Drunken Angel

Drunken Angel, Kurosawa’s 7th feature film, is typically considered the beginning of the director’s career as a major film maker. In order to investigate and denounce the yakuza world, Kurosawa and Uekusa created a pair of characters: a gangster with a destructive influence on himself and those around him, and a doctor who is flawed but nevertheless a far more constructive, healing and well-meaning force.

Their teacher-discipline type relationship is something that many critics have identified as a motif that repeats throughout much of Kurosawa’s career. Kurosawa’s film is one of big performances from the actors and small touches from the director. The two leads play extraordinary well, despite the fact that neither performance here would constitute the best of their career. Takashi Shimura as Dr. Sanada is confident; assured. His delivery of the troubled role is precisely what is required from him. He is the necessary antithesis to Mifune’s gangster. Though much of their behavior is the same, Shimura is quiet whereas Mifune is loud. Drunken Matsunaga stumbles about, clinging to women, or alternatively just disheveled, putting himself forward in an unkempt state – hair ruffled, jacket off-kilter, arms akimbo. Shimura’s Sanada is the opposite when in a similar haze: he sits passively and yet is animated; he breaks into rowdy song without warning but never stands up to raze his humble abode to the ground. The younger version of Shimura, one with thick, full hair, and genuine, large eyes, gives the Dr. Sanada role a credible foundation for the good person Kurosawa wants the viewer to find underneath. On the surface Sanada is curt; his eyes and presentation offer a different story. 

Drunken Angel

I had a chance to watch the "Drunken Angel" at signs and wonders. For me it was the first time watching a Japanese film that did not have weird noises and karate chops. In fact, I had never seen a film by Akira Kurosawa before. I thought that the story was simple and inspiring and had a good message for an audience of any era. But for me what stood out the most was the way Kurosawa's main character, Dr. Sanada, described a typical film noir protagonist. 
Films made in the noir style don't often have a protagonist, and if they do, it is hard to figure out who that person is because they often struggle with certain flaws in their character. Their actions are morally questionable and they often make mistakes. In "Drunken Angel," Dr. Sanada is the imperfect protagonist.

Sanada's job is to help people stay healthy and, in the case of the film, save Matsunaga, who is suffering from tuberculosis, from dying. But Sanada has a couple of problems in his life that he is struggling with. First of all, he is an alcoholic and a very heavy one. Secondly, due to his constant drinking, he tends to stay in a hangover all the time and because of that he never thinks before speaking and often blurts something out that is offensive to the other person.

This is the reason why Matsunaga would always end up beating Sanada. However, the irony of his drunkenness is that he would often say things that are true, which would hurt. But the film also describes his positive side by his eagerness to save his patients and help them recover from their illness. This is shown when a young girl, who is also suffering tuberculosis, is cured at the end of the film. 

The title of the film totally describes Dr. Sanada's character. It describes his moral flaw of drinking, which is his weakness and flaw. But it also describes his positive side of saving people, which being a doctor is his responsibility.

Lost among the files of my laptop for weeks...

     Drunken Angel was the first Kurosawa film I had ever seen, along with probably most of us. It was a rather sad film in my opinion, thought that was partially due to my favorite characters death (the gangster, Matsunaga) The character I admired most, however, was the doctor. While Matsunaga was very humorous, the doctor had an amazing ability to keep going, to preserver. He didn't stop his practice because he was a drunk, (that seemed to be keeping his supply of booze up anyway) and he did not stop persisting Matsunaga to try and heal. Even when the gangster refused treatment, the doctor didn't give up. Eventually, Matsunaga's will won out, and he ended up getting himself killed trying to confront his old boss. The doctor did have a bitter sweet ending, as his younger patient was cured of TB. So while he lost his friend, he had managed to save a different life. The film definitely went in depth into the meaning of friendship, and I noticed a theme of salvation running between the lines. The doctor, while a drunk, does manage to save people, the gangster had his redeeming moment in the end.

My final thoughts on the film, it was pretty good. I definitely need to be in a certain mood to watch it though (not being distracted by anything would be a good one...) I also can not believe how long it took me to post this... kind of ridiculous actually.

