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Every time I watch Ikiru, the scene with the piano where the protagonist sings "Life is Brief" in a low voice always tears at my heartstrings. He sings it with

Every time I watch Ikiru, the scene with the piano where the protagonist sings "Life is Brief" in a low voice always tears at my heartstrings. He sings it with such conviction that everyone stops their festivities just for a second to hear the desperate song from an old man. One thing that's intriguing is that the author chose to move to Japan over some kind of idealization whereas he felt that New York City was a dead end. One would think you could be much more effective in an established area rather than a country known for its xenophobia, but I won't judge.

shas3 11y ago
Pico Iyer is a well regarded author who has written a lot about Japan. If you look at it from a purely utilitarian writer-looking-for-exciting-experiences-to-write-about perspective, Indian-ethnicity British-American choosing to live in Japan isn't a bad bet.
- cooper12 11y ago
  Fair point, and as we can see he has learned a lot from the experience which he might not have in New York City.
Steko 11y ago
> known for it's xenophobia Broad brushes like these are usually dangerous to paint with. Japan has it's xenophobic streaks but is also one of the most cosmopolitan cultures around. For similar reasons, lines like the following in the article piqued my annoyance as well: how very un-Japanese it seemed: in the broadness of its satire, in the zaniness of its switches from one genre to another, in the almost violent simplicity of its message and story Author's certainly entitled to his own reaction but I don't find these traits uncommon in Japanese cinema (and literature). I'm not contesting the whole 'Kurosawa is the least Japanese of Japanese directors' trope but that reputation was largely earned for his later career. Imho Kurosawa in the 50's was as Japanese as anyone, and that's especially true with Ikiru, a film that fits perfectly alongside the better contemporary efforts from directors like Kinoshita and Ichikawa.
- cooper12 11y ago
  I apologize, you're right that repeating stereotypes can be more harmful than useful. I don't blame the author completely for that, it was really just their personal perspective on the film as compared to their baseline experience of Japan. I'll certainly have to check out Kurosawa's earlier filmography around the 50s. (I've only seen Rashomon in that period)

shas3 11y ago

Pico Iyer is a well regarded author who has written a lot about Japan. If you look at it from a purely utilitarian writer-looking-for-exciting-experiences-to-write-about perspective, Indian-ethnicity British-American choosing to live in Japan isn't a bad bet.

cooper12 11y ago
Fair point, and as we can see he has learned a lot from the experience which he might not have in New York City.

Steko 11y ago

> known for it's xenophobia Broad brushes like these are usually dangerous to paint with. Japan has it's xenophobic streaks but is also one of the most cosmopolitan cultures around. For similar reasons, lines like the following in the article piqued my annoyance as well: how very un-Japanese it seemed: in the broadness of its satire, in the zaniness of its switches from one genre to another, in the almost violent simplicity of its message and story Author's certainly entitled to his own reaction but I don't find these traits uncommon in Japanese cinema (and literature). I'm not contesting the whole 'Kurosawa is the least Japanese of Japanese directors' trope but that reputation was largely earned for his later career. Imho Kurosawa in the 50's was as Japanese as anyone, and that's especially true with Ikiru, a film that fits perfectly alongside the better contemporary efforts from directors like Kinoshita and Ichikawa.

cooper12 11y ago
I apologize, you're right that repeating stereotypes can be more harmful than useful. I don't blame the author completely for that, it was really just their personal perspective on the film as compared to their baseline experience of Japan. I'll certainly have to check out Kurosawa's earlier filmography around the 50s. (I've only seen Rashomon in that period)