Ikiru

• Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe
• Shinichi Kimura Himori as
• Haruo Tanaka Sakai
• Nobuo Kaneko as Mitsuo, Kanji's son
• Bokuzen Hidari as Ohara
• Miki Odagiri as Toyo

To Live (Japanese生きる, ikiru, dt " live " ) is a Japanese film made in 1952 by Akira Kurosawa.

Action

Kanji Watanabe, head of department of a municipal appeal body is on the verge of retirement when he learns that he is suffering from stomach cancer and had only a few months to live. He realizes that he has wasted as powerless cogs of bureaucracy all these years and that his son does not care for him and instead provides only for his inheritance. Watanabe is suddenly faced with the ruins of his life. He decides life as best he can enjoy, plunges into the nightlife, drinks, plays, dances, and can not shake off his loneliness yet. He begins a brief friendship with a former co-worker, but she does not quite know what to do with the old man. At a meeting of the two in a cafe, in the just held a birthday party, Watanabe is reminiscent of some women from a poor neighborhood, who had applied for a playground for their children. He decides to become a reality this playground and fights against the resistance of the bureaucracy to still give his life meaning.

At the end of the film Watanabe is dead; the politicians argue, who is entitled to the honors for the construction of the playground. The bureaucracy has not changed and continues to ignore the needs of the people. But for a few children playing Watanabe has changed the world.

Reviews

" A designed with restraint, representational precision and optical intensity drama, created as a humane, wholesome - disturbing meditation. "

Others

The film was invited to the competition at the Berlinale 1954.

Remake 2007

Ikiru was newly produced for television and aired on September 9, 2007, TV Asahi. The main role was played by Matsumoto Koshiro IX. , Who belongs to an ancient family of kabuki actors. Since the act in 2007, plays some roles and parts were changed the plot.