Grappling with the memories of his wartime past, an alcoholic doctor (Shimura) and a low-ranking yakuza (Mifune) develop an unlikely friendship. Through this character study of two men on the margins of society, director Akira Kurosawa expertly navigates topics related to honor, duty, and the complex moral relativity in postwar Japan. This film was also the first collaboration between Kurosawa and Mifune, setting the tone for their 16 films that spanned three decades. (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1948, 98 min., b&w) In Japanese with English subtitles
Introduced by Rob Buscher, University of Pennsylvania Asian American Studies Program, Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia
