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Featuring the final collaboration between esteemed director Akira Kurosawa (Kagemusha, The Seven Samurai) and actor Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo, Hell in the Pacific), this 1965 film explores the complex and tumultuous relationship between a doctor and his protégé, and the meaning of compassion and responsibility. Mifune plays the title character, a revered but stern and unbendable physician ministering to the poor in a clinic, driven by a sense of calling to the profession of medicine and to mankind. He is assigned a young brash intern whose rebellious and arrogant attitude threaten to disrupt the hospital and destroy his burgeoning career. Under the intense tutelage of the relentlessly stern doctor, however, the young doctor in training goes from a spoiled wunderkind insulted at having to work at a clinic he thinks is beneath him, to one who appreciates the compassionate nature of a doctor's calling. A long, intimate, and engrossing film, it displays some of Mifune's finest work as a man whose profound sense of higher purpose touches all around him. An earnest exploration of duty and honor, Red Beard is an unlikely but worthy addition to the enduring legacy of Akira Kurosawa. --Robert Lane
Product Description
A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (Akahige) chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as the dignified yet empathic director who guides his pupil to maturity, teaching the embittered intern to appreciate the lives of his destitute patients. Perfectly capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan, Kurosawa weaves a fascinating tapestry of time, place, and emotion.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have little to add to the other reviews: it is simply a great film by a great film maker -- well worth seeing.
Format:DVD
Having recently seen "Red Beard" for the first time, I was taken by two things. First that Coppola's "White Dwarf" is a clear-cut remake of this film. Second that this one the best three hours I have spent watching a movie in a very long time.
There is a soul and heart in this film that is lacking in most movies and enough to say that it artfully uses it 3 hours with grace.
There is a soul and heart in this film that is lacking in most movies and enough to say that it artfully uses it 3 hours with grace.
By A Customer
Format:DVD
For those of you who don't know, Red Beard is without a doubt the last film of Kurosawa that is absolutely exceptional. Moreover, this film marks the end of many things for the director. First of all, this is the last movie where he works with Mifune. He spent nearly two years making this! It's understandable that they probably had their differences, which must have put quite a strain in their relationship. Red Beard is also Kurosawa's last black and white film. To most film fans of this genre, this is believed to also be his last film that shows so much emotion and complexity towards humans. One of the things I enjoyed most about this film was the cinematography. There are so many awesome scenes that Kurosawa films through wide lenses and long takes (Which I love). The musical score varies in emotion. This also has one of my favorite endings from a Kurosawa movie. While Seven Samurai had to be one of his best, this one was made after more than twenty years of experience from the most famous director in Japan, if not the world. In other words, Red Beard is the highest point of cinematic perfection for Akira Kurosawa.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching Classic
As much as I'm a Mifune/Kurasawa fan I was concerned about the movie being three hours long when I saw the beginning. Read more
Published on Mar 15 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life Changing
This is an Epic movie. It is the cure for the vanity of self indulgence. The love that is internalized will be returned.
Published on Nov 30 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kurosawa introduces psychoanalysis to the Japanese
In addition to being about the relationship between the young and old doctors, "Red Beard" is Kurosawa's can-opener for the Japanese psyche, with which he gently urges very private... Read more
Published on Oct 30 2003 by "ggrow"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful
This is the most beautiful movie; its more like a long dance. I was scanning the DVD slowly during a few scenes and was mesmerized by the movements. Read more
Published on Oct 7 2003 by J. G. Hyde
5.0 out of 5 stars
Akahige
This is simply the best film I've ever seen in my entire life. I've studied the films of Kurosawa Akira thoroughly and my opinion remains deeply rooted. Read more
Published on May 24 2003 by "kujuta"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Show Me A Movie More Inspiring Than This
I dare you people out there. Kurosawa's most inspiring work is one breathtaking 3 hour ride into the hearts and minds of clinical doctors that has still not been matched by any ER... Read more
Published on May 5 2003 by manicsounds
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest films ever produced
In my opinion, this is one of Akira Kurosawa's best films, which means it is automatically a classic of world cinema. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2003 by Michael Lindsey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Red Beard
Not only is this Kurosawa's best, but My all time Favorite movie ever made!
Published on Dec 12 2002 by Avid Brett Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Kurosawa
The last collaboration in a long and fruitlful one, Red Beard ushers in the beginning of new chapter for both Mifune and Kurosawa, but marks the ending of one of the most... Read more
Published on Dec 5 2002 by Tyrone Swainson
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Relevant Today Than Ever
In Japan "Akahige" has come to mean selfless devotion to mankind, something you see very rarely in the medical profession today. Read more
Published on Dec 1 2002 by Hitoshi Noguchi
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