Ikimono no kiroku (1955)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Shinobu Hashimoto (writer)
Fumio Hayasaka (story)
(more)

Release Date:

25 January 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Kiichi Nakajima, an elderly foundry owner, is so frightened and obsessed with the idea of nuclear extermination...

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear | Tokyo Japan | Paranoia | Dentist | Mailman

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Kiichi Nakajima
Takashi Shimura	...	Domestic Court Counselor Dr. Harada
Minoru Chiaki	...	Jiro Nakajima
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Toyo Nakajima
Kyôko Aoyama	...	Sue Nakajima
Haruko Togo	...	Yoki Nakajima
Noriko Sengoku	...	Kimie Nakajima
Akemi Negishi	...	Asako Kuribayashi
Hiroshi Tachikawa	...	Ryoichi Sayama
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Mr. Kuribayashi father
Eijirô Tôno	...	Old man from Brazil
Yutaka Sada	...	Ichiro Nakajima
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Okamoto
Ken Mitsuda	...	Judge Araki
Masao Shimizu	...	Yamazaki, Yoshi's husband (as Gen Shimizu)
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Factory Worker Ishida
Kiyomi Mizunoya	...	Satoko
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	Hori, the lawyer
Nobuo Nakamura	...	Psychologist
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Landowner
Saoko Yonemura	...	Taeko
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Factory Worker After Fire
Akira Tani	...	Chunky Jailbird
Kokuten Kodo	...	Workers' Older Family Member
Kazuo Kato	...	Susumu
Senkichi Ômura	...	Skinny Jailbird
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fumiko Honma	...	Family member of workers (uncredited)
Kyoro Sakurai	...	Worker at factory (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shinobu Hashimoto		writer
Fumio Hayasaka		story
Akira Kurosawa		story
Hideo Oguni		writer

Produced by
Sôjirô Motoki	....	producer

Original Music by
Masaru Satô		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Production Design by
Yoshirô Muraki

Costume Design by
Miyuki Suzuki

Makeup Department
Sadako Okada	....	hair stylist
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair designer

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hisanobu Marubayashi	....	chief assistant director
Takeo Nakamura	....	assistant director
Samaji Nonagase	....	assistant director
Ken Sano	....	assistant director
Yasuyoshi Tajitsu	....	assistant director

Art Department
Oyako Kato	....	assistant art director
Kiyoshi Toda	....	property master

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Shozo Hada	....	assistant lighting technician
Kuichiro Kishida	....	lighting technician
Takao Saitô	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Chozo Kobata	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Hachiro Matsui	....	composer: song "Cherry Pink Mambo"
Masaru Satô	....	conductor (uncredited)
Masaru Satô	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Théâtre du Temple (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Brandon Films (1967) (USA) (subtitled)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD) (as Eclipse from the Criterion Collection)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Toho Company
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

I Live in Fear (USA)
I Live in Fear: Record of a Living Being (International: English title)
Record of a Living Being (Japan) (informal literal title)
What the Birds Knew

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) (1998) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

The music score was completed by Masaru Satô when composer Fumio Hayasaka died during production.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hachi-gatsu no kyôshikyoku (1991)

Good film

I felt I had to post because this film, not one of my favorites by Kurosawa but still a one of quality and intelligence, keeps getting bashed by reviewers. The low score (compared to other Kurosawa films) shouldn't discourage potential viewers. Granted, this film takes more patience than some of his other films. However, the subject matter of the atomic bomb and how Japanese society and individuals deal I thought was very seminal. The whole concept of fear is deeply imbued into the film and it questions the sanity of the viewer and the world who live under the constant threat of universal destruction with ignorant self-assurance. The ideas are intelligent and presented with clarity. This film is complete and good in itself and doesn't need to rely on the name of Kurosawa to justify itself. Not a good Kurosawa film to start off with if one is trying to nurse an interest in his fecund movies but a good movie to watch nonetheless particularly if one is at all curious about how Japanese people feel about the horror of the atomic bomb.