*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ***
Record of a Living Being (or I Live in Fear) is an amazing film, sometimes even disturbing. The first scenes, set at the judge's office, have almost a comical tone. They tell of the confrontation between Nakajima Kiichi (Mifune Toshiro) and his family. This confrontation is beautifully highlighted in the oppressive environment created by cramming members of the family, the judge and counsellors into the frame. The tension created is so strong that it would not be too long before the scene burst out into violence. When that happens characters are propelled out of the frame but with Kurosawa's use of several cameras filming simultaneously these actions are caught brilliantly given the sequence an essence of cinema verite. The comical mood of the starting sequences changes when the setting moves to Kiichi third mistress' house Asako (Negishi Akemi). Here in a fast motion and silent (apart from the sound of thunder) shot Kiichi jumps at the sight of lightning and sound of thunder and rushes to cover with his body Asako's baby. The scene lasts only for a few seconds but it is enough to leave a strong impression of Kiichi's fears. It also shifts the mood of the film into a more serious dimension. Some Western film critics have mentioned the film uncertainties on its moral and political stance and criticise its supposedly weak ending. Some other have talked about its flawed script and the uncomfortable acting of Mifune playing a character twice his age. Here I am particularly referring to Rod McShane's review in Time Out. First I just wonder how anyone can talk of uncertainties in a script by just relying on subtitles and second, speak to any Japanese, who have seen the film, about Mifune acting and they would say that apart from the heavy makeup he is pretty convincing as an old man. Kiichi's character is far from being a model patriarch and far from providing a convincing and argumentative political message against nuclear power. He's got three mistresses, one of them dead, and 3 illegitimate children. His is an animal behaviour, therefore his irrational actions, who is fighting for survival. This is in sharp contrast with his family position. They are more down to earth, are they?. They think calmly about the consequences of his father's action. They know the law, at one point the mother scolds Jiro, the second son, for sounding just like a lawyer. They all have dreams for the future, they are all greedy that is why they can risk their lives. They would rather die than risk to lose all they have. Greed is one the major themes in Kurosawa's films and one of the causes that pushes Japan into chaos. Yojimbo, High and Low, Throne of Blood and Ran are good examples of this. Greed is epitomised by most of the members of the family, with the exception of Kiichi's wife, Asako and his youngest daughter Sue, but most subtlety by Kiichi's first son wife Kimie (Sengoku Noriko). She remains silent for most of the film, always keeping herself in the background. At one point when all the family is discussing what to do with the patriarch she looks out the window at the factory looming out of darkness before she draws the curtains. Later after Kiichi had set fire to the factory we see a crowd surrounding him and Kimie again in the background. She starts moving away from the crowd followed by the camera, approaches the rubble, falls on her knees and bursts into tears. In another sequence Kiichi's mistresses and their families feeling that he might die want to be included in his will and are seen negotiating with Kiichi's blood family. Kurosawa very cleverly pans the camera following Kimie who silently moves from side of the room to the other eavesdropping all the conversations. Kurosawa became a master in editing. In Record of a Living a Being several cameras were used simultaneously. This technique was meant to be used to enhance action sequences and Kurosawa had done that in his previous Seven Samurai for the battle scene in the rain. So it came as a surprise to use that technique for such a static film as this one. Nevertheless one of the most powerful sequences in the film is actually a static one. It happens when Kiichi is begging to his family for the last time to accompany him to Brazil. In a frontal medium shot of the family sitting in a semicircle, Kiichi is seen at its bottom right corner. After his request a silence follows, the camera unmoved, which is only broken by the crying of his wife and Sue. The tension increases and eventually the youngest son says something that enrages Kiichi who starts beating him up.
The final shot of the film is a vindication of Kiichi crusade. From his cell at the mental house Kiichi looks out of the window to the blazing sun, which he believes it is the Earth on fire hit by a nuclear bomb. Harada (Shimura Takeshi), who has always supported his cause, is with him. Kiichi tells him how happy he is that Harada had left the Earth and saved his life. As Harada leaves the hospital he comes across Asako carrying her baby. In Kiichi's eyes they have also escaped destruction unlike Kiichi's family who was seen leaving the hospital as Harada was coming in just before the Earth started to burn. Kiichi's final wish, after bowing to his family refusal of leaving Japan, was to save the baby. He is the future of Japan, born of a mother who was the only one who offered him money. The greedy family went down to Earth to meet its own destruction.
