Red Beard

Stock up on sushi and sake wine…you’re going to need it to see you through this epic period drama from 1965 - masterfully executed by legendary director Akira Kurosawa for what turned out to be his final collaboration with equally legendary actor Toshiro Mifune.

Mifune portrays the central character of Dr. Kyojo Niide, better known under his nickname ‘Red Beard’, as his real name is apparently too difficult to pronounce. Red Beard can be considered a male Japanese version of fictional TV-character Dr. Eleanor Bramwell - a stoic and compassionate (albeit occasionally bad-tempered) doctor who devotes his life treating the poor and destitute in 19th century Japan, in a very basic and rural clinic to be precise. Red Beard’s stoicism becomes interrupted when arrogant hotshot doctor Dr. Noburu Yasamoto (Yuzo Kayama) arrives fresh from a Dutch medical school in Nagasaki and wastes little time in expressing his disdain for the new environment. His personal ambitions aside (he strives to gain a top dog position at the Shogunate administration), he is peeved that he has been dispatched to a post he considers well below him and in fact, not only does he refuse to wear the uniform he’s supposed to wear but he refuses to participate in the communal meals among the doctors and staff. One of the medical assistants shows Yasamoto ‘round the clinic and remarks, “The sunny side of the building is for the patients, the shadow side is for us.” Suffice to say, Yasamoto feels even more irritated!

As the days go by and Red Beard remains completely unfazed by Yasamoto’s arrogant and stubborn demeanor, Yasamoto’s attitude slowly begins to shift. For one, we learn more about his personal circumstances, something which has to do with his generally bitter attitude. However, he befriends a rather difficult patient whom he meets in the clinic’s so-called ‘secret garden’ and finds out that only Red Beard can treat this patient - a mad woman, something which rattles Yasamoto’s self-esteem. It is from that point onward that we get to meet some of the patients in the care of Red Beard’s clinic, all impoverished and hailing from destitute backgrounds. The films could easily have slipped into a rather morbid and depressing affair but thanks to the way this epic drama has been constructed, scenes taking place in the clinic are interspersed with flashback sequences of some of the patients admitted for treatment. That way, they aren’t just patients but people with their very own stories.

A particularly harrowing story is that of a patient named Sahachi (Tsutomu Yamazaki). When, during a storm followed by heavy rainfall and a landslide, the clinic’s ground turns to mush, a skeleton is discovered and upon this macabre discovery, Sahachi goes half mad when the truth about the skeleton comes to light.
Another tragic story is that of a twelve-year old girl held in a brothel, who has fallen ill with syphilis. Her name is Otoyo (Terumi Niki) and clearly, the illness has affected her mind, she keeps scrubbing floors all the time, even pretending she does. Red Beard is adamant to take Otoyo back to the clinic and into his care and we find out about his formidable martial arts skills, when he has to fight off a group of henchmen employed by the brothel’s Madam. When Yasamoto falls ill himself, Red Beard entrusts Otoya of all people to nurse him back to health…as far as he sees it, this will not only help Yasamoto but hopefully Otoya’s befuddled state of mind.
Then there’s a little pickpocket called Chobu (Yoshitaka Zushi) and once again, it’s Red Beard’s compassion towards the thieving boy which saves him. Slowly but surely, Yasamoto begins to understand that there’s more to a medical career than becoming a personal physician to the Shogunate - it’s a realisation which changes his life forever.

As can be expected, the performances are all above top notch, with Mifune demonstrating once again that he was a master of the understated acting style. Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saito’s cinematography are just as impressive, often giving the film a German Expressionist cinema touch with their skilful use of light and shadows.

RED BEARD has just been released on 2K Blu-ray with plenty of Bonus material, including:
Newly recorded audio commentary by Japanese-Australian filmmaker Kenta McGrath
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Red Beard (2002, 22 mins)
Alex Cox on Red Beard (2003, 14 mins) / Toshiro Mifune in Conversation (1986, 61 mins, audio only) / Treasures from the BFI National Archive (1947-1952): a selection of public information films exploring advances in healthcare in rural districts / Original trailer / Booklet (first pressing only)