Red Beard (1966)
1966
185 Minutes
Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff docto...
User Review
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Red Beard is definitely a change of pace for legendary director Kurosawa, trading in his patented affinity for movement and violence with a different kind of human suffering - that of poverty and sickness. Yasumoto's character arc from vanity to selflessness is one not often portrayed on screen through the role of a doctor, and Toshiro Mifune's titular character is the perfect character to aid that arc in feeling natural. The film is padded with emotional vignettes that weave together a tale of poverty's effect on mental and physical health, ultimately shedding light a socioeconomic phenomenon that is rarely talked about. Kurosawa uses his mastery of group shots and firm understanding of Japanese cultural specificities to show the plight of the magnanimous doctor, and his effect on his ailing patients.0 member like this review.
