is a 1952 Japanese

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

film directed by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

from a screenplay co-written with

Shinobu Hashimoto Shinobu Hashimoto (, ''Hashimoto Shinobu''; 18 April 1918 – 19 July 2018) was a Japanese screenwriter, director and producer. A frequent collaborator of Akira Kurosawa, he wrote the scripts for critically acclaimed films such as ''Rashomon'' an ...

and

Hideo Oguni was a Japanese writer who wrote over 100 screenplays. He is best known for co-writing screenplays for a number of films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including '' Ikiru'' (1952), '' Seven Samurai'' (1954), ''Throne of Blood'' (1957), and '' The H ...

. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by

Takashi Shimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He appeared in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films (more than any other actor), including as a lead actor in '' Drunken Angel'' (1948), '' Rashomon'' (1950), '' Ikiru'' (1952) ...

) and his final quest for meaning. The screenplay was partly inspired by

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

's 1886 novella ''

The Death of Ivan Ilyich ''The Death of Ivan Ilyich'' (also Romanized ''Ilich'', ''Ilych'', ''Ilyitch''; ), first published in 1886, is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, considered one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of th ...

''. The film's major themes include learning how to live, the inefficiency of

bureaucracy Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments ...

, and decaying family life in Japan, which have been the subject of analysis by academics and critics. Having won awards for Best Film at the

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

and

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by '' Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of ...

, it is considered one of the

greatest films of all time This is a list of films voted the best in national and international Opinion poll, surveys of Film criticism, critics and the public. Some surveys focus on all films, while others focus on a particular genre or country. Electoral system, Voti ...

Plot

Kanji Watanabe has worked in the same monotonous, bureaucratic position in the Tokyo public works department for thirty years and is close to retirement. His wife is dead, and his son, Mitsuo, who lives with his wife in his father's home, seems eager to claim both his father's estate and lifetime pension. At work, he's a party to constant bureaucratic inaction. In one case, a group of parents who simply want permission to drain a cesspool so they can install a playground are endlessly routed to different offices in the same building. After learning he has stomach cancer and less than a year to live, Watanabe attempts to come to terms with his impending death. He plans to tell Mitsuo about the cancer but decides against it when his son does not pay attention to him. He then tries to find escape in the pleasures of Tokyo's nightlife, guided by an eccentric novelist whom he has just met. In a nightclub, Watanabe requests a song from the piano player, and sings "

Gondola no Uta is a 1915 romantic balladDamian Cox and Michael Levine, "Looking for Meaning in All the Wrong Places: ''Ikiru'' (''To Live'')," ''Thinking Through Film: Doing Philosophy, Watching Movies'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. that was popular in Taishō per ...

" (translated as “Life Is Brief” in the English subtitles) with great sadness. His singing greatly affects those watching him. Later, he realizes hedonistic pleasure is not the solution. The following day, Watanabe encounters Toyo, a young female subordinate, who needs his signature on her resignation. He takes comfort in observing her joyous love of life and enthusiasm, and he tries to spend as much time as possible with her. She eventually becomes suspicious of his intentions and grows wary of him. After persuading her to join him for the last time, he becomes open and asks for the secret to her love of life. She says that she does not know but that she found happiness in her new job making toys, which makes her feel as if she is playing with all the children of Japan. Inspired by her, Watanabe realizes that it is not too late for him to do something significant. Like Toyo, he wants to make something, but he is unsure what he can do within the city bureaucracy until he remembers the lobbying for a playground. He surprises everyone by returning to work after a long absence, and he begins pushing for a playground despite concerns that he is intruding on the jurisdiction of other departments. Watanabe dies, and at his wake, his former co-workers gather, after the opening of the playground, to figure out what caused such a dramatic change in his behavior. His transformation from listless bureaucrat to passionate advocate puzzles them. As the co-workers drink, they slowly realize Watanabe must have known he was dying, even when his son denies this truth, as he was unaware of his father's condition. They also hear from a witness that, in the last few moments in Watanabe's life, he sat on the swing at the park he built. As the snow fell, he sang "Gondola no Uta". The bureaucrats vow to honor Watanabe's memory by following his example, yet fall back into the same patterns as before the second they return to their offices. The film ends overlooking children frolicking in the new playground.

