{"id":82100,"date":"2022-03-12T14:41:01","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T21:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82100"},"modified":"2022-03-12T14:41:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T21:41:01","slug":"ikiru-1952","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82100","title":{"rendered":"Ikiru (1952)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;What have I been living for all these years?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-213x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-82101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-213x300.png 213w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-727x1024.png 727w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-91x128.png 91w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-768x1082.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster-192x270.png 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Poster.png 787w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a widowed bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura) learns he has stomach cancer and will die within six months, he begins to reassess his life &#8212; including his relationship with his son (Nobuo Kaneko) and daughter-in-law (Ky\u00f4ko Seki). He heads out on the town, where he encounters a drink-loving writer (Y\u00fbnosuke It\u00f4) and hangs out repeatedly with a young colleague (Miki Odagiri) who has just quit. Will Shimura be able to find purpose and meaning in his final months?\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>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Death and Dying<\/li>\n<li>Do-Gooders<\/li>\n<li>Flashback Films<\/li>\n<li>Japanese Films<\/li>\n<li>Widows and Widowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, this &#8220;precious film&#8221; &#8212; loosely inspired by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich\">Tolstoy&#8217;s <em>The Death of Ivan Ilyich<\/em> (1886)<\/a> &#8212; may be Akira Kurosawa&#8217;s masterwork.&#8221; He notes that the storyline begins by showing us a &#8220;pathetic, self-pitying, insignificant person&#8221; (Shimura) who is &#8220;ignored by his grown son&#8221; at home and &#8220;part of the do-nothing Japanese bureaucracy, a minor government worker who has spent 25 years rubber-stamping the papers that pile on his desk.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-1024x737.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-1024x737.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-768x553.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping-375x270.png 375w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Rubber-Stamping.png 1291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When Shimura &#8220;is told he is dying of cancer,&#8221; he wants <em>to live<\/em> (this is what the film&#8217;s title translates into), and thus &#8220;withdraws his money and goes out on the town for a night of pleasure&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;when drinking and carousing don&#8217;t please him, he &#8220;decides to find happiness through another person&#8221; (Odagiri), only to find that &#8220;still he is unsatisfied.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-1024x745.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"466\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-1024x745.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-768x559.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri-371x270.png 371w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Odagiri.png 1291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The film pivots in its second half to &#8220;five months in the future [at] Shimura&#8217;s wake, where family and fellow employees praise (but not too much) what he accomplished before he died.&#8221; We are shown through a series of flashbacks how Shimura goes &#8220;on a one-man crusade to build a park for children where a dangerous cesspool stands&#8221; and &#8220;becomes indomitable as he goes through bureaucratic red tape, taking insults right and left, ignoring negative responses, circumventing runarounds.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Knocking.png 1289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary notes that this picture &#8212; a &#8220;beautiful film in every way&#8221; &#8212; is a &#8220;strong indictment of Japanese bureaucracy, a wonderful character story, [and] a heartfelt meditation on the meaning of <em>living<\/em> and doing one&#8217;s part.&#8221; He adds that &#8220;Shimura&#8217;s performance is exquisite,&#8221; with &#8220;many great moments,&#8221; but perhaps the &#8220;most memorable has Shimura&#8230; sitting on a swing and, while snow falls gently on him, singing softly about the shortness of life.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-1024x744.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-1024x744.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-768x558.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Swings.png 1295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition to focusing on one of life&#8217;s enduring challenges &#8212; finding meaning in one&#8217;s existence &#8212; we see incontrovertible evidence of the need to value human well-being over bureaucracy. Indeed, in this case, without deliberate disruption of dysfunctional norms, children will be harmed and society overall will be much worse off. This lesson remains as important as ever these days, making <em>Ikiru<\/em> truly a timeless classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Takashi Shimura as Watanabe<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-1024x740.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"463\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-1024x740.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-768x555.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura-374x270.png 374w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Shimura.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Asakazu Nakai&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-1024x735.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"459\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-82104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-1024x735.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-768x551.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer-376x270.png 376w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ikiru-Writer.png 1297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a foreign gem. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foreign Gem<\/li>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1458\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0044741\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1092ikiru.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/78970\/ikiru#articles-reviews?articleId=290046\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/3431\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What have I been living for all these years?&#8221; Synopsis: When a widowed bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura) learns he has stomach cancer and will die within six months, he begins to reassess his life &#8212; including his relationship with his son (Nobuo Kaneko) and daughter-in-law (Ky\u00f4ko Seki). He heads out on the town, where he encounters a drink-loving writer (Y\u00fbnosuke It\u00f4) and hangs out repeatedly with a young colleague (Miki Odagiri) who has just quit. Will Shimura be able to find&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82100\"> 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":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82100","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=82100"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82115,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82100\/revisions\/82115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}