Ikimono no kiroku (I Live In Fear, 生きものの記録, aka Record of a Living Being or What the Birds Know, Japanese; 1955)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Dr Harada (acted by one of Kurosawa's regular actors, Takashi Shimora) is a dentist who does part-time arbitrating family issues at a local court. He feels personally involved in a recent family feud of a wealthy foundry owner.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
You work hard all through your life, earning for your family, ensuring that they do not lose out on you did not have. You want there to be no obstacles along the way so that they can explore their own true potential. You secretly hope that they would scale heights which were unattainable by you in your lifetime. You play your part to the tilt hoping that they would do theirs.
What you get instead is the title of being a workaholic madman who cannot keep still and let the younger generation take charge! Your other half who used to be the better one, decide to take sides and you can see all your life's hard work crumbling right in front of you. The world is not on your side, and all the accusing finger is pointing at you, only you. And you know they are so wrong. So, what do you do? They use the same knowledge that you try to impart on to them against you, chucking you into the looney bin.
This message, together with Kurosawa's favourite of Atomic Bomb devastation form the crux of this film which is a somewhat not so popular offering. It, however, made its way to the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
Dr Harada (acted by one of Kurosawa's regular actors, Takashi Shimora) is a dentist who does part-time arbitrating family issues at a local court. He feels personally involved in a recent family feud of a wealthy foundry owner.
Kiichi Nagajima (Toshiro Mifune, another of Kurosawa's favourite) is accused by his family as being mentally incapacitated. Kiichi has the irrevocable fear that the A-bomb would hit anytime as it did before and he wants to sell off his whole property, lock, stock and barrel and migrate to Brazil, with his wife, mistresses and children.
The family thinks that he is over-reacting and vehemently disagree with his crazy plan to start life anew in Sao Paolo. Actually, everyone, his children, children-in-law and mistresses are only interested in his money. They want to inherit his fortune. They worry that Kiichi may use up all the money, leaving nothing for them to spend.
Kiichi is actually a kind-hearted man who cares for all his dependants and his subordinates too. He is usually rash and abrupt in his speech. His unshakeable belief that the atomic catastrophe would repeat itself pushes the court's decision against his favour. He is deemed mentally incompetent even though his mind is crystal clear.
In a fit of rage, he burns down the foundry that everyone has laid their eyes on. Little did he realise that is action would hit his workers badly. Kiichi is slowly drawn into psychosis. He thinks he is on another planet, away from Earth which he imagines having self-destructed!
Dr Harada visits him in the psychiatric ward. He feels partially responsible for his state. He understands that Kiichi may be right after all. We are living in a world full of insanity around us. Perhaps, Kiichi is the sane one who managed to shield himself from the ludicracy of the world around him.
The family thinks that he is over-reacting and vehemently disagree with his crazy plan to start life anew in Sao Paolo. Actually, everyone, his children, children-in-law and mistresses are only interested in his money. They want to inherit his fortune. They worry that Kiichi may use up all the money, leaving nothing for them to spend.
Kiichi is actually a kind-hearted man who cares for all his dependants and his subordinates too. He is usually rash and abrupt in his speech. His unshakeable belief that the atomic catastrophe would repeat itself pushes the court's decision against his favour. He is deemed mentally incompetent even though his mind is crystal clear.
In a fit of rage, he burns down the foundry that everyone has laid their eyes on. Little did he realise that is action would hit his workers badly. Kiichi is slowly drawn into psychosis. He thinks he is on another planet, away from Earth which he imagines having self-destructed!
Dr Harada visits him in the psychiatric ward. He feels partially responsible for his state. He understands that Kiichi may be right after all. We are living in a world full of insanity around us. Perhaps, Kiichi is the sane one who managed to shield himself from the ludicracy of the world around him.
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