Comments on: Kurosawa and animals http://akirakurosawa.info/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/ News, information and discussion on the Japanese film maker Akira Kurosawa Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:29:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Vili Maunula http://akirakurosawa.info/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-1271 Vili Maunula Fri, 23 Mar 2007 18:54:32 +0000 http://kurosawa.vertebratesilence.com/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-1271 How didn't I remember this sequence, considering that the film is one of my personal favourites!? Thanks for sharing this with us, Aurelle! How didn’t I remember this sequence, considering that the film is one of my personal favourites!? Thanks for sharing this with us, Aurelle!

]]> By: Aurelle http://akirakurosawa.info/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-1270 Aurelle Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:20:05 +0000 http://kurosawa.vertebratesilence.com/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-1270 About 40 minutes into an early film, "One Wonderful Sunday," there is a 94-second sequence of animals seen by a young couple on their visit to the zoo. The scene consists of eight shots (a mother pig, a pair of swans, three bear cubs, a woolly goat, two giraffes, a monkey, a pelican, and a camel), with voice-overs from the young couple reflecting on and contrasting their personal situation with that of