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Ikiru

Movie
1952
2h 23m
Not Rated
Japanese
Drama
User Score: 
8.5
Critic Score: 
95
WatchWatch on HBO (Via Hulu)
Seen It:
All timeAll Time FavoriteLoved itLoved ItLiked itLiked ItJust OKJust O.K.Didnt LikeDidn't Really LikeHated itHated It
Haven't Seen It:
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Ikiru' Poster
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Play TrailerPlay Trailer
Ikiru Poster

Ikiru

Not Rated
Movie
1952
2h 23m
Japanese
Drama
Play TrailerPlay Trailer
Seen It:
All timeAll Time FavoriteLoved itLoved ItLiked itLiked ItJust OKJust O.K.Didnt LikeDidn't Really LikeHated itHated It
Haven't Seen It:
Want to seeI want to seeDont think soI don't think soI wouldnt like thisI wouldn't like this
WatchWatch on HBO (Via Hulu)
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Rating
WATCHMODE
8.5
IMDB
Ikiru (1952) on IMDb
CRITIC SCORE
95

Where to watch

USA Streaming Sources
 
Max
 
Kanopy
 
The Criterion Channel
 
HBO Via Hulu
Available in 2 other countries.
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Cast

Full Cast & Crew
Takashi Shimura
Kanji Watanabe
Haruo Tanaka
Nobuo Kaneko
Mitsuo, son of Kanji
Bokuzen Hidari
Miki Odagiri
Shinichi Himori
Minoru Chiaki
Minosuke Yamada
Subordinate Clerk Saito
Kamatari Fujiwara
Sub-Section Chief Ono
Makoto Kobori
Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother
Nobuo Nakamura
Deputy Mayor
Atsushi Watanabe
Isao Kimura
Masao Shimizu
Ynosuke It
Yoshie Minami
Kumeko Urabe
Tatsu Watanabe
Eiko Miyoshi
Housewife
Noriko Honma
Housewife
Yatsuko Tanami
Bar Hostess
Kin Sugai
Housewife
Kyko Seki
Kazue Watanabe
Kusuo Abe
City Assemblyman
Tomoo Nagai
Newspaperman
Seiji Miyaguchi
Yakuza Boss
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa (Screenplay), Shinobu Hashimoto (Screenplay), + 1 more

Featured Comments/Tips

JoeyvanAwesome says...
12 months ago
A tragic story which is told in an impressive way. Until the last part that is. After the guy dies it becomes dull very fast. You can’t really expect a movie to stay interesting if it's just a bunch of guys talking about what happened. Could’ve kept that part a lot shorter imho. Would’ve been more balanced that way.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
grtavares says...
2 years ago
>I will call this movie the slap in the middle class. I see that the film follows the same old pattern of new cinema. And not that this is a problem, ==however seeing that this movie is the one before the classic 7 samurais it is difficult to like it more. After all, compared to its successor. Ikiru, is a more austere and conservative film. That way, it's hard to like the movie more.== However, Kurosawa's stamp of quality is still visible and his cinema has an unrivaled craftsmanship. Both in camera movement and editing and despite not liking so many script formalities and the theatricality of the cast, we still managed to feel the film. *I highly recommend the film.*
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
soonertbone says...
9 months ago
Beautiful, devastating, yet hopeful. Shimura's dual performances of "Gondola No Uta" absolutely rip my heart out--first because of the despair, and then because of the magic. This is a film to keep close.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
jimkbarton@hotmail.com says...
2 years ago
I watched 'Living' last night, which is the remake of this movie. It was good but nowhere near as good as Ikiru. My goodness is this such a superior movie! So much more depth and feeling to the main characters. Also, the story just flows much better and has more of a purpose to it. Kurosawa at his best and that means a lot!
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Show all comments (7)   Leave comment

Featured User Reviews

LucanReynolds
10/10  6 years ago
"It's our human duty to enjoy life."

My first Kurosawa has left me astounded. Ikiru - meaning 'To Live' - successfully crushes that ever-so-reputable challenge in making the audience think about life yet still remain as an artistic escape for them. It made me think about my fu More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  200
badelf
12 months ago
Typical Kurasawa creative framing in the beginning of the movie. The scene of dancers shot through bead curtains swinging in time to the music was brilliant. His choice of Miki Odagiri for muse is brilliant. Her laugh is infectious. The last act stuck me as rather static. It's perhaps from cultural More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Peter McGinn
one year ago
I watched the English follow-up version (Living) before watching this original, and wished Inhad reversed my order. I liked Living much more than this original, but since both were written by the same Japanese scriptwriter, my preference might be cultural rather than due to quality issues, not to me More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Bradym03
10/10  4 years ago
"How tragic that man can never realize how beautiful life is until he is face to face with death."

So after I watched the masterpiece "Seven Samurai" back in April, I couldn't wait to watch another Kurosawa movie. "Ikiru" was one of his movies that I wanted to watch ne More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Show all reviews (5)   Write Review

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