Drunken Angel

A man is banging outside the door

A doctor’s sleeping on the hard floor

A lie told about the man’s bullet peirced hand

Reveals a truth only the doctor can understand

“You’re dying,” he says to his patient’s cold ears

“But I have a treatment, so please calm your fears

It’s so simple a child is doing it now

It will take work, but I can show you how.”

Though the man tries, he continues to struggle

His health and his old life he fails to juggle

Till one day when all is thought to be lost

He goes out and pays the ultimate cost

Dripping in the white paint of goodness

He loses his last chance at innocence

But the doctor lived on to continue his work

And the girl he was helping walked up with a smirk

“You owe me a sweet!” the little girl said

“Because I’m alive, and I am not dead

I’ve beaten my disease, just look and see

My x-rays are clean and free, just like me

I’ve been healed because I listened to you

You saved me so don’t go looking so blue

I think you’re great, isn’t that enough?

You brought me through a time that was tough

To me you are a savior

You showed me right behavior

To me you’re a king

So smile and sing

Buy me a treat like you said you would

I’ve followed your plan; I have been good

Now look at my life from the new angle

That I have been saved by a drunken angel

Drunken Angel, Kurosawa's First Big Oddly-Mooded Dramatic Film

    Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest film directors of all time, obtained praise all around for his drama known as Drunken Angel. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into prior to this screening, but I had seen Seven Samurai last year. However, I certainly feel that Drunken Angel was not on par with his now hailed masterpiece. Obviously they are different films, but on a skill level I just feel that this wasn't as immersive or "pretty" to look at. That can be considered fine because it was an early one of his, it's just sometimes director's early films are better. I did love that this is considered a drama, yet it can be seen as something more.
    Throughout the film I carefully analyzed it the best someone can during their first showing, and I focused on the clear cut, as well as more subliminal, humor and the use of the guitar. Unfortunately my analyzation of the guitar segments proved to be a little scattershot and I won't discuss them until my second viewing. The humor on the other hand worked out pretty well in my opinion. There were several scenes in which an obvious or a subtle comedic segment took place just before something rather intense did. A nice example is the scene in which Mifune is drunk out of his mind and he decides to pick up a girl and just dance at the club. While they are dancing we are graced with the presence of the wonderful band, led by the rather comedic female singer. This entire scene is definitely trying to delight us, but it almost seems out of place. It wasn't until the next scene started did I realize what it was for. The next scene immediately opened up with Shimura slapping Mifune for drinking and because of the abrupt cut and humorous dance, it came off as funny. Kurosawa meant for those kind of scenes because there isn't exactly the greatest happiness by the end of the film. For those that don't remember, this was the final humorous anything in the film. Thus why it had to be as ridiculous as it was. Imagine these as pain pills. Another quick example is when the kids were having a good time while playing around the stream. The stream is obviously heinous, but the light-heartedness that surrounded that scene lightened the threat for the time being. Notice again, that never is that water even joked about. If Kurosawa did one thing right, it's certainly knowing when things are and aren't appropriate for the sake of the mood. For that alone, I enjoyed the film more than things typically spat out these days, and I have Kurosawa to thank.

Drunken Angel

Thursday night I saw the movie Drunken Angel for the first time. I'm not a huge fan of old black-and-white movies but this one was all right. One thing I like about the movie was a relationship between Toshiro and the doctor. It struck me funny to see at the end of about every encounter the two had, it would end with Toshiro trying to strangle the doctor to death followed by the doctor throwing everything he could get his hands on, at the TB patient as he left (that is everything except the alcohol). When they met up again it was like water under the bridge and all was well, until when it was time to leave again and then they let each other have it. I remember thinking to myself, how can the doctors stay in business when most of his product is literally being "thrown away" shattering against the wall. When the movie was over there was a group discussion on the movie, just like we do in class. I found it interesting of all the symbolism that was used that the group had brought to light, stuff I didn't catch the first time around. Drunken Angel turned out to be a really good movie and I'm glad I went.

