RED BEARD (DVD/2.35/STEREO/B&W/1965/ENG-SUB) DVD

Red Beard
In 1820, young Noboru Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama) completes his medical education in Nagasaki and returns to his native Edo hoping both to marry the daughter of a wealthy man and to achieve affluence himself through his medical practice. He happens to visit the famed Koishikawa clinic for the indigent, which is run by the autocratic Dr. Kyojo Niide (Toshiro Mifune), better known as Red Beard. To his intense displeasure, he soon finds himself assigned to the clinic for his internship. At first, the young intern is arrogant and rebellious, intent on displaying his knowledge of medical innovations and contemptuous of the older doctor for spending his life among the poor. But as time passes, he gains an intimate knowledge of the kind of suffering that is endemic to the impoverished, and at length, becomes an acolyte of this seemingly dictatorial physician, who heals his patients with gentleness and humility as much as with his medical skill. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

Cast Toshiro Mifune as Kyojio Niide (Akahige) Yuzo Kayama as Dr. Noboru Yasumoto Tsutomu Yamazaki as Sahachi Kyoko Kagawa as Mad Woman Miyuki Kuwano as Onaka Kinuyo Tanaka as Noboru's mother

Crew Akira Kurosawa - Director Masaru Sato - Composer (Music Score) Shinobu Muraki - Production Designer Yoshiro Muraki - Production Designer Takao Saito - Cinematographer Asaichi Nakai - Cinematographer Ryuzo Kikushima - Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka - Producer Ryuzo Kikushima - Screenwriter Masato Ide - Screenwriter Hideo Oguni - Screenwriter Akira Kurosawa - Screenwriter Shugoro Yamamoto - Book Author

Red Beard
Perhaps the clearest statement of the humanism that was the guiding force of Akira Kurosawa's career, it was loosely inspired by the Dostoevsky story The Insulted and the Injured. One of the most difficult shoots in the history of Japanese film, its two arduous years of production were marred by a series of skirmishes between Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, which would eventually lead to the end of their long collaboration. On its surface, the dynamics of this master-student plot might seem trite, and indeed the film isn't without the odd moment of cornball sentiment, but on the whole, its exploration of the harrowing journey endured by the haughty young doctor and his subsequent transformation is far closer in spirit to Dostoevsky than Dr. Kildare. Eschewing the visual pyrotechnics and virtuoso editing of his action films, the director opts for stark, austere master scenes better suited to the grim atmosphere of the clinic which is both the sole lifeline of its desperate patients and a medical boot camp for the sullen Yasumoto. While hardly scanting the suffering of these people -- especially a gruesome operation and and the treatment of a sexually abused girl -- Kurosawa makes clear that it is ignorance and poverty which are the true source of their misery. Yuzo Kayama gives a richly textured performance as the sulky intern, and Mifune, whose gruff character remains largely unexplored is as compelling as ever. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

Toshiro Mifune: Venice International Film Festival, Volpi Cup for Best Actor (winner)

Golden Globe, Best Foreign Film - Foreign Language (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: Japanese Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions Audio commentary by Kurosawa film scholar Stephen Prince Notes by Japanese-film historian Donald Richie Theatrical trailer Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 185 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Yasumoto's Arrival 2. Red Beard 3. Dr. Mori 4. The Mantis 5. "I'll Break Every Rule!" 6. Osugi Chastises Yasumoto 7. Lecture 8. "Please Help Me " 9. Symphony 10. A Doctor's Philosophy 11. "Don't Look Away!" 12. Rokusuke's Death 13. Sahachi Falls Ill 14. Okuni's Sad Tale 15. Concern for Sahachi 16. Blackmail 17. Sahachi's Secret 18. Onaka's Return 19. Sahachi's Confession 20. Yasumoto Dons the Uniform 21. House Call 22. The Brothel 23. Fight 24. Otoyo Is Rescued 25. Intermission 26. Yasumoto Tends to Otoyo 27. Otoyo Learns Kindness 28. Yasumoto Falls Ill 29. Otoyo Cares for Yasumoto 30. Otoyo's Broken Heart 31. A Little Thief 32. Ghobo's Story 33. Suicide 34. Otoyo's New Life 35. Yasumoto Sees the Light 36. Chobo Shames His Family 37. The Wedding Ceremony 38. A New Beginning