Cast

as Kanji Watanabe *

Shinichi Himori , born , was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1925 to 1959. Career Born in Tokyo, Himori entered the Shochiku studios in 1924 and, after starting out in side roles, became a leading player, particularly speciali ...

as Kimura *

Haruo Tanaka was a Japanese film actor noted for his supporting roles in a career that spanned seven decades. Career Tanaka was born in Kyoto and quit school in order to become a film actor, joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1925. He eventually moved up to se ...

as Sakai *

Minoru Chiaki was a Japanese actor who appeared in eleven of Akira Kurosawa's films, including ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''The Hidden Fortress''. He was also one of Kon Ichikawa's favorite actors. He attended, but did not grad ...

as Noguchi *

Bokuzen Hidari was a Japanese actor and comedian born in Kotesashi Village (now part of Tokorozawa), Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Lower Depths'' and ''Ikiru''. Hidari was f ...

as Ohara * Miki Odagiri as Toyo Odagiri, employee *

Kamatari Fujiwara was a Japanese stage and film actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1933 and 1984. In addition to regular appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa, he worked for directors such as Mikio Naruse, Yasujirō Ozu, Heinosuke Gosho and others ...

as Sub-Section Chief Ōno *

Nobuo Nakamura was a Japanese stage and film actor, who appeared in many films by Akira Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse. Biography A graduate from Tokyo Kaisei Junior High School, Nakamura studied at the Kawabata School of Painting. After the rejecti ...

as Deputy Mayor *

Yūnosuke Itō was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1947 to 1979. Career Itō made his film debut at Toho in 1946, and although mostly a prominent supporting actor—playing memorable figures such as the novelist in Akira Ku ...

as Novelist * Minosuke Yamada as Subordinate Clerk Saito * Makoto Kobori as Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother *

Nobuo Kaneko was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1946 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is es ...

as Mitsuo Watanabe, Kanji's son * Atsushi Watanabe as Patient * Noriko Honma as Housewife

Themes

Meaning of Life

Death is a major theme in the film, which leads to the protagonist Watanabe's quest to find the meaning of life. Initially, Watanabe looks to nightclubs and women to live life to the fullest, but winds up singing the 1915 song "

" as an expression of loss. Professor Alexander Sesonske writes that in the nightclub scene, Watanabe realizes that "pleasure is not life" and that a goal gives him new happiness, with the song "

Happy Birthday to You "Happy Birthday to You", or simply "Happy Birthday", is a song traditionally sung to celebrate a person's birthday. According to the 1998 ''Guinness World Records'', it is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by "For He' ...

" symbolizing his rebirth. Because Toyo is young, she has the best insight as to how to live, and she is presented as the "unlikely savior" in Watanabe's "redemption." Author

Donald Richie Donald Richie (April 17, 1924 – February 19, 2013) was an American-born author who wrote about the Japanese people, the culture of Japan, and especially Japanese cinema. Although he considered himself primarily a film historian, Richie also ...

wrote that the title of the film, meaning simply "to live," could signify that "existence is enough." However, Watanabe finds existence is painful, and he takes this idea as inspiration, wanting to ensure his life has not been futile. The justification of his life, found in his park, is how Watanabe discovered how "to live." In the end, Watanabe now sings "Gondola no Uta" with great contentment.

Bureaucracy

''Ikiru'' is also an "indictment of Japanese bureaucracy." In Japan after World War II, it was expected that the

salaryman The term is a Japanese word for salary, salaried workers. In Japanese popular culture, it is portrayed as a white-collar worker who shows unwavering loyalty and commitment to his employer, prioritizing work over anything else, including family. ...

would work predictably in accordance with an organization's rules. The scene where the mothers first visit the city office requesting a playground shows "unconcern" in the bureaucrats, who send the visitors on a "farcical runaround," then ask them for a written request, with paperwork in the film as symbols of "meaningless activity." However, Watanabe uses the bureaucracy to forge his legacy, and apparently he is not disturbed when the bureaucracy quickly forgets he drove the project to build the playground. Japanese health care is depicted as overly bureaucratic in the film when Watanabe visits a clinic in a "poignant" scene. The doctor is portrayed as paternalistic, and Watanabe does not stand up to his authority.

Family life

Author Timothy Iles writes that, as with

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...

's 1953 film ''

Tokyo Story is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. Upon release, it did not immediately gain international reco ...

