Rhapsody in August

Grandma stirs my repulsion for war and capitalism. Sachiko Murase, who plays Grandma, delivers one of the most powerful performances I've ever seen: dripping with 100% authenticity. Grandma frequently caused me to shed tears and I give her my Oscar for best actress.

Grandma lives simply. Yet her simplicity has been corroded, possessed by the ghosts of war, specifically the bombing of Nagasaki. She suffers loss, flashbacks, and mutation. She takes solace in Buddhism and non-violence, but "the eyes of the flash" always watch her. The "eyes of the flash" make it difficult for Grandma to live in the present moment.

Grandma, like a brave samurai, battles her own children to preserve her family's history and heritage. She utilizes not sword, bullet, or bomb, rather she leads by example and teaches via oral histories. Her children bow to the altar of American capitalism and the grandchildren idolitize American culture (daily clothing themselves in American t-shirts: M.I.T., New York Mets, USC Trojans, SMU, Brooklyn). Grandma assures that we viewers also not forget the horrors of the bombing of Nagasaki or the beauty of rural Japan.

Grandma displays shinigurai, before the eyes of family and filmviewers. Grandma has awareness of only "the eyes of the flash". Shinigurai means "being crazy to die", and Grandma leaps into the jaws of death, with no hesitation, as she battles the fierce eyes in the sky.

The film is uneven and oddly structured in scenes that shift the focus of the film in awkward ways. Really what hurts the film the most is the biazzare inclusion of Richard Gere. His prescence ruined the mood for the film. The film tends to shift tone too often from playful to satrical to emotional to commentating.
Rhapsody just doesn't stand up as strong in comparison to other works in the Kurosawa canon.
Film: 3 out of 5.

The MGM dvd is very sparse. Picture is very good in color and contrast. Sharpness is a little weak and some cuts seemed like the picture was a bit shakey. Twice I saw small dirt specks. Presented in 1:85:1 the picture is very good in keeping detail in dark scenes. Sound was extraordinary. I was very surprised to find a vivid and strong soundtrack. Just listen to the locus sounds and the music cues, the Japanese soundtrack packs a good punch. Subtitles are avaible, but most annoyingly Gere's English dialogue is subtitled. There aren't any extras other then an unsubitled Japanese Trailer. No booklet or insert!
DVD 3 out of 5.