Red Beard would be a laudable movie by any other director, but is somewhat disappointing coming from Kurosawa. It follows a small town doctor nicknamed Red Beard (Mifune) and his arrogant new intern Dr. Yasumoto (Kayama), who would rather serve as the shogun's personal doctor instead of working in the free clinic. Through the few months of his training, he witnesses several life-altering and humbling stories that convince him to stay. Much like MASH, the film feels extremely episodic and there is neither a typical story arc nor a predictable end point. Each individual vignette is quite satisfying, exposing the human motivation behind seemingly malevolent or cruel actions, but they don't really cohere into a satisfying whole. I can easily see this being turned into a sappy melodramatic TV series by money-hungry producers.
The technical aspects of this film are of the highest caliber. Kurosawa's camera is impeccable. It moves naturally and smoothly through long takes to effortlessly compose scenes of stunning beauty and power. The editing, for the most part, is practically invisible. In combination with his camerawork, you never feel like you're watching a movie--you're simply watching events happen before your eyes. But there were also a few times where the editing was striking, jarring, and altogether confusing; luckily they were few and far between. His use of music is exciting and appropriate without going overboard, although it did approach that fine line several times. The acting by all parties is pitch-perfect and worthy of praise. Not a single player disappoints. I am always impressed by Mifune, and here he lives up to my high expectations. All in all, this is a terrific film on technical grounds with inspiring short stories. But the stories, when taken together, are below par for Kurosawa. This is worth watching, but know that it isn't among Kurosawa's best.IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058888/