'', ''Ikiru'' may hold a negative view about the state of family life in modern Japan. Watanabe has lived with his son for years, but they have fallen out of any true relationship. His son Mitsuo sees Watanabe as a bother and regards him as only an obstacle to his obtaining the money from Watanabe's will. The children fall short of their responsibility to respect their parents. Urbanization may be a reason for negative changes in Japanese society, but a reason for Watanabe and Mitsuo's drift is Watanabe's preoccupation with work. Another reason is Watanabe's not being with Mitsuo during a medical treatment when the boy was 10, which fits a pattern in Kurosawa's films of sons being overly harsh to their fathers.

Production

The film marked the first collaboration between director

and screenwriter

. According to Oguni, the genesis of the film was Kurosawa's desire to make a film about a man who knows he is going to die and who wants a reason to live for a short time. Oguni was an experienced writer and was offered ¥500,000, and co-writer

was offered ¥150,000. Initially, Kurosawa told Hashimoto that a man who was set to die in 75 days had to be the theme and that the character's career was less important, with the director saying criminal, homeless man or government minister would be acceptable. The screenwriters consulted

's novella ''

'', and Oguni envisioned placing Watanabe's death halfway through the film. Kurosawa dictated the scene where Watanabe is on the swing and mentioned the beginning lyrics of "

." Because none of the men were familiar with the song, they consulted their eldest receptionist on the rest of the lyrics and the song title. Kurosawa renamed the draft ''The Life of Kanji Watanabe'' to ''Ikiru'', which Hashimoto found pretentious, but Oguni supported. The screenplay was completed on 5 February 1952.

Release

In Japan,

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

released the film on 9 October 1952. The film was screened in the 1954 Berlin International Film Festival. In the United States, the film was shown for a short time in California in 1956 under the title ''Doomed''. It opened as ''Ikiru'' in New York City on 29 January 1960. The film poster featured the stripper seen briefly in the film rather than Watanabe.

Critical reception

The film won critical approval upon its release.

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

, writing for ''The New York Times'', called it "a strangely fascinating and affecting film, up to a point—that being the point where it consigns its aged hero to the great beyond," which he deemed "anticlimactic." Crowther praised Shimura, writing he "measures up through his performance in this picture with the top film actors anywhere," and complimented Miki Odagiri, Nobuo Kaneko and Yunosuke Ito. ''Variety'' staff called the film "a tour-de-force...keeping a dramatic thread throughout and avoiding the mawkish." Roger Ebert added it to his list of

Great Movies ''The Great Movies'' is the name of several publications, both online and in print, from Roger Ebert, an American film critic and columnist for ''The Chicago Sun-Times''. The object was, as Ebert put it, to "make a tour of the landmarks of the f ...

in 1996, stating "Over the years I have seen ''Ikiru'' every five years or so, and each time it has moved me, and made me think. And the older I get, the less Watanabe seems like a pathetic old man, and the more he seems like every one of us." In his Great Movies review of ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai action film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. Taking place in 1586 in the Sengoku period of Japanese history, it follows the story of a villag ...

'', Ebert called ''Ikiru'' Kurosawa's greatest film. In 2008, Wally Hammond of ''Time Out'' praised ''Ikiru'' as "one of the triumphs of humanist cinema." That year, ''The New Yorkers

Michael Sragow Michael Sragow (born June 26, 1952) is an American film critic and columnist who has written for ''The Orange County Register'', ''The Baltimore Sun'', ''Film Comment'', the ''San Francisco Examiner'', ''The New Times'', ''The New Yorker'' (where ...

described it as a "masterwork," noting Kurosawa was usually associated more with his

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s. The scene featuring Watanabe on the swing in the playground he built has been described as "iconic." Writer Pico Iyer has commented on the film's depiction of the postwar Japanese healthcare system, and historian David Conrad has remarked on its portrayal of Japanese governance at the moment Japan regained its sovereignty after a 7-year American occupation. In 1972, ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...

'' critics poll named ''Ikiru'' the 12th greatest film of all time. In 1999, ''The Village Voice'' ranked the film at number 212 in its list of the top 250 Best Films of the Century, based on a poll of critics. ''Empire'' magazine ranked ''Ikiru'' 459th on its 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time, and 44th on its 2010 list of "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema." In 2009, the film was voted at No. 13 on the list of "The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time" by Japanese film magazine

. In 2010 ''Ikiru'' was included on ''Time''s All-Time 100 best movies list. In 2012 the film ranked 127th and 132nd on critic's and director's poll respectively in ''Sight & Sound Top 250 Films'' list.

