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Summary

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.

Cast

Takashi Shimura

Kanji Watanabe

Haruo Tanaka

Sakai

Nobuo Kaneko

Mitsuo, son of Kanji

Bokuzen Hidari

Ohara

Miki Odagiri

Toyo

Shinichi Himori

Kimura

Minoru Chiaki

Noguchi

Minosuke Yamada

Subordinate Clerk Saito

Kamatari Fujiwara

Sub-Section Chief Ono

Makoto Kobori

Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother

Nobuo Nakamura

Deputy Mayor

Atsushi Watanabe

Patient

Isao Kimura

Intern

Masao Shimizu

Doctor

Yūnosuke Itō

Novelist

Yoshie Minami

The Maid

Kumeko Urabe

Tatsu Watanabe

Eiko Miyoshi

Housewife

Noriko Honma

Housewife

Yatsuko Tan'ami

Bar Hostess

Kin Sugai

Housewife

Kyôko Seki

Kazue Watanabe

Kusuo Abe

City Assemblyman

Tomo'o Nagai

Newspaperman

Seiji Miyaguchi

Yakuza Boss

Daisuke Katō

Yakuza

Hiroshi Hayashi

Yakuza

Fuyuki Murakami

Newspaperman

Hirayoshi Aono

Newspaperman

Toranosuke Ogawa

Park Section Chief

Akira Sera

Worker in General Affairs

Ichirō Chiba

Policeman

Akira Tani

Bar Owner

Yōyō Kojima

Worker in Sewage Section

Toshiyuki Ichimura

Pianist

Harue Kuramoto

Dancer

Rasa Saya

Stripper

Taizō Fukami

Baseball Spectator

Tateo Kawasaki

Civil Engineering Section Staff

Keiichirō Katsumoto

Park Division Staff

Haruko Toyama

Cabaret Woman

Sachio Sakai

Yakuza (uncredited)

Shōichi Hirose

Yakuza (uncredited)

Kôji Uno

Yakuza (uncredited)

Yaeko Izumo

Housewife (uncredited)

Jirô Mitsuaki

City Hall Executive (uncredited)

Sôkichi Maki

General Manager (uncredited)

Haruo Suzuki

Sanitation Division Receptionist (uncredited)

Takeo Nagashima

(uncredited)

Kazuo Imai

(uncredited)

Shigeo Katō

(uncredited)

Hiroshi Akitsu

Infectious Diseases Section Receptionist Staff (uncredited)

Ippei Kawagoe

Road Section Receptionist (uncredited)

Mitsuo Tsuda

City Planning Receptionist (uncredited)

Keiji Sakakida

Land Readjustment Section Receptionist (uncredited)

Takuzō Kumagai

Fire Department Staff (uncredited)

Tsuneo Katagiri

(uncredited)

Junpei Natsuki

Patient (uncredited)

Hiroshi Koizumi

Jazz Bar Guest (uncredited)

Jun'ichirō Mukai

(uncredited)

Sōjirō Motoki

Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Kyoko Aoyama

Schoolgirl (uncredited)

Crew

Director, Screenplay

Akira Kurosawa

Screenplay

Shinobu Hashimoto

Screenplay

Hideo Oguni

Reviews

Geronimo1967

September 9, 2022

Takashi Shimura is "Watanabe", an elderly civil service lifer who is told that he has terminal stomach cancer. After years of a disciplined, rather pedestrian existence he now feels a need to emancipate himself and start to live a little. The story is told through two threads: one looks at the end of the old gent's life from his own perspective; the second takes a retrospective view from the wake as his family and colleagues gather to remember him. Kurusawa is clearly making a point with this delicate, poignant film - perhaps life needs to be appreciated and enjoyed - not necessarily in a jovial, happy fashion, but by achievement. In this case "Watanabe" sets about using his position to help locals get a park, but he also starts an empowering relationship (platonic) with a younger girl, who is quite keen on her food, it has to be said. As his colleagues at the wake suffer from excesses of saké their traditionally stiff, reserved, view of their late friend becomes more of a tool to evaluate their own roles and purpose as they determine to be more like him.... The writing has plenty of humour and again, Kurosawa uses weather as a wonderfully potent instrument to create a great atmospheric feel to this gentle story of profound change, and - maybe - contentment.