Due to wartime and postwar censorship in japan, it is unlikely kurosawa saw hollywood film noirs of the 1940s, when he made drunken angel. Three years away from the war, still occupied by the us, and with a stagnant economy hello again, cesspool metaphor, japan would be facing a ton of problems from its now unemployed former soldiers. There isnt really one bad performance in the whole thing. See the sellers listing for full details and description. Drunken angel is not only a foundational film for japanese mob movies, but also for mob movies around the globe. All worldwide region free 0 you can play this dvd on all dvd players. Its kurosawas first time working with the actor he became most associated with, toshiro mifune. Jan 02, 2018 on another level, this movie is absolutely a product of its time.
Drunken angel 1948 yoidore tenshi akira kurosawa film. Businesses and social life are infected by the yakuza, or mob. Red beard, akahige is a 1965 japanese film directed by akira kurosawa about the relationship between a town doctor and his new trainee. In this powerful early noir from the great akira kurosawa, toshiro mifune bursts onto the screen as a volatile, tubercular criminal who strikes up an unlikely relationship with takashi shimuras jaded physician. The leading gangster in the village comes to the doctor one night with a bullet lodged in his hand. Drunken angel akira kurosawa 1948 1948s drunken angel marked the first time that japanese director akira kurosawa directed masterful actor toshiro mifune, but the results are excellent enough that you can see why their collaborations continued for decades. Now available from the folks at criterion is akira kurosawas 1948 film the drunken angel, making its region 1 debut on dvd. Sanada played by takashi shimura is the titular character, a doctor who strives to help others, but has. Following up on their violent meeting the night before, inebriate doctor sanada takashi shimura pursues gangster matsunaga toshiro mifune to his lair in the slums, early in akira kurosawas drunken angel, 1948. It is notable for being the first of sixteen film collaborations between director kurosawa and actor toshiro mifune. Drunken angel 1948 out of 4 straightforward and simple drama about the troubled relationship between a low level gangster toshiro mifune dying of tuberculosis and the drunken doctor takashi shimura trying to save him during postwar japan.
Overview of drunken angel, 1948, directed by akira kurosawa, with takashi shimura, toshiro mifune, michiyo kogure, at turner classic movies. Rent drunken angel 1948 starring takashi shimura and toshiro mifune on dvd and bluray. Dec 05, 2009 while it pairs japanese director akira kurosawa with both his regular leading men, takashi shimura and toshiro mifune, drunken angel is not a samurai drama. Drunken angel was directed by akira kurosawa, who also made the brilliant rashomon, a fact sufficiently puzzling without having to add that he also. Akira kurosawa directed the film starring takashi shimura, toshiro mifune, and reizaburo yamamoto. It was a setting that could have been found almost anywhere in tokyo in 1948, or any other bombedout japanese city where postwar life revolved around the teeming black markets. Sanada takashi shimura is the titular hero, a boozy, beatendown doctor tending to the sick and to the poor in a.
The central feature of this district is a sump or bog. A drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violenceprone gangster with tuberculosis form. A drunken doctor with a hot temper works in a village whose most prominent geographical feature is a diseaseridden sump. Takashi shimura plays an alcoholic doctor, running a fleabitten clinic in the. Akira kurosawa is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Sanada takashi shimura is the films main character, its the.
The doctor, who despises the yakuza, discovers the young man is suffering from tuberculosis, a disease symbolic of what is happening to the doctor and the community he serves. The film was based on shugoro yamamotos short story collection, akahige shinryotan. Drunken angel is a 1948 japanese yakuza film directed by akira kurosawa. Initially released in 1948, drunken angel is set in a tokyo neighborhood immediately after world war ii. The chaotic worlds of the japanese mafia yakuza and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic from akira kurosawa. Gangster toshiro mifune visits doctor takashi shimura, after an unfortunate incident with a bullet.
It was the first film that kurosawa had complete control over. Dvd cover design may change due to manufacturer and may have korean on it. Drunken angel 1948 stream and watch online moviefone. Originally titled yoidore tenshi, drunken angel was director akira kurosawas first auteur project. Also, in the leading role, is kurosawa regular and fantastic character actor takashi shimura.
Instead both play complex modern characters gradually drawn together through a case of tuberculosis. Drunken angel is one of the most important of kurosawas films for several reasons. It is also an example of film noir sprouting outside of hollywood. Nov 04, 2019 akira kurosawa is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Drunken angel by akira kurosawa akira kurosawa, toshiro. Drunken angel is an early yakuza movie, though its different to what we may later consider typical for yakuza films. For one its one of his first major succeses after eight films. Manny pacquiaos manager insinuated conor mcgregor would find a proper fight with the boxer. Drunken angel 1948 movie clip you call this a nail. Set in and around the muddy swamps and back alleys of postwar tokyo, drunken angel is an evocative, moody snapshot of a treacherous time and place, featuring one of the directors most. Takashi shimura, toshiro mifune, chieko nakakita, michiyo kogure in this powerful early noir from the great akira kurosawa, toshiro mifune.
