04-13-2020, 11:13 AM
Another Toshiro Mifune/Takashi Shimura vehicle a la Kurosawa.
Mifune is volcanic here, struggling to contain a jealous rage as the scandalous woman he loves begins to take an interest in his newfound friend (the idiot). The idiot is not so much an idiot as a veteran scarred by the ravages of war to the point that he's become a pure soul (simple-minded, hopelessly honest, with an almost psychic awareness of people's true natures and desires).
On release, The Idiot was panned by Japanese critics, who ultimately ranked it 18th among Japanese-language movies that year (the only Kurosawa film failing to rank in the "Best Ten" in its release year). Some say that only the immense popularity of one of its stars (actress Setsuko Hara) saved it from being a complete commercial disaster.
Early in the movie, I was puzzled by moments where text on screen described sweeping events. That just seemed an odd affectation for Kurosawa. But as I later learned, he'd filmed those scenes, only to have the studio toss them.
Yep, the released version was hardly Kurosawa's cut. That had a running time of 4 hours and 26 minutes and was meant to be shown in two parts. But the studio insisted on cutting it in half. After seeing an initial hacked version by the studio, Kurosawa suggested they cut it lengthwise. Anyway, they cut it to 2 hours and 46 minutes, which is the version I saw.
The Idiot is based on Dostoyevsky's novel of the same name, which I have not read and so can't say how closely it follows that source material. The whole story idea sounds simplistic on paper, but it's a complex tale, with lots of moving parts, and so many well-drawn characters that you care about interacting in unexpected ways. The scenes roil with confused emotions and growing suspense, making it almost hypnotic in its appeal. I wish I could have seen the original. But all that cut-out footage no longer exists (Kurosawa searched for it at the responsible studio later in his career, to no avail).
Mifune is volcanic here, struggling to contain a jealous rage as the scandalous woman he loves begins to take an interest in his newfound friend (the idiot). The idiot is not so much an idiot as a veteran scarred by the ravages of war to the point that he's become a pure soul (simple-minded, hopelessly honest, with an almost psychic awareness of people's true natures and desires).
On release, The Idiot was panned by Japanese critics, who ultimately ranked it 18th among Japanese-language movies that year (the only Kurosawa film failing to rank in the "Best Ten" in its release year). Some say that only the immense popularity of one of its stars (actress Setsuko Hara) saved it from being a complete commercial disaster.
Early in the movie, I was puzzled by moments where text on screen described sweeping events. That just seemed an odd affectation for Kurosawa. But as I later learned, he'd filmed those scenes, only to have the studio toss them.
Yep, the released version was hardly Kurosawa's cut. That had a running time of 4 hours and 26 minutes and was meant to be shown in two parts. But the studio insisted on cutting it in half. After seeing an initial hacked version by the studio, Kurosawa suggested they cut it lengthwise. Anyway, they cut it to 2 hours and 46 minutes, which is the version I saw.
The Idiot is based on Dostoyevsky's novel of the same name, which I have not read and so can't say how closely it follows that source material. The whole story idea sounds simplistic on paper, but it's a complex tale, with lots of moving parts, and so many well-drawn characters that you care about interacting in unexpected ways. The scenes roil with confused emotions and growing suspense, making it almost hypnotic in its appeal. I wish I could have seen the original. But all that cut-out footage no longer exists (Kurosawa searched for it at the responsible studio later in his career, to no avail).
I'm nobody's pony.
