Saturday 10 May 2014

The Idiot (AKA Hakuchi)
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
1951
*****
I would argue that The Idiot is one of Akira Kurosawa's greatest achievements but not so much because of his direction but because of the performances. Masayuki Mori is the embodiment of Dostoyevsky's character and is a joy to behold. His performance alone is enough to warrant 5 stars but add the brilliant Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga and their performances to the equation and you'll be forgiven for feeling a little spoiled. The Idiot is noted as Kurosawa's 'Hollywood melodrama' and the one he favoured and spent the most amount of money on. Personally, I like the films he is more classically remembered for but The Idiot is a true masterpiece and a masterclass in performance.

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