Drunken Angel

A few nights ago, I was able to watch Drunken Angel by Akira Kurosawa at Signs and Wonders. At first, I did not know what to expect so I kept an open mind. And you know what? I actually enjoyed watching the film!

Okay, a quick summary of the film:

A small Japanese village is run by the yakuza or the gang and it is run by Matsunaga. As he is dying from TB there is this alcoholic doctor that cares about him despite Matsunaga being a yakuza and not setting his priorities straight. Throughout the story the doctor sympathizes with Matsunaga because he reminds him of when he was younger. As the story progresses Matsunaga changes from being a cold-hearted person to a caring patient. At the end of the story, despite him respecting his doctor and showing signs for improvement - he still died an idiot because once a beast always a beast. 


One of the things that I really enjoyed this in this film is its symbolism and parallels. One being that every night the guitar player would play his regular tunes which welcomed the mosquitos. But when Okada comes back to the village he takes the guitar and plays his own tune - symbolizing his cruel dominion once again. Another being that the swampy lake represented Matsunaga's sickly condition and the shop lady's encouragement to come away with her to the countryside where there are clear streams and rivers. There are many more symbols and parallels I just don't really want to write on them all because a) my classmates have already blogged on them and b) I need to do other homework. 

Moreover, I really liked the dynamic relationship between Matsunaga and the Doctor. I loved their comical banter and the fact that they enjoy each other's company despite what they would say aloud. 

Overall, I enjoyed Drunken Angel and plan on watching more of his films at Signs and Wonders.

Drunken Angel

         I saw the film "Drunken Angel" a few nights ago, which was directed by Akira Kurosawa, and I really enjoyed it! The movie was filled with so much raw emotion and inner conflict. The characters felt like real, relatable humans, not simple tools meant to only enterain us for an hour or so. You could tell that Kurosawa really put a lot of effort into developing these people, and I can very much appreciate such hard work. The actors get so much into their characters that I sometimes forgot that it wasn't real. Also, the angles of the camera were beautiful and well-thoughtout. I don't want to spoil the movie too much, so I'll try my best to talk about it without ruining it.

        The story takes place in postwar Japan, where a doctor named Sanada runs a small clinic in the slums of Tokyo.When a thug named Matsunaga, who is a part of the Yuzuka mafia, comes to him with a hurt hand (which he claimed was caused by a nail), the doctor discovers that the man has tuberculosis and tries to convince him to get proper treatment for it. As the story goes on, we see both Doctor Sanada and Matsunaga interact with one another on a regular basis, and most of these interactions end up with them fighting. The love-hate relationship between these two is a very fascinating part of the movie. Sanada is constantly trying to assist Matsunaga with his illness, and Matsunaga is constanty rejecting his advice and causing more pain for himself. The doctor also always claims that he's done trying to help Matsunaga but always comes back to attempt to get him out of bad situation when he needs it. Perhaps Sanada saw a piece of himself in Matsunaga. And by helping him, he is hoping that he will feel some sort of redemption in the end if he heals/changes Matsunaga. The doctor and the thug are actually quite similar when it comes down to it. They both have an alcohol problem, and they are both very stubborn, which is probably why they are always butting heads.

           Though both of the characters are very much alike, they both recieve very different endings. Matsunaga had a chance at happiness and redemption, but he was too caught up in his anger and stubborness that he could never really achieve true satisfaction. The doctor's ending could be classified as optimistic and hopeful. Perhaps, the young girl is Sanada's means of changing his stubborn drunk ways as she is the opposite of him (compliant and open-minded)?

          Overall, it was a great movie! It was beautifully filmed and written. The characters and the plot are engaging and deep. I highly suggest that if you haven't seen it, you should give it a watch. It is a little long (2 hours or so), but it's very much worth your time.

Thursday I was lucky enough to see the movie, Drunken Angel. I didn't have any idea what type of movie it would be by the title. When I walked into the movie the first thing I saw was a black movie and I remembering thinking, "Oh no, it's an old one". I think that this movie has not completely taken away my thought s on older film but I will say it was very well written. The story was very solid. I didn't see the ending coming and I loved the symbolism wit the swamp.

