in fact felt. The film does not judge, sympathizing with the children even as it highlights their selfishness. A good movie to make you think about where we've been, and where we might be headed.

• Good film

  kanarazu2005-04-01

  I felt I had to post because this film, not one of my favorites by Kurosawa but still a one of quality and intelligence, keeps getting bashed by reviewers. The low score (compared to other Kurosawa films) shouldn't discourage potential viewers. Granted, this film takes more patience than some of his other films. However, the subject matter of the atomic bomb and how Japanese society and individuals deal I thought was very seminal. The whole concept of fear is deeply imbued into the film and it questions the sanity of the viewer and the world who live under the constant threat of universal destruction with ignorant self-assurance. The ideas are intelligent and presented with clarity. This film is complete and good in itself and doesn't need to rely on the name of Kurosawa to justify itself. Not a good Kurosawa film to start off with if one is trying to nurse an interest in his fecund movies but a good movie to watch nonetheless particularly if one is at all curious about how Japanese people feel about the horror of the atomic bomb.

• SEE IT AND BE SCARED: GREAT FILM!!!

  quinolas2002-02-06

  *** CONTAINS SPOILERS *** Record of a Living Being (or I Live in Fear) is an amazing film, sometimes even disturbing. The first scenes, set at the judge's office, have almost a comical tone. They tell of the confrontation between Nakajima Kiichi (Mifune Toshiro) and his family. This confrontation is beautifully highlighted in the oppressive environment created by cramming members of the family, the judge and counsellors into the frame. The tension created is so strong that it would not be too long before the scene burst out into violence. When that happens characters are propelled out of the frame but with Kurosawa's use of several cameras filming simultaneously these actions are caught brilliantly given the sequence an essence of cinema verite. The comical mood of the starting sequences changes when the setting moves to Kiichi third mistress' house Asako (Negishi Akemi). Here in a fast motion and silent (apart from the sound of thunder) shot Kiichi jumps at the sight of lightning and sound of thunder and rushes to cover with his body Asako's baby. The scene lasts only for a few seconds but it is enough to leave a strong impression of Kiichi's fears. It also shifts the mood of the film into a more serious dimension. Some Western film critics have mentioned the film uncertainties on its moral and political stance and criticise its supposedly weak ending. Some other have talked about its flawed script and the uncomfortable acting of Mifune playing a character twice his age. Here I am particularly referring to Rod McShane's review in Time Out. First I just wonder how anyone can talk of uncertainties in a script by just relying on subtitles and second, speak to any Japanese, who have seen the film, about Mifune acting and they would say that apart from the heavy makeup he is pretty convincing as an old man. Kiichi's character is far from being a model patriarch and far from providing a convincing and argumentative political message against nuclear power. He's got three mistresses, one of them dead, and 3 illegitimate children. His is an animal behaviour, therefore his irrational actions, who is fighting for survival. This is in sharp contrast with his family position. They are more down to earth, are they?. They think calmly about the consequences of his father's action. They know the law, at one point the mother scolds Jiro, the second son, for sounding just like a lawyer. They all have dreams for the future, they are all greedy that is why they can risk their lives. They would rather die than risk to lose all they have. Greed is one the major themes in Kurosawa's films and one of the causes that pushes Japan into chaos. Yojimbo, High and Low, Throne of Blood and Ran are good examples of this. Greed is epitomised by most of the members of the family, with the exception of Kiichi's wife, Asako and his youngest daughter Sue, but most subtlety by Kiichi's first son wife Kimie (Sengoku Noriko). She remains silent for most of the film, always keeping herself in the background. At one point when all the family is discussing what to do with the patriarch she looks out the window at the factory looming out of darkness before she draws the curtains. Later after Kiichi had set fire to the factory we see a crowd surrounding him and Kimie again in the background. She starts moving away from the crowd followed by the camera, approaches the rubble, falls on her knees and bursts into tears. In another sequence Kiichi's mistresses and their families feeling that he might die want to be included in his will and are seen negotiating with Kiichi's blood family. Kurosawa very cleverly pans the camera following Kimie who silently moves from side of the room to the other eavesdropping all the conversations. Kurosawa became a master in editing. In Record of a Living a Being several cameras were used simultaneously. This technique was meant to be used to enhance action sequences and Kurosawa had done that in his previous Seven Samurai for the battle scene in the rain. So it came as a surprise to use that technique for such a static film as this one. Nevertheless one of the most powerful sequences in the film is actually a static one. It happens when Kiichi is begging to his family for the last time to accompany him to Brazil. In a frontal medium shot of the family sitting in a semicircle, Kiichi is seen at its bottom right corner. After his request a silence follows, the camera unmoved, which is only broken by the crying of his wife and Sue. The tension increases and eventually the youngest son says something that enrages Kiichi who starts beating him up. The final shot of the film is a vindication of Kiichi crusade. From his cell at the mental house Kiichi looks out of the window to the blazing sun, which he believes it is the Earth on fire hit by a nuclear bomb. Harada (Shimura Takeshi), who has always supported his cause, is with him. Kiichi tells him how happy he is that Harada had left the Earth and saved his life. As Harada leaves the hospital he comes across Asako carrying her baby. In Kiichi's eyes they have also escaped destruction unlike Kiichi's family who was seen leaving the hospital as Harada was coming in just before the Earth started to burn. Kiichi's final wish, after bowing to his family refusal of leaving Japan, was to save the baby. He is the future of Japan, born of a mother who was the only one who offered him money. The greedy family went down to Earth to meet its own destruction.

• Gripping drama based on fear in post-Hiroshima Japan

  fam1999-04-10

  Toshiro Mifune's brilliant performance as an embittered factory owner at war with his family owes much to traditional Japanese theatre. The family want him committed to a lunatic asylum in what at first appears a dispute over succession and family wealth. But it emerges that the old man's crankiness and ill-temper is not simply based on a dislike of his mostly lazy and grasping offspring. He is driven by a fear of nuclear bombs (remember this was made less than 10 years after Hiroshima) and his plan to dispose of the business (a foundry, symbol of post-war reconstruction) and move to a farm in Brazil seems more like the action of someone who wants to spare the family, including his illegitimate children, and escape the horror. He is prepared to go to any length, even sacrificing himself and the business in the process. It is a film about a family blown apart by insecurity and fear, made into a gripping tale by a top director and an accomplished cast, as well as giving another twist to one of Kurosawa's constant themes - how the impact of outside forces on traditional values pushes Japan closer to chaos and madness.