{"id":81869,"date":"2022-03-05T22:49:09","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T05:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81869"},"modified":"2024-05-28T23:06:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T06:06:00","slug":"idiot-the-1951","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81869","title":{"rendered":"Idiot, The (1951)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m really a sick man. My brain is rotten.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-219x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-81870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-219x300.png 219w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-749x1024.png 749w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-94x128.png 94w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-768x1050.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster-198x270.png 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Poster.png 807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA traumatized and epilectic (&#8220;idiotic&#8221;) but deeply sympathetic veteran (Masayuki Mori) befriends a man (Toshiro Mifune) who is obsessively in love with the beautiful mistress (Setsuko Hara) of a wealthy man (Eijir\u00f4 Yanagi), Hara is about to be married off to a man (Minoru Chiaki) eager for a dowry being brokered by Mori&#8217;s only remaining relative (Takashi Shimura) &#8212; but when Hara falls in love with Mori, this complicates his burgeoning romantic relationship with Shimura&#8217;s daughter (Yoshiko Kuga).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Akira Kurosawa Films<\/li>\n<li>Japanese Films<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Obsessive Love<\/li>\n<li>Toshiro Mifune Films<\/li>\n<li>Veterans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAkira Kurosawa&#8217;s follow-up film after the breakthrough success of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11564\"><em>Rashomon<\/em> (1950)<\/a> was this personal passion project &#8212; a faithful adaptation of a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Idiot\">novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky<\/a>. Kurosawa&#8217;s original version ran 265 minutes, but the abandoned footage has never been found, leaving us with a 166-minute iteration that honestly still feels pretty lengthy. While <em>The Idiot<\/em> was a personal favorite of Kurosawa&#8217;s, it hasn&#8217;t held up well as a particularly accessible movie, instead coming across as more of a literary adaptation that will be of most interest to those familiar with the novel. It&#8217;s enjoyable to see familiar and beloved faces from classic Japanese cinema: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1237\" height=\"929\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle.png 1237w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle-768x577.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Triangle-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1237px) 100vw, 1237px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but we never really feel connected to their characters. The cinematography is appropriately stark: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1235\" height=\"917\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight.png 1235w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight-1024x760.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight-768x570.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Candlelight-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1235px) 100vw, 1235px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the storyline&#8217;s setting in snowy, Russian-influenced Hokkaido is an effective choice: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1237\" height=\"927\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3.png 1237w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3-1024x767.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Snowy3-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1237px) 100vw, 1237px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but I&#8217;ll wager that most viewers will find it a struggle to remain authentically engaged in the narrative. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-768x575.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Idiot-Knives.png 1239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, unless you&#8217;re a Kurosawa fan. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0043614\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/627-eclipse-series-7-postwar-kurosawa\">Criterion Essay (scroll down) <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/557225\/the-idiot#articles-reviews?articleId=290048\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m really a sick man. My brain is rotten.&#8221; Synopsis: A traumatized and epilectic (&#8220;idiotic&#8221;) but deeply sympathetic veteran (Masayuki Mori) befriends a man (Toshiro Mifune) who is obsessively in love with the beautiful mistress (Setsuko Hara) of a wealthy man (Eijir\u00f4 Yanagi), Hara is about to be married off to a man (Minoru Chiaki) eager for a dowry being brokered by Mori&#8217;s only remaining relative (Takashi Shimura) &#8212; but when Hara falls in love with Mori, this complicates his&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81869\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81869"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97179,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81869\/revisions\/97179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}