What stuck out the most to me was the idea of this drunken man being one of the most caring people. Even though he had his own problems, he was wanting to help everyone. It could just be that he was a doctor, but I think it was more than that. He did more than other doctors. He would go out of his way to treat a patient who did not want his help. I think we can learn form this that everyone has something to give. The doctor had his sin, but so does everyone in the world. It is how we get past our flaws and make a difference. I have my problems, as does everyone, but I am wanting to live for God.

I want to make stuff that can open eyes. I want to find that right balance of making something that people can relate to and take something away from. I want to know how to do this without throwing those nonchristians off the deep end. That is why I am here at Huntington.

Drunken Angel, Akira Kurosawa,

I enjoyed Kurosawa's film immensely! My favorite character was the Doctor. The Drunken Angel. His abrasive methods towards the Yakuza character's, I thought, were very bold and courageous. They way a drunken man would confront someone. But the Doctor did it even when he was sober! I know many symbolism were in the film but I'm not focusing on those. I enjoyed watching my first Japanese film whose mouths moved with the sound precisely! I was surprised at the acting ability of most of the cast! All in all this movie really reversed my stereotyped opinion on such films.

Drunken Angel by Akira Kurosaw

  I went to Becker Hall last night  to see the movie "Drunken Angel." I think that the director  Akira Kurosawa did amazing job on directing the scenes. This was my first Japanese film that I never seen in less there are other movie that I seen that has director that are Japanese or American films. I think the actor and actress. I thought the guy that was sick was the Drunken angel. I found out it was not him it was the doctor that is the drunken angel.

       The doctor's a  customer remind the doctor of him. When  he was doing the same thing when he was that guys age. Doctor still drinks at the time. There were scenes that remind me what symbolis the main guy.  He was looking at the pound, or lake  there was a dolly in the water floating. It must be him because he drinks and have tb if that a disease he had. His body is floating in the liquid that he put inside of him.

   I didn't like the first scene when the doctor was fixing the guy hand because he was putting some tip of clippers in his hand that was grouse. I can't wait to see many more films. I didn't know what to speak in this film. I never know what to speak in movies. If there a like trilogies of the movie that I seen like toy story, DC universe, Marvel, and horror film like scream. I would want to see more because it keep you thinking of  what the director is going to do next. I think that Akira Kurosawa did not waste his time making this film that he makes.

The Film With Subtle Truths of Humanity

      I am not going to give a summary of the movie because, I believe that the movie is something that needs to be watched instead of read about. When I was watching the Kurosawa film “Drunken Angel” I found my self wanting to find some deep meaning or analogy. I quickly learned I was wrong. Instead of some deep meaning I realized that the film was about the truth of humanity. Not only was it conveying the truth about humanity, the truth was displayed in both a subtle and bold way. 

The way it conveyed the truth of humanity reminded me of a time I was trying to find where my dad had hidden the birthday presents. I looked everywhere from the closet, under the bed, in the garage, the attic you name it! When in fact my dad hid my big birthday present in plain sight, on top of the grandfather clock, and I didn’t see it until after he showed me. My eyes literally ignored the present, even after walking by it in plain sight several times, as I continued to search in more complex places. Sometimes I believe its harder to see the truth of our everyday lives and the things be do because, we simply don’t want to believe what we have made humanity into. 

The part that got me the most was when the doctor, Sanada, was buying eggs to bring back to his patient Matsunaga. Meanwhile the doctor had no idea that Matsunaga ignored his orders to stay in bed, instead Matsunaga was out fighting Okada. Despite the many reasons Matsunaga had to fight Okada, I believe he mainly wanted to win back the part of town he ruled, that had been taken by Okada. The reason I found this scene so impacting was because, it was unbelievably true. When we get ahold of something that we can call ours we don’t want to let go, we fight for it, even if it is causing us great harm. Despite how much someone is trying to help, we disregard it and turn a blind eye, even it is causing us great harm.

