X
- 1956
- Not Rated
- Brandon Films
- 2 h 23 m
- 1956
- Not Rated
- Brandon Films
- 2 h 23 m
Summary A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa
- 1956
- Not Rated
- Brandon Films
- 2 h 23 m
- 1956
- Not Rated
- Brandon Films
- 2 h 23 m
Ikiru
8.5
Where to Watch
Summary A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
92
95% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
92
95% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The narrative is carefully paced, the central performance magnificent, the final effect overwhelming in a manner that recalls the great Russian writers Kurosawa admired.
This masterpiece of 1952 is one of the gentlest, subtlest tales from one of Japan's all-time-great filmmakers, combining the sweep of a novel with the intimacy of an elegy. [10 Jan 2003]
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 32 User Ratings
8.5
94% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 32 User Ratings
8.5
94% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Were it the only film Kurosawa ever made, his name would be rightfully engraved on film history.
A thoughtful, existential meditation about the meaning of life and what constitutes a life well-lived, Ikiru is almost guaranteed to prod the viewer to examine his or her own mortality and ponder how, in the end, the scales will tip.
Kurosawa performs a tour-de-force in keeping a dramatic thread throughout and avoiding the mawkish. It is technically excellent with a telling Occidental-type musical score.
Ikiru wows for its complicated interrogation (and innovation) of subjective, cinematic experiences of time and memory, but lulls in its commemoration of a wealthy, privileged man who finally decides to care after it’s absolutely confirmed he has no time left to live.
Everything we're meant to feel here is bluntly dictated by the script and delivered with unambiguous, button-pushing direction - it's impossible to miss. [06 Aug 2016]
An emotional heartbreaking tale of the final months of a man with cancer. A true foreign classic!
Report
Production Company
Toho
Release Date Mar 25, 1956
Duration 2 h 23 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline One of the Great Films of Our Time!
Awards
Mainichi Film Concours
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Kinema Junpo Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
