“Poverty’s a political problem they say. But what has politics ever done for the poor? Has a law been passed to get rid of poverty and ignorance?” – Dr. Kyojo Niide
From the moment Toshiro Mifune did motion pictures with Akira Kurosawa, starting with Stray Dog, an important friendship and partnership occured between them. As memorable as the one between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lars von Trier, Jean Marais and Jean Cocteau, and Diane Keaton with Woody Allen.
But unlike these creative duos and friendship, the relationship between Mifune and Kurosawa ended quite abruptly following this production of Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard. The last production that Toshiro Mifune did with the director. An epic three hours story set in the world of medicine. And also his last Black-and-White motion picture.
In its story, the plot concerns over young doctor Noboru Yasumoto, who wishes to be the Shogun’s physician, but ends up working in a rural clinic made to treat poor patients living in terrible conditions. Which affects his ego as he refuses to work there; expecting to use his medecine for the greater noble population.
But helmed under a doctor with a strong red beard named Kyojo Niide, that hospital becomes an important class for Yasumoto; to discover and learn about caring and respecting his patients; in empathizing with their life circumstances; and in humility and generosity for others. Something that several doctors lack as they treat their business like a money machine and not like a helpful cause; and which Osamu Tezuka — a trained surgeon — also denounced in his manga series Black Jack.
As he lets himself conquered by that doctor and his life philosophy, Noboru Yasumoto starts his work in the hospital; treating certain patients who need his help. And discovering various situations linked to the life reality of those patients.
With this movie, Akira Kurosawa is trying to display a positive story. One where goodness and kindness prevails amidst a hard and difficult world. Changing from more dramatic stories like High and Low or The Bad Sleep Well; with their either bittersweet or tragic finales.
As for Red Beard, it was filmed over two years, making it one of his most exigent productions. And in it, he built a set for the village that stands among his most impressive. A real-built village that wowed Toho’s studio visitors. A studio whose wide and realistic designs and production values reminded me of the one Michael Cimino did in Heaven’s Gate, a maligned motion picture that, over the decades, is now considered one of the best westerns ever.
Like that Cimino production, Red Beard is set at three hours and is as rich as The Seven Samurai. With even a musical intermission at the middle of the story. Lasting five minutes. As for its production design, the director really tried to make sure that the props had aged and were not freshly made by designers. He also ensured that the locations really looked like they had gone through the centuries. Which reminds me a little of Carl Theodor Dreyer and his rigourous sense of realism and truth.
However, as stated earlier, it is also the last film that Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa did together; due to them having arguments during filming. As explained in multiple information sources, the rigorous and constraining schedule of Red Beard affected Toshiro Mifune’s work opportunities as he was stuck in this role during the entire production and could not participate on TV shows or on movies. And as he was establishing his own production company, this situation affected his projects. Because of this, their relationship turned sour and broken for many years. Though they reconciled in the 1990s, they would not work together again. Which adds a sad note to the motion picture. Where we realize how a movie so filled with positivity and wonder ended up affecting the partnership and friendship between two pioneers in motion pictures.
Nevertheless, Red Beard is an amazing movie from Akira Kurosawa that deserves a proper new release on Blu-Ray. For visually and thematically, it is one of the best movies from the director. And one with a great cinematography filmed in CinemaScope. Which allows a wider sense of view of the story, its protagonists and their locations.
A wider perspective over this excellent masterpiece from the director.
Omnes's Oasis 