Waga seishun ni kuinashi (1946)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Eijirô Hisaita (writer)
Akira Kurosawa (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

6 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Yukie, the well-bred daughter of a university professor, is shocked when her father is relieved of his post for his political teachings...

Plot Keywords:

Anti War

Cast

Setsuko Hara	...	Yukie Yagihara
Susumu Fujita	...	Ruykichi Noge
Denjirô Ôkôchi	...	Professor Yagihara
Haruko Sugimura	...	Madame Noge
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Madame Yagihara
Kokuten Kodo	...	Mr. Noge
Akitake Kôno	...	Itokawa
Takashi Shimura	...	Police Commissioner 'Poison Strawberry' Dokuichigo
Taizô Fukami	...	Minister of Education
Masao Shimizu	...	Professor Hakozaki
Haruo Tanaka	...	Student
Kazu Hikari	...	Detective
Hisako Hara	...	Itokawa's Mother
Shin Takemura	...	Prosecutor
Katao Kawasaki	...	Servant
Fusako Fujima	...	Old Woman
Sayuri Tanima	...	Lady
Itoko Kono	...	Lady
Chieko Nakakita	...	Lady
Ichirô Chiba	...	Student
Isamu Yonekura	...	Student
Noburo Takagi	...	Student
Hiroshi Sano	...	Student

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Eijirô Hisaita		writer
Akira Kurosawa		writer
Keiji Matsuzaki		uncredited

Produced by
Keiji Matsuzaki	....	producer

Original Music by
Tadashi Hattori

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Keiji Kitagawa

Production Management
Ryo Takei	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hiromichi Horikawa	....	chief assistant director
Ko Horiuchi	....	assistant director
Akitoshi Maeda	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Isamu Suzuki	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Goichi Araki	....	still photographer
Choshiro Ishii	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Toshio Goto	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Yukie Kikuchi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toei Company (1946) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Libra Films (1980) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD) (as Eclipse from the Criterion Collection)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Toho Film Laboratory  film processing
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

No Regrets for My Youth
No Regrets for Our Youth

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (2006) (V)

Heartfelt story of Personal Courage

The technical aspects of the film are very good. The camera used in this film uses abnormally slow shutter speeds causing the most slight (yet noticeable) distortions in movement, lending to the film a certain artistic sense that others do not have. It gives almost an eerie sense to it, and often times it seems to be somewhat drab, however: it seems to add very much to the mood of the story.

In addition to the artistic filming itself, the script truly drives the story and leads us to believe more of what Akira Kurosawa believed -- anti-Fascism, anti-Militarism, through the portrayal of events concerning Japanese imperial rule in the film. Through the eyes of Yukie we learn what it is like to be oppressed, and we learn the strength of the human spirit in its' resolute resistance to the militarism and fascism of her day; the power of the will is truly highlighted in this film, and the persistent commitment to doing good (similar to that portrayed by Watanabe in Ikiru) is very present.

The flashbacks to youth, the conjuring of memories, and the portrayal of the good times right next to the bad times, and the depth of human emotion that is revealed truly makes this film something worth watching. Some of the emotionality of the scenes (especially Yukie's emotional moments) portrays the existential angst that we all have, and her strength & perseverance represent everything we would like to have. It was a truly impacting story.

I was especially keen on the ability of Akira Kurosawa to take some of the most inward, personal moments of extreme sadness and put them into the film and, without any seeming prior explanation, the viewer is able to relate in their own way. This film highlights a philosophy of oneself against the world, and the importance of being true to one self. The message was portrayed very clearly and the end result is a masterpiece of Cinema that is greatly overlooked.