Yoidore tenshi (1948)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (writer)
Keinosuke Uegusa (writer)

Release Date:

30 December 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

After a battle with rival criminals, a small-time gangster is treated by an alcoholic doctor in post-war Japan...

Plot Keywords:

Stabbed In The Back | Yakuza | Doctor | Post War Japan | Alcoholic

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Takashi Shimura	...	Doctor Sanada
Toshirô Mifune	...	Matsunaga
Reisaburo Yamamoto	...	Okada
Michiyo Kogure	...	Nanae
Chieko Nakakita	...	Nurse Miyo
Noriko Sengoku	...	Gin
Shizuko Kasagi	...	Singer
Eitarô Shindô	...	Takahama
Masao Shimizu	...	Boss
Taiji Tonoyama	...	Shop Proprietor
Yoshiko Kuga	...	Schoolgirl
Chouko Iida	...	Old maid servant
Isamu Ikukata	...	Punk
Akira Tani	...	Yakuza Follower
Sachio Sakai	...	Guitar Player

Also Known As:

Drunken Angel

Runtime:

98 min | Japan:150 min (director's cut) | USA:102 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-15 (2005) | Sweden:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

The first feature film where Akira Kurosawa had complete creative control as Director (all previous films were either censored by the Japanese censors, a governmental bureau, or made simple for content purposes).

Quotes:

Dr. Sanada: The Japanese love to sacrifice themselves for stupid things.

In my top ten favorites of Kurosawa; under-rated (or maybe under-seen)

Considering this is the first collaboration between one of the 'heavyweight' director/star combos in cinema (tops in the Japanese film world, probably their equal to America's Scorsese/De Niro), this is quite a powerhouse of drama. That's not to say it's a completely dour film- some of Akira Kurosawa's trademark ironic (and subtle) humor is laced into scenes. But more-over, Kurosawa made here an important film for its time. While the team of Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune would become even more internationally known for the thrilling Japanese mystery Stray Dog, and the masterpiece Rashomon, this film seems to get a little under-looked by Kurosawa fans (at least those that haven't quite dug into the catalog of their work). Is it their very best? Not quite, but it ranks high up there for me.

And it's not just the collaboration of the director and the star- there is also the co-star, Takashi Shimura, who has made his great mark on many of Kurosawa's films (the two I mentioned previous, plus his best role in Ikiru, and Seven Samurai as well). He plays a doctor who can't quite lay off the booze, even as he tries to help the people around him who seem to be contracting all sorts of bad diseases from the contaminated water (most notably tuberculosis). Mifune plays a member of the Yakuza crime gang, but is more of just a low level thug than a real 'somebody'. He's getting signs of TB, and goes to the 'good' doctor, who refuses help to the Yakuza, having outright contempt for them. Through the course of the film, The two actors portray these people as fragile, intense, hostile, compassionate, and with all the great emotional impact that comes in Japanese dramas.

While one might want to check this out for the context of the Yakuza part of the plot (which was one reason I wanted to check it out- not the Yakuza in today's Japanese cinema of course), the side that Kurosawa shows wonderfully in a film like Red Beard is also brought to light here. There's some action, but it gets thrown into a larger, more emotional context as Mifune's character starts to deteriorate. It becomes very theatrical in a sense, but there is also the realism that Kurosawa had on his sleeve, one that he had to express in post-war Japan (many of these post-war images are better expressed in Stray Dog, but he gives some ample time here too in a subtler, more dangerous context). So this mix comes together, and it turns into one hell of a picture. It may feel a little on the weak side compared to some of Kurosawa's magnum opuses (Seven Samurai, Ran, Yojimbo come to mind). Yet it ranks as an important point in the careers of the actors and director, and it contains enough great moments, enough in terms of the position of the camera and the often shattering music, to make it an under-rated (perhaps minor) classic. Personally, I loved it- especially the last twenty minutes.