This scene reminded me of how I view my art and how God sees the way I view my art. Often times I shy away from showing my art because, I fear what others will think. I don’t want to lose peoples support, when my art isn’t good enough for them, so I don’t show them. Some one once said to me that I need to get over my self, other wise God will not be able to use my talents for his glory. That person is right. God knows my fear is causing harm but, all the help he is doing won't work until I let go. It’s no longer time to ignore the truth of humanity but, to accept it. Its time to let go, and embrace both God and the talents he has for me.  

A Comedy Within A Tragedy

     Hey all! If you missed out on the Drunken Angel last night, make sure to check it out some other time! It's such a wonderful film!
I think that I might have missed out on a lot of the symbolism because I'm unfamiliar with the Japanese culture, but all in all I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I can't really tell whether it was meant to delight or challenge, though, and maybe it's a bit of both. 
     The story follows a doctor who invests a lot into his patients (perhaps too much) and tries to help them get better. There is this one particular patient, however, who the doctor constantly pursues and pursues. The patient is a macho thug who doesn't want to admit he's sick, and they chase each other around, poking at and annoying each other to no end. No matter how much the doctor nags his patient to try to overcome his TB infection, the thug constantly pushes him away. In the end, the thug ends up dying because of his sickness and because he got into a fight with another mafia member.
     Though tragic, the entire movie was so beautifully filmed; Kurosawa really had a knack for camera shots. Some of the details or angles in the scenes were marvelous. In addition to the visual beauty of the film, there were also some funny jokes and phrases put into the movie to lighten up the mood. 
     The one main thing I took away from this movie is that you don't have to be perfect to try to heal people. The doctor was a drunk, and yet he went out of his way to try and help his patient so he could get better. It's a lesson I'm going to try to live by from now on, because sometimes when I try to help someone I feel unworthy of doing so because of all of my flaws. We're not perfect, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other out.

Drunken Angel: a lesson in grief

Yesterday when I heard we were going to be watching a film called "Drunken Angel" I didn't quite know what to expect. I had skimmed a small portion of the story on the information email, but still the details of what I would see were hazed in mystery. I arrived at Becker slightly early to find that pretty much all the seats were filled. After playing the name game with Prof Leeper( ITS SHAWN, SHAWN J.DAVIDSON, REMEMBER THE NAME), I took my seat in the front row and waited. After a few more viewers arrived, the movie began and it was quite a ride.

With the opening Japanese titles passing by, I could see Akira Kurosawa's name in the director slot and the film to come would truly show just what he was capable of. The movie takes place in a hot, humid, swampy, mosquito filled Japanese town that is feeling the hard hit of the post war. One night a local thug named Matsunaga who is a high ranking member of a mafia called the Yuzuka, comes to the shack of a poor doctor for assistance with ailing hand. The thug explains that he was careless and slammed the door on his hand where a nail struck it. The doctor soon finds not a nail, but a bullet in the hand of the thug. Such character development from this early a point was truly fantastic to see. The doctor also informs the thug that he has a hole in his lung caused by tuberculosis. It is from here that we see the rocky beginnings of the relationship between the Doctor and thug. The doctor continually tries to warn the thug of his impending doom and as the thug continually pummels the poor hapless physician for what ever reason he sees fit.

While watching it hit me that Matsunaga was displaying almost the exact qualifications of the well known "5 stages of grief." According to the 1969 book "On death and dying" by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the five stages are:

1. Isolation and Desolation. Matsunaga may not have isolated himself physically, as we saw him constantly hanging around the local hooker/pub dance joint. Even while there he could not enjoy himself however because of the thoughts of his impending doom, and I feel that he had partially isolated himself mentally from his disgusting sleazy world.

2. Anger. This goes almost without explaining. Anytime he was questioned about his problems, Matsunaga tended to lash out at anyone. His girlfriend, the other thugs and especially the doctor. He did come to respect and vouch for the doctor when the time came for it however.

