Ikimono no kiroku (1955)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Shinobu Hashimoto (writer)
Fumio Hayasaka (story)

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)

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)

A Very Informative and Enlightening Post-War Film

From the very very beginning during the opening credits sequence, we are given the ominous feeling of paranoia, the feeling with which it's vital to sympathize with Toshiro Mifune's character, an old foundry owner convinced that Japan is on the brink of nuclear obliteration, trying to force his reluctant and resentful family to safety in Brazil.

Mifune's performance is so very masculine and real, as are nearly all of them. In this film, he displays a self-assurance that allows him to descend into pathetic helplessness. Of all the post-war Kurosawa films that I've seen so far, I Live In Fear is the most direct and informative. America may feed off of the dread showcased by the Japanese culture in this film and some may feel terribly sad for the individualistic portrayal of the debilitating fear stricken into the immovable hearts of stubborn old men like Mifune's character.

Even as early as WWII, I learned, America's most powerful weapon has been fear. However, in those times, it was a much purer, less vain utility. But what about the people it destroys for the sake of its own feeling of security?