
Akira Kurosawa’s Record of a Living Being - prismatic
https://cinemasojourns.com/2020/03/29/akira-kurosawas-record-of-a-living-being/
======
inetsee
One of the sections of this article that struck me as particularly relevant
right now was this passage:

"Kurosawa later claimed that I Live in Fear was inspired by conversations he
had with his longtime film composer Fumio Hayasaka, who had become seriously
ill during the making of Seven Samurai. Hayasaka had said to him, “The world
has come to such a state that we don’t really know what is in store for us
tomorrow. I wouldn’t even know how to go on living – I’m that uncertain.
Uncertainties, nothing but uncertainties. Every day there are fewer and fewer
places that are safe. Soon there will be no place at all.”

Hayasaka died during the filming, and "Kurosawa was devastated by his friend’s
death", which affected the direction the film took.

~~~
downerending
Wow. The film is iconic, of course, but I've always really liked the score.
It's fitting, but also I always imagined that I could hear the circumstances
of the filming (post-war Japan) in it as well.

------
_hardwaregeek
I recently watched Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice which also deals with the threat
of nuclear destruction. The main character is having a birthday dinner when
the news informs everybody about the nuclear threat. The simplicity in which
this information is revealed and the transition from the mundane to abject
fear connected really well to modern times.

It's interesting seeing film ideas repeat and be interpreted by multiple
directors. It's almost like some ideas need to bounce from director to
director before they find the right outlet. I Live In Fear begets Dr
Strangelove begets The Sacrifice.

~~~
clairity
have you read (or seen) _on the beach_ [0] by nevil shute? slow-moving,
impending, nuclear winter and the heartrending choices the characters make in
the face of it. really left its mark when i read it in high school (haven't
seen the films though).

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Beach_(novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Beach_\(novel\))

~~~
js2
I feel like that book was required HS reading in the 80s. The movie is also
good.

I'll add the film _Miracle Mile_ to the suggestions.

------
manonthemat
I have not seen "I Live in Fear" yet. That being said, Ikiru is my favorite
movie.

Thanks for sharing this.

~~~
charlysl
Glad to see I am not the only one. You should check out a spanish movie called
"El Sur".

~~~
jjgreen
It had a limited theatrical re-release in the UK last year, so I got to see it
in the cinema, fantastic film.

------
app4soft
For the first time I watched Akira Kurosawa's films (mostly all of them in few
weeks, but not yet "I Live in Fear") ten years ago.

"Yume", "Hachi-gatsu no rapusodi" and "Madadayo" are those which impressed me
too much.

~~~
dayofthedaleks
I am eternally grateful that 'Dreams' hit me at 16.

------
bogomipz
This is a great site. Does anyone know if there's a good online resource to
stream this Kurosawa movie? And actually to stream any of the types of movies
on cinemasojourns? Back in the day most major cities has a handful of
cinephile type video rental places and now that those are long gone the only
options have been the independent arthouse theater which of course are all
closed on account of the pandemic. I looked into the Criterion streaming
service at one point but was disappointed by how many of their titles weren't
available on the service.

~~~
kndjckt
Criterion or Kanopy according to JustWatch (in the US)
[https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/i-live-in-
fear?utm_source...](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/i-live-in-
fear?utm_source=letterboxd&utm_medium=iOS)

Kanopy is awesome - you get streaming free credits through being signed up to
the local library.

~~~
dwighttk
Every time I read about them I go look, but seems like my library isn’t big
enough for Kanopy. They have Hoopla and Libby, but not Kanopy yet.

------
bogomipz
This site is a great resource. Do people have recommendations for other
similar cinephile sites like this?

~~~
charlysl
Go to imdb's page for a movie you like, say, this one. Then look at the critic
reviews links. Tons of cinephile sites can be discovered this way.

[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0048198/externalreviews?ref_=m_tt...](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0048198/externalreviews?ref_=m_tt_ov_rt)

------
deerIRL
Another film that deals with Nuclear Holocaust, albeit more of the direct
aftermath is BBC's Threads[1].

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads_(1984_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads_\(1984_film\))

~~~
asiachick
That movie is harsh! Highly recommended

------
Synaesthesia
Any new Kurosawa movie is a treasure for me to discover. Dreams also had
themes of nuclear holocaust. Quite topical today as the spectre of nuclear
armageddon still hovers above.

------
pachico
Am I the only one in awe for those beautiful posters?

------
codr7
I've practiced fighting with knives/swords for a long time, this is of my all-
time favorites:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Ypt67TQyI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Ypt67TQyI)

~~~
app4soft
JFTR, Actual thread mostly about post nuclear war world.

~~~
codr7
That's cool, it's still one of his best.

~~~
Talanes
Define "his"