3.Barganing. We don't quite see Matsunaga in this postion as far as I know, because he tries to maintain his dignity and respect for most of his scenes in the film. According to the http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/000617 website article written by Julie Axelrod, "The normal reaction to feeling vulnerable and helpless is often a need to regain control." Matsunga may not feel control in the coming situation, but he will do anything he can to seem like he does.

4. Depression. This is one we definitely see through out the whole film, through it all Matsunaga displays massive amounts of depression. He fears for his life but will not show it because he does not want to lose standing with his men. In short, Matsunaga is about as depressed as a dying man can be.

5. Acceptance. I did not quite see Matsunaga accept his destiny of death say for one scene where he was obviously drunk. Other than this I feel he may as well have accepted it though for all of his constant drinking and ignoring of the doctors advice. While I know that Ignorance and Acceptance are two different things, in this case, I feel they can work as one. 



These analogies are a bit broad, but I think they work in this case. I found it interesting where we see 3 characters fighting their own inequities to do the right thing. Matsunaga with his drinking and dirty lifestyle, The doctor with his liquor addiction, and the doctor's nurse who was abused and left by a vicious criminal named Osaka(if I remember correctly) and struggles with hating Osaka, while fighting her feelings of loyalty and care for him at the same time. These character struggles make the movie and the situation all the more human and relatable and I can honestly say I felt sorry when Matsunaga died of a stab wound. The shots, the lines, the actors, the story, it all adds up and the math is sound. Watch this movie if you haven't already, it is incredibly well organized and directed.

(P.S here's my fave shot in the whole film, I just love it when movies take their cinematography and camera work seriously and creatively at the same time) :)   

Drunken Angel

Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura as Matsunaga and Doctor Sanada.

"Drunken Angel" was my first Kurosawa film and given his reputation as a filmmaker I came in with high expectations. I definitely left the screening room satisfied and look forward to seeing Kurosawa's more ambitious and famous works later this semester.

For those of you who didn't see it, here's a synopsis from IMDb:

After a battle with rival criminals, a small-time gangster is treated by an alcoholic doctor in post-war Japan. The doctor diagnoses the young gangster's tuberculosis, and convinces him to begin treatment for it. The two enjoy an uneasy friendship until the gangster's former boss is released from prison and seeks to take over his gang once again. The ailing young man loses his status as gang boss and becomes ostracised, and eventually confronts his former boss in a battle to the death.

 In my eyes, "Drunken Angel" was a character study focusing primarily on Doctor Sanada.

From the very beginning, we see Sanada's struggle with alcoholism and its effects on his family and professional life. Kurosawa never tries to depict him as a bad person, just a seriously flawed human being who wants to do whatever he can to help the patients in his devasted post-WWII community. Doctor Sanada's character reminds us that there is a dark side to every human being, no matter how good-hearted, intelligent, or admired they seem. This also makes Doctor Sanada easily the most relatable character in the film because we see a small part of him in ourselves.

Reisaburo Yamamoto as yakuza boss Okada.

The doctor is also by far the most developed character in the movie. The other characters are hardly given much of a backstory. All we know of Mastunaga is that he is a stubborn, hedonistic yakuza with tuberculosis. Okada is a completely one dimensional character who is only there to move the plot forward. Something interesting that I found on IMDb was that Kurosawa had originally intended for Doctor Sanada to have the only starring role in the film but was so impressed by Mifune's (Matsunaga's) performance that he decided to give him more lines.

Even though they got equal screen-time, I was much more fascinated with Doctor Sanada than with Matsunaga. Sanada epitomizes the anti-hero and creates a wonderful dichotomy between his alcoholism and his constant nurturing. He is a man that devotes his life to taking care of others but ironically cannot take care of himself.

Drunken Angel

I didn't know what to expect from the movie going into it. After watching Drunken Angel, I didn't know what to think. I had trouble following the plot a bit and was only concentrating on that aspect. After we had the discussion afterwards, I felt like I wasn't even watching the same movie as everyone else. People seemed to pick up on symbols, metaphors and meanings very quickly and I realized that I missed all those things when I was watching. 

