in 1975 an absolute gem of a film came from master filmmaker akira kurosawa. based on the memoir of a russian explorer's friendship with his guide, 'dersu uzala' is another masterpiece from the man who created several. not only is kurosawa responsible for over thirty films, he introduced the amazing actor toshiro mifune to the whole world. from 'rashomon' to 'ran' this director has been a great inspiration. nestled among the movies that depict heroes and villains in epic proportions is the inimitable tribesman 'dersu.'
watching the intimate relationship develop between the explorer and the nomad who guides him through the siberian frontier is a lesson in life. battling the elements replaces battling the enemy in kurosawa's touching drama.
physical, mental, and spiritual questions weave through the story and the small and humble 'dersu' offers beautiful answers. never was man's bewilderment in the face of wilderness treated so tenderly. this is possibly my husband's favorite film.
1 comment:
wow! eastern philosophy and its sequential art forms via cinema!
much deeper than us, western americans, who became 1970's t.v. junkies, for a fix of david carradine, and his 'kung fu' chronicles. parables and juxtapositions, and ironically we westerns think "we share a common- ism." a wonderful wish, though.....
a add on, to my films to watch from your honest, thoughtful and objective perspectives pal. :)
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