Drunken Angel (1948)

3/5

Drunken Angel is an early Kurosawa film, billed as a film noir but playing more like a character study. The story follows Dr. Sanada (Shimura), a gruff physician working in a poverty-stricken district with a trash-infested swamp serving as the centerpiece for the village (and thematically probably much more, although I can't figure out what). He works not for money or prestige, but for the inherent reward of helping people in need. He begins an uneasy friendship with a gangster named Matsunaga (Mifune) after diagnosing him with tuberculosis. Tensions heighten when Okada (Yamamoto) returns from prison, declaring power over Matsunaga's turf and claiming ownership of a young woman who works for Dr. Sanada (Nakakita).

The movie is surprisingly unique, and for whatever reason I could not predict what would happen next. Kurosawa has a way of making movies that envelop you in them, that place you in the action, so that you enjoy the story instead of analyze it. Even so, I was disappointed in the film. Some characters were written flat while others felt like explosive caricatures. The titular doctor has an unusual habit of throwing bottles at his patients and calling them fools. The compositions were second-rate (made worse by the sub-standard Criterion transfer), the camerawork was shoddy, and the editing was choppy. Much of the medicine in the movie is unintentionally comic, likely because it is old medicine and not because of bad writing. Overall the movie just felt a little less put-together than his later films. You could see sparks of genius and the direction he wanted to take it, but without the proper tools to get him there. A fine effort, but there is much better Kurosawa to be had.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040979/

One Wonderful Sunday (1947)

3/5

Akira Kurosawa's One Wonderful Sunday spends the first 80 minutes detailing a depressing, terrible Sunday. Two young lovers, Yuzo and Masako, in post-war Japan lead an honest but poor existence. They go on dates each Sunday; on this one, they have just 35 yen combined. The hopelessly optimistic Masako wants them to make the most of it, using their imagination if they must, but the cynical Yuzo feels like an inadequate boyfriend and becomes depressed over the situation. He is difficult to get along with, and Masako leaves. But that is in the first 80 minutes. After that, the movie does a complete reversal. As the film metamorphes, it becomes filled with tender moments. Yuzo finally succumbs to Masako's tireless optimism and lets his imagination run wild. Kurosawa here exhibits his brilliance, as he refrains from showing on screen what they imagine, but instead lets us use our imaginations with them. And it truly does turn into a wonderful Sunday.

Technically, the movie is a mixed bag. We witness the beginnings of Kurosawa's greatness, in conception but not in execution. Every so often we see raw, amateurish attempts at elegant camerawork, heartfelt acting, and evocative music. But the camera lingers just a bit too long, making the movements feel unnatural instead of fluid. And the editing is just a little off, making the acting feel staged. And the sound quality went in and out, making the music overdramatic instead of subtly on-point. There is one point where Kurosawa breaks the fourth wall and communicates with his audience, and it almost works. It is so close, but just not quite there yet. Over the next few years he refines his work to the mastery we now associate with him. But One Wonderful Sunday is not as good as his more famous work. Don't watch this until after you've seen the rest of his oeuvre.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039871/