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

included it on a list of "39 Essential Foreign Films for a Young Filmmaker." The film was included in BBC's 2018 list of The 100 greatest foreign language films. Conversely, in 2016 ''The Daily Telegraph'' named it one of the 10 most overrated films. The film has a 98% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 55 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "Ikiru is a well-acted and deeply moving humanist tale about a man facing his own mortality, one of legendary director Akira Kurosawa's most intimate films".

Accolades

The film competed for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

at the

4th Berlin International Film Festival The 4th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 18 to 29 June 1954. This year's festival did not give any official jury prizes, instead awards were given by audience voting. This continued until the FIAPF granted Berlin "A-Statu ...

in 1954.

Legacy

Kurosawa believed

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' could serve as a

cautionary tale A cautionary tale or moral tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a Risk, danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is ...

complementing ''Ikiru'', thus directing his 1957 film ''

Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese epic ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of English dramatist William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (1606) fr ...

''. ''Ikiru'' was remade as a Japanese television film that debuted on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

on 9 September 2007, the day after a remake of Kurosawa's '' High and Low''. The ''Ikiru'' remake stars

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

actor

Matsumoto Kōshirō IX Matsumoto (松本 or 松元, "base of the pine tree") may refer to: Places * Matsumoto, Nagano (松本市), a city ** Matsumoto Airport, an airport southwest of Matsumoto, Nagano * Matsumoto, Kagoshima (松元町), a former town now part of the ...

. ''

Anand Anand may refer to: People * Anand (name), a surname and given name (including a list of people with the name) * Anand (clan), a clan of an Indian caste * Anand (actor), Indian actor * Anand (Maoist), Indian communist * Anand (writer) (born 1936 ...

'', a 1971 Indian-Hindi film, was inspired by ''Ikiru''. In 2003, DreamWorks attempted a U.S. remake, which would star

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

in the lead role, and it talked to

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer and pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the F ...

about adapting the screenplay.

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish people, Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' (1989), ''The Field (1990 film), The Field'' (19 ...

agreed to direct the film in 2004, though it has not been produced. A musical adaptation was produced in Japan in 2020, with music by

Jason Howland Jason Howland is a musical theatre composer, playwright, conductor, music director, and producer. In 2015, he won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his work producing the cast recording of ''Beautiful: The Carole King Musical''. ...

and book by Chikae Takahashi. A British remake titled ''

Living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

'', adapted by

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born English novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. He is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary fiction authors writing in English, having been awarded several major literary prizes, including the 2 ...

, directed by

Oliver Hermanus Oliver Hermanus (; born 26 May 1983) is a South African film director and writer.
"Oliver Hermanus." IMDb: The Internet Movie D ...

, and starring

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work in numerous stage, television and film productions, he has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award, and ...

, was released in 2022.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
''Ikiru'' at AllMovie
* * *

' at the

Japanese Movie Database The , more commonly known as simply JMDb, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database but lists only those films initially released in Japan. Y. ...

''Ikiru Many Autumns Later''
an essay by

Pico Iyer Siddharth Pico Raghavan Iyer (born 11 February 1957), known as Pico Iyer, is an English-born essayist and novelist known chiefly for his travel writing. He is the author of numerous books on crossing cultures including ''Video Night in Kathman ...

at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributo ...

''To the Tune of Mortality: “The Gondola Song” in Ikiru''
an essay by Geoffrey O’Brien {{Authority control 1952 drama films 1952 films Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners Films about cancer Films about death Films about old age Films based on short fiction Films based on The Death of Ivan Ilyich Films directed by Akira Kurosawa Films produced by Sōjirō Motoki Films scored by Fumio Hayasaka Films set in Tokyo Japanese black-and-white films Japanese drama films 1950s Japanese-language films Films with screenplays by Akira Kurosawa Films with screenplays by Hideo Oguni Films with screenplays by Shinobu Hashimoto Films about social realism Toho films Films about bureaucracy Works about the meaning of life 1950s Japanese films