Synopsis
A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard (Akahige) chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as the dignified yet empathic director who guides his pupil to maturity, teaching the embittered intern to appreciate the lives of his destitute patients. Perfectly capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan, Kurosawa weaves a fascinating tapestry of time, place, and emotion.
Cast
| Kyojio Niide (Akahige) | Toshiro Mifune |
| Noboru Yasumoto | Yuzo Kayama |
| Handayu Mori | Yoshio Tsuchiya |
| Genzo Tsugawa | Tatsuyoshi Ehara |
| Osugi | Reiko Dan |
| Onaka | Miyuki Kuwano |
| The mantis | Kyoko Kagawa |
| Rokusuke | Kamatari Fujiwara |
| Okuni | Akemi Negishi |
| Sahachi | Tsutomu Yamazaki |
| Goheiji | Eijiro Tono |
| Tokubei Izumiya | Takashi Shimura |
| Noboru’s father | Chishu Ryu |
| Noboru’s mother | Kinuyo Tanaka |
Credits
| Director | Akira Kurosawa |
| Producer | Ryuzo Kikushima and Tomoyuki Tanaka |
| Scenario | Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide and Akira Kurosawa |
| After the novel by | Shugoro Yamamoto |
| Cinematography | Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saitô |
| Art direction | Yoshiro Muraki |
| Lighting | Hiromitsu Mori |
| Sound | Shin Watarai |
| Music | Masaru Sato |
Disc Features
- New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary by Kurosawa film scholar Stephen Prince
- Notes by Japanese film historian Donald Richie
- Theatrical trailer
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
From the Current
Red Beard
by Nov 19, 1989After finishing High and Low (1963), director Akira Kurosawa recalls, “I started looking around for something else to do and quite by accident picked up [the novel] Red Beard by Shugoro Yamamoto. At first I thought it would make a good script for [fellow director] Horikawa but . . .
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