I felt like an awful DMA student. It's hard to process and analyze a film on the first take. I always found that multiple viewings made me think on a deeper level, and I would find things that I missed the first or second time. To me, the first time I watch a movie I just try to understand the story and the characters. The second time I watch something is always easier for me to pick up those things since I don't have to concentrate so hard on story. 

After having the discussion though, I appreciated the film more and want to someday revisit it. I applaud all of you who caught all the meanings the first go around. Excited to watch more! 

Once a Beast, Always a Beast

     So, I watched Akira's film "Drunken Angel" and I have to say, I was surprised that I liked it so much. I have to be honest, when it first started, it was slow going and I was kinda bored. But once the plot was straightened out and things eventually started happening I actually liked it quite a bit.
     As you've probably seen from the other bajillion posts about this movie, it is about a doctor and a Yakuza member who at first hate each other but then form a relationship together. All thanks to TB. I thought TB was super highly mega ultra contagious but nobody seems to worry when they're like, 2 inches from his face about getting it. But anyway, I noticed they kept flashing back to the swamp-puddle of nastyness and finally the doctor said "That puddle is like your lungs". Then there was the part where Matsu was opening a crate on the beach and himself coming out to chase him. I enjoyed the symbolism of these two scenes.
     Not sure about you but the end of Matsu kinda surprised me. I expected him to either A) Beat TB and live or B) Die of TB. Not get stabbed and die. It was sad to see him progress in his life just to get killed by a guy who looked like George Takei. Which reminds me, Matsu reminds me of an American Johnny Depp. As I digress, lol, the ending of the movie sort of lost me too, I mean, it ended so abruptly. I know some will disagree but that's how I felt. It was a good ending, but I like to tie all loose ends off if possible. Like, what happened to Okada and that girl the doctor was harboring? Maybe it's just me.
     All around it was a structurally sound movie and I'm glad I went to see it.

Druken Angel: Some Thoughts

 

      Drunken Angel is my first Kurosawa film and I must say I rather enjoyed it. The story revolves around a poor doctor living in post WWII Japanese slums, and one of his patients, the leader of the local Yakuza (mafia) who is suffering from TB. My first impression of this film was that it was going to focus mainly on the Yakuza, but it is actually the doctor who is the main character. I greatly appreciated how the title of this film referred to the doctor's dual nature as a savior who cannot seem to save himself. My favorite character in the film was definitely the doctor. I love how he took no lip from the Yakuza. The very reason anyone would join an organization like the Yakuza is to gain fear and respect from the general populace however the doctor is never phased in the slightest by their bravado, and given the anti-climatic showdown at the end of the movie between two supposed Yakuza big-wigs he certainly had no reason to afraid of them, which is something else I found interesting. As hilarious as it was to watch two big intimidating men flounder around holding their knives like kindergarteners the had a certain level of compelling to it as well as it portrays just how hollow the perks of being a Yakuza are. But anyhow, I also liked the doctor because he always combated his opponents with facts instead of fists. Like when Matsunaga tried to muscle a better answer out of him concerning his condition, the doctor retorts, "don't take my word for it, get an X-ray." He even stands up to the infamous Okada telling his intimidation of with the cold hard truth that "the world doesn't work the way it did when you went to prison anymore." I feel this film takes a stance that many main steam films today lack, and that is that violence is not the answer. Matsunada, the man that lived by the sword dies an inglorious death by the sword and the doctor, a man that chose not to fight fire with fire (with the exception of throwing things at people), still lives.

