Title: Ikiru: The Criterion Collection 
Year: 1952
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Rating: NR
Length: 143 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English
Stars:Takashi Shimura
Shinichi Himori
Haruo Tanaka
Minoru Chiaki
Miki Odagiri
Plot:Considered by some to be Akira Kurosawa’s greatest achievement, 'Ikiru' presents the director at his most compassionate — affirming life through an exploration of a man’s death. Takashi Shimura portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer forced to strip the veneer off his existence and find meaning in his final days. Told in two parts, Ikiru offers Watanabe’s quest in the present, and then through a series of flashbacks. The result is a multifaceted look at a life through a prism of perspectives, resulting in a full portrait of a man who lacked understanding from others in life.
Extras:Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
My Thoughts:
A powerful and moving look at a man who discovers he has stomach cancer and suddenly realizes that the past 30 years of his life have had no meaning; that he has simply existed from day-to-day without actually enjoying life or doing anything meaningful to or for anyone. He spends the last 5 months of his life bucking city hall (literally), in order to accomplish one small selfless act so that he can pass on with some measure of peace. Much of what we learn of this man is through the eyes of others as he moves through the various stages of dealing with the imminence of his own demise. Definitely, a movie that was ahead of its time.
Rating:
