To Live

An outstanding movie. Or rather, almost. The prolog spoils it. Nothing against it in principle, it has its place and a reason here, but it really didn’t have to swell up to eighty minutes long. And here Akira feels a pressing need to impart something big, but does so too obviously and zealously. On the other hand, there is a large number of scenes that knock you off your seat. But those are just moments, not the whole movie. And not even Akira’s masterful direction or the unforgettable performance by Takashi Shimura is enough to support the immensely long running time. But for Czechs this movie has a very positive message. It shows us that even in Japan bureaucracy was just as impervious and corrupt (Kafka style) at the beginning of the fifties as ours is to this day. So at least we aren’t (or weren’t) alone in this. (07/03/2008)

Akira Kurosawa is human, yet at the same time, he is ruthless, at times even poetic, and just as literal. This led him to make a film about an ordinary person and their ordinary life, yet it's a film that is intriguing, primarily because it will feel familiar to you. Kurosawa is a master of long scenes, but also of well-captured characters. This film is very intimate and you won't find a single action scene. (11/07/2014)