TB's a real pain: Drunken Angel

Tonight we watched the Akira Kurosawa film Drunken Angel, a movie made in 1948 about post-war Japan, where a doctor suffering from alcoholism treats a young man from the Yakuza who is suffering of Tuberculosis. The young man, Matsunaga, kept up a seemingly love-hate relationship with the doctor, going back for help and storming off again like an emotional preteen. But the two formed a sort of friendship, and you really got attached to the characters through their respective compassion and easy relatability. The movie had a ton of great underlying themes and metaphors, but I think the best one to address is how, at the end, the doctor relates TB to life. When talking to the young girl who he had been healing of her Tuberculosis, she mentions that a rational outlook was the best way to beat TB. He then retorts with "A rational outlook is the best way to live life." That opened my eyes to the fact that this disease was a representation of everyone's life. LIfe is an ongoing struggle, and it has many problems. Those problems could come up for anyone, at any time, for unknown reasons. If not properly treated, then your situation worsens. That's why Matsunaga had such a hard time throughout his last days, and why what happened to him happened. He tried and tried to fight against himself and to solve his problems rationally, but he couldn't help disobeying his own will, even with the help of others. But the doctor stands true to his description of "drunken angel." He shows that even with his own problems, he can still use his own gifts to help others. It's just too bad that Matsunaga was just too much like the doctor, and his stubbornness forced his own hand.

▲Drunken Blogger▲

▲Drunken Blogger▲

So I just watched Akira Kurosawa’s movie “Drunken Angel” in Signs and Wonders, and I’ve sat down in my dorm to write this blog to “reflect” on it. Here we go, mirror mirror on the wall…

This film is about a drunkard doctor taking care of a gangster leader named Matsunaga who is suffering from tuberculosis. Matsunaga deals internally with his own mortality. He fears death, but doesn’t show or admit to it at first because he wants to keep face among his gang members, the Yakuza. Fear is weakness in the Yakuza’s eyes, and if there’s one thing that Matsunaga fears its exposing his weakness. The doctor constantly berates Matsunaga and argues with him, attempting to steer him clear of his self-destructive ways, however the doctor himself indulges in his own detrimental habits, drinking at every chance he gets, which leads me to my first thought.

            One of the reasons I enjoy this film so much is the chemistry between the two main characters. Even though they are constantly at odds, they are really quite similar to each other. In fact, that might be why they conflict so much. The doctor is arguing with a younger version of himself. He says early on in the film that Matsunaga reminds him of when he was younger. The Doctor expresses regret towards his actions as a youth, so he tries to help Matsunaga from making the same mistakes as he did and help him go a different path. Perhaps the reason that the doctor is so compelled to help Matsunaga is because he hopes to redeem himself in some way. This is merely speculation of course, but maybe the doctor thinks that if he can successfully guide Matsunaga on a better path then his own mistakes and regrets would be remedied, or at least made less.

            Matsunaga constantly resists the doctor’s instructions out of an inflated sense of pride, and yet he keeps on coming back to the doctor. He is being pulled back and forth between his desire to live and his image as a gangster. Back and forth he goes, like a chew toy between to rottweilers. He suffers from a typically case of something nasty we like to call “Humanity”. We know what’s good for us, and yet we still go for something harmful. Instead of reaching for the doorknob to go for a run, we reach for the twinkies instead.

           

 Oh, I haven’t mentioned Okada yet.
           

            Finally when Matsunaga starts taking the doctor’s instructions seriously, we get introduced to a lovely and compassionate character named Okada, who was the former leader of the Yakuza. He just got out of jail, and starts taking command of Matsunaga’s gang again. This leads to Matsunaga having his girlfriend swooned away and his leadership role diminished as Okada takes his place. Eventually Matsunaga can’t take it anymore and attempts to kill Okada with a knife. The result is the most pathetic knife fight I have ever seen. As I was watching it I thought to myself “This is Ridiculous! Look how pathetic they are.” And then I realized, that was Akira Kurosawa’s intention. As they slopped around clumsily in the slippery white stuff, we saw how truly petty and pathetic their life style was.

            Man, I haven’t even talked about the “swamp” yet. It’s getting late and I have classes in the morning, but I will touch briefly on it. The swamp was a metaphor for Matsunaga’s (and perhaps all humanities) issue. Even though the people knew it would pollute the water, they still dumped trash and waste into it. Even though Matsunaga knew that if he drank and smoked his tuberculosis would get worse, but he still did those things. Even though we know that something is bad for us, we still do it. It’s because we’re flawed. It’s because we’re human. And sometimes we need a drunken angel to shove us in the right direction.

~Josiah▲