THE IDIOT | HAKUCHI

 JAPAN | 1951 | B&W | DCP | 166’ | JAPANESE

Kurosawa never hid his adoration for Dostoyevsky. This was to be documented in “The Idiot”, one of cinema's outstanding "ill masterworks" (to quote Truffaut). The film was slaughtered by the studio in its original almost 4½ hour version, originally 100 (!) minutes left and subsequently only the cut we present to you survives. To the discerning eye the editing interventions are visible, but no less than a stunningly executed cinematic chant that studies the human character and extends it to its tormented infinity. Here lies the other, grim "difficult" Kurosawa, unparalleled in his compositional rigor, masterful in the balance of melodrama and tragedy, eternal believer in the church of man.

DIRECTOR: Akira Kurosawa
SCREENWRITERS: Akira Kurosawa, Eijirō Hisaita
DoP: Toshio Ubukata
MUSIC: Fumio Hayasaka
EDITOR: Yoshi Sugihara
PRINCIPAL CAST: Setsuko Hara, Yoshiko Kuga, Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Noriko Sengoku

AKIRA KUROSAWA
Japanese filmmaker, legend of world cinema. He was recognized more than any of his Asian counterparts and had an overall and profound influence on Western film culture. 30 films, a multi-award winning body of work (Oscar, Golden Lion, Golden Palm, among others), a legendary 16-film collaboration with Toshiro Mifune, a life and work that marked globally the artistry of the 20th century.

FILMOGRAPHY (SELECTED)
1990 Dreams 
1985 Ran 
1970 Dodes’ka-den 
1965 Red Beard 
1963 High and Low 
1961 Yojimbo 
1960 The Bad Sleep Well 
1958 The Hidden Fortress 
1957 Throne of Blood 
1954 Seven Samurai 
1952 Ikiru 
1951 The Idiot 
1950 Rashomon