And his early mobster movie drunken angel, is one of his best. The chaotic worlds of the yakuza and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic from akira kurosawa. In this powerful early noir from the great akira kurosawa, toshiro mifune bursts onto the screen as a volatile, tubercular. Drunken angel 1948 akira kurosawa, takashi shimura, vhs. And years after the end of wwii its a great film made successfuly under strict allied censorship. Drunken angel is a significant film in the pantheon of akira kurosawas masterpieces. Drunken angel, yoidore tenshi is a 1948 japanese yakuza film directed by akira kurosawa. Rent drunken angel 1948 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Few use the close up better than kurosawa, turning a mundane shot like. Drunken angel, considered to be kurosawas breakthrough film that demonstrated his full cinematic mastery, concerns a somewhat downandout doctor struggling to.
Add drunken angel 1948 to your film collection today. I think this extract highlights one of the reasons why drunken angel is so admired. Watch eric church perform john prines long monday in the late songwriters honor. The film revolves around a doctor and gang member who live in a rundown japanese town. Akira kurosawas first critical success 1948 is an odd blend of american film noir and italian neorealism. If you are lucky enough to be in tokyo this summer you. Takashi shimura, toshiro mifune, chieko nakakita, michiyo kogure in this.
Drunken angel is a germinating seed that influenced a prolific crop of japanese film noir, neo noir and new wave that followed. Drunken angel 1948 trailers and clips the chaotic worlds of the japanese mafia yakuza and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic from akira kurosawa. Drunken angel is my first akira kurosawas film and also my first yakuza members of transnational organized crime syndicates in japan film the legend also cemented himself as a director with this feature the movie follows a story with a beautiful moral as quoted a rational approach is the best medicine for life. Drunken angel 1948 the chaotic worlds of the japanese mafia yakuza and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic from akira kurosawa. Akira kurosawa once said, the ordinary japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression.
If you are lucky enough to be in tokyo this summer you have a treat in store at the newly renamed national film archive of japan formerly the national film center at the national museum of modern art. Most clearly, it is the film where the director finds the. Drunken angel 1948 full movie download full hd youtube. From start to finish, kurosawa, not the studio, was calling the shots. Noirsville on the mhm podcast network on apple podcasts. It focuses on the mercurial relationship between a cranky, alcoholic doctor and a brazen young yakuza dying of tuberculosis. Read the full summary, and add the film to your collection today. What is passover, one of the jewish religions most sacred holidays. Dec 12, 2019 toho company released drunken angel to theaters on april 27, 1948. This was the gloomy atmosphere in which a number of postwar japanese films, such as akira kurosawas drunken angel 1948 and kenji mizoguchis women of the night 1948 were set. For mifunes first few films he was typecast as a gangster, a role kurosawa would soon break for him, but not with drunken angel. He was a director of broad strokes and so this story of a good man trying to save a gangster is exactly his style.
Released december 30th, 1948, drunken angel stars toshiro mifune, takashi shimura, reizaburo yamamoto, michiyo kogure the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 42 min, and received a score of out. Drunken angel vhs video cassette ntsc in very good condition. Michiyo kogure in drunken angel 1948 drunken angel 1948 reizaburo. Drunken angel is the second film that kurosawa wrote with keinosuke uekusa. Following the credits, getting familiar with the cesspool, toshiro mifune, as gangster matsunaga, in his first scene in his first film with director akira kurosawa, visits doctor sanada takashi shimura, in the celebrated postwar japan morality play, drunken angel, 1948. The film follows an alcoholic doctor who becomes involved with the criminal world after treating a young yakuza. Drunken angel 1948nr this one, we know, is a tough sell. The genuine compassion of a drunk doctor and the false courage of a yakuza patient with dishonest pride and reluctant humility, drunken angel is an exceptional satire of the unwarranted social. It was a complicated self, and kurosawas remark can be taken to mean that it was in this film that he was finally able to bring together its various strands with a commanding technique. Its also probably akira kurosawas first masterpiece. Drunken angel 1948 dvd akira kurosawa new sealed all. Drunken angel is essentially a lament for the state of postwar japanese society. Drunken angel, akira kurosawa, 1948 doctor surgery scene. Drunken angel 1948 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
Closeups are rare for this reason, but when they are used, it is to spectacular effect. In post wwii tokyo, a yakuza matsunaga stumbles into doctor sanadas office to have him remove a bullet from his hand. O n november 27, 2007, the criterion collection released drunken angel on dvd. Drunken angel movie summary in post wwii tokyo, a yakuza matsunaga stumbles into doctor sanadas office to have him remove a bullet from his hand. Take myself, subtract movies, and the result is zero akira kurosawa. Drunken angel sees the master of japanese cinema, akira kurosawa, on solid form in the simplistic tale of the developing friendship between an alcoholic doctor and a dying gangster who comes to him for help. There are a lot of different genres on display in this early kurosawa film including noir, gangster and an odd couple drama. Drunken angel 1948 in this picture i was finally myself, akira kurosawa was to write of his eighth film, drunken angel yoidore tenshi 1948. Nov, 2019 toho company released drunken angel to theaters on april 27, 1948. The masterpupil relationship that kurosawa has created in drunken angel 1948 is a complicated one.