Record of a Living Being (or I Live in Fear) is an amazing film, sometimes even disturbing. The first scenes, set at the judge's office, have almost a comical tone. They tell of the confrontation between Nakajima Kiichi (Mifune Toshiro) and his family. This confrontation is beautifully highlighted in the oppressive environment created by cramming members of the family, the judge and counsellors into the frame. The tension created is so strong that it would not be too long before the scene burst out into violence. When that happens characters are propelled out of the frame but with Kurosawa's use of several cameras filming simultaneously these actions are caught brilliantly given the sequence an essence of cinema verite. The comical mood of the starting sequences changes when the setting moves to Kiichi third mistress' house Asako (Negishi Akemi). Here in a fast motion and silent (apart from the sound of thunder) shot Kiichi jumps at the sight of lightning and sound of thunder and rushes to cover with his body Asako's baby. The scene lasts only for a few seconds but it is enough to leave a strong impression of Kiichi's fears. It also shifts the mood of the film into a more serious dimension. Some Western film critics have mentioned the film uncertainties on its moral and political stance and criticise its supposedly weak ending. Some other have talked about its flawed script and the uncomfortable acting of Mifune playing a character twice his age. Here I am particularly referring to Rod McShane's review in Time Out. First I just wonder how anyone can talk of uncertainties in a script by just relying on subtitles and second, speak to any Japanese, who have seen the film, about Mifune acting and they would say that apart from the heavy makeup he is pretty convincing as an old man. Kiichi's character is far from being a model patriarch and far from providing a convincing and argumentative political message against nuclear power. He's got three mistresses, one of them dead, and 3 illegitimate children. His is an animal behaviour, therefore his irrational actions, who is fighting for survival. This is in sharp contrast with his family position. They are more down to earth, are they?. They think calmly about the consequences of his father's action. They know the law, at one point the mother scolds Jiro, the second son, for sounding just like a lawyer. They all have dreams for the future, they are all greedy that is why they can risk their lives. They would rather die than risk to lose all they have. Greed is one the major themes in Kurosawa's films and one of the causes that pushes Japan into chaos. Yojimbo, High and Low, Throne of Blood and Ran are good examples of this. Greed is epitomised by most of the members of the family, with the exception of Kiichi's wife, Asako and his youngest daughter Sue, but most subtlety by Kiichi's first son wife Kimie (Sengoku Noriko). She remains silent for most of the film, always keeping herself in the background. At one point when all the family is discussing what to do with the patriarch she looks out the window at the factory looming out of darkness before she draws the curtains. Later after Kiichi had set fire to the factory we see a crowd surrounding him and Kimie again in the background. She starts moving away from the crowd followed by the camera, approaches the rubble, falls on her knees and bursts into tears. In another sequence Kiichi's mistresses and their families feeling that he might die want to be included in his will and are seen negotiating with Kiichi's blood family. Kurosawa very cleverly pans the camera following Kimie who silently moves from side of the room to the other eavesdropping all the conversations. Kurosawa became a master in editing. In Record of a Living a Being several cameras were used simultaneously. This technique was meant to be used to enhance action sequences and Kurosawa had done that in his previous Seven Samurai for the battle scene in the rain. So it came as a surprise to use that technique for such a static film as this one. Nevertheless one of the most powerful sequences in the film is actually a static one. It happens when Kiichi is begging to his family for the last time to accompany him to Brazil. In a frontal medium shot of the family sitting in a semicircle, Kiichi is seen at its bottom right corner. After his request a silence follows, the camera unmoved, which is only broken by the crying of his wife and Sue. The tension increases and eventually the youngest son says something that enrages Kiichi who starts beating him up.
The final shot of the film is a vindication of Kiichi crusade. From his cell at the mental house Kiichi looks out of the window to the blazing sun, which he believes it is the Earth on fire hit by a nuclear bomb. Harada (Shimura Takeshi), who has always supported his cause, is with him. Kiichi tells him how happy he is that Harada had left the Earth and saved his life. As Harada leaves the hospital he comes across Asako carrying her baby. In Kiichi's eyes they have also escaped destruction unlike Kiichi's family who was seen leaving the hospital as Harada was coming in just before the Earth started to burn. Kiichi's final wish, after bowing to his family refusal of leaving Japan, was to save the baby. He is the future of Japan, born of a mother who was the only one who offered him money. The greedy family went down to Earth to meet its own destruction.