Dersu Uzala: Maksim Munzuk, Yuri Solomin, Svetlana Danilchenko, Dmitri Korshikov, Suimenkul Chokmorov, Vladimir Kremena, Aleksandr Pyatkov, Mikhail Bychkov, Sovetbek Dzhumadylov, B. Khorulev, Nikolai Volkov, Asakazu Nakai, Fyodor Dobronravov, Yuri Gantman, Akira Kurosawa, Nikolai Sizov, Y�ichi Matsue, Vladimir Arsenyev, Yuri Nagibin: Amazon.ca: Video

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During an unusual chapter in the career of director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon), the filmmaker went to Russia because he found working in his native Japan to be too difficult. The result was this striking 1975 near-epic based on the turn-of-the-century autobiographical novels of a military explorer (Yuri Solomin) who met and befriended a Goldi man in Russia's unmapped forests. Kurosawa traces the evolution of a deep and abiding bond between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other at home in the sub-zero Siberian woods. There's no question that Dersu Uzala (the film is named for the Goldi character, played by Maxim Munzuk) has the muscular, imaginative look of a large-canvas Soviet Mosfilm from the 1970s. But in its energy and insight it is absolutely Kurosawa, from its implicit fascination with the meeting of opposite worlds to certain moments of tranquility and visual splendor. But nothing looks like Kurosawa more than a magnificent action sequence in which the co-heroes fight against time and exhaustion to stay alive in a wicked snowstorm. For fans of the late legend, this is a Kurosawa not to be missed. --Tom Keogh

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Customer Reviews

39 Reviews

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(2)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (39 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Film, Lousy DVD, May 21 2003

By

Aaron M. Renn (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dersu Uzala (Widescreen) (DVD)

Kino once again takes a great film and gives it the hatchet treatment. In fairness, I suppose that Kino puts out films that aren't likely to have the popular appeal (and price tags) of those issued by Criterion. But that's no excuse for taking non-anamorphic transfers of 'Scope films from lousy prints. At least they didn't put in hard subs this time.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars shame shame shame, Oct 14 2002

By

Aloysius (Wien) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dersu Uzala (Widescreen) (DVD)

Dersu is one of my favorite films of one of my favorite directors. What a shame it did not get an adaquate treatment on DVD. The pictorial quality is inferior awful and disgusting. If You love this film don't buy this product.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The old man and the Taiga, May 17 2004

By

Eva25at (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dersu Uzala (Widescreen) (DVD)

1902: Arseniev (Yuri Solomin), a czarist officer and his men exploit and map the Usuri-region. The gigantic pine-forests of the Taiga evoke visions of the Walpurgis-night. Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk) sits down at their camp-fire and smokes his pipe. The old man who lost his wife and children during a smallpox-epidemic lives in the mountains without permanent refuge and hunts for the stag, the wild boar, the sable. He benefits from the nature, but does not exhaust it. As a matter of course he takes the lead of the expedition and shows them how to cover a roof with bark and instructs them to leave stock- rice, salt, matches - to other travelers. They learn not to squander cartridges and that an empty bottle can be valuable in the wilderness. They wade through the morass and suddenly the winter sets in. Arseniev and Dersu lose their way on the ice-covered lake Hanka and a snow-drift covers their footprints. Their race against time is perhaps the most breathtaking scene in the film: The two men cut as many blades of grass as possible in order to survive the cold night. Arseniev realizes how small man is in from of the big nature. He invites Dersu to join him ("It' comfortable in the city") but Dersu prefers his free life. He sees the men off to the train station and they agree that "He is such a good man!".

1907, spring, snow-break: Arseniev explores the Usuri-region again. Three months later a vast territory has been mapped, but the task would be carried through quicker with Dersu's help. Arseniev looks out for his old friend. Dersu made much money with furs, but a trader disappeared with his savings...

The Taiga in summer is a jungle. "Amdar" (the tiger) follows them. They discover pitfalls with carrion. Dersu is shocked over those needless killings. He is at war with the Chunchuse who abduct women. Arseniev helps him save three of their victims who were nearly drowning, but Dersu fall in a torrential river and the rescue-operation is another absorbing (and ingenious) moment.

The turning-point in Dersu's life comes when he inadvertently kills the tiger. He becomes nervous and irritable and believes the the spirit "Kangar" will punish him. His vision becomes defective; He misses his game. "How can I live in the Taiga?". Arseniev invites him to Chaberowsk: "My house is your house". His wife welcomes Dersu and his little son worhips him, but Dersu cannot manage life in the city where water and wood cost money. He is arrested when he tries to fell a tree. He feels redundant and decides to return to the mountains. Arseniev understands his request and gives him a brand-new gun as farewell-present. A few days later he is forced to identify the body of his old friend: somebody killed Dersu - for his gun.

DERSU UZALA needs no recommendation: it won an oscar as best foreign film in 1975 and every fan of Akira Kurosawa will see it sooner or later. Centra Asia, this gigantic territory, looks awe-inspiring in itself (and bear in mind that there is no wilderness in Japan where nearly every tree has been cultivated for aesthetic reasons) and the cinematography is overwhelming - I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. What impressed me most was the high-mindedness of the performances. There is not one patronizing undertone. Deep respect for those people who live in, of, and most importantly with the nature pervades this film.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Dersu Uzala
It is a beautiful movie to watch, and the friendship that develops between the captain and Dersu is touching. Read more

Published on Jan 14 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching!
Just showed the film to my girlfriend. This is my fourth time watching it. I just got this movie on dvd a few months ago. Decent transfer. Read more

Published on Jan 8 2004 by Quoc Trang