Yes, I finally got around to the incredibly rich and awesome Red Beard! - (And the first post of 2024 - yeesh) - I started it once, dozed off, and realized it wasn't holding my interest, so I gave things a rest and came back.
This is Kurosawa and Mifune's final collaboration. Kurosawa took over 2 years to make it, blew a ton of money on an ultra realistic set that was almost never used, and had legit props in drawers that were never opened. I suppose one could make the case that the extravagance and length of time it took to do this film is what hampered his future opportunities, but in any case, he had a magnificent run that started to wrap up here.
The film is set in 19th century Edo (Tokyo) and centers around a young up and coming doctor who finds himself assigned to a public clinic that covers the impoverished. Over the course of 3 hrs, we learn more about his story, the stories of some of the patients, and the workers at the clinic. We see his gradual transformation from a disgruntled doctor to a legitimate healer. It feels a bit like a trope but in Kurosawa's hands, it's a masterful story.
It IS 3 hours, and doesn't get nearly as much action as some of the other films we've seen. But it is one of his finest movies, his last in Black and White, and his last in the anamorphic widescreen 2:35 to 1 ratio. It will take him years to make his next film, and from here on out it will be a bit of a struggle to get funding for his projects. It's a bit sad to think of this as his last "great" film with Mifune, but there are other great films to come (7 more to be exact) and we'll get to some of them soon.
I may watch this again with the Audio Commentary in the background - I found myself very interested in what was going on behind the scenes on this film that took so long they actually did tours of the set some days with people on buses.
All and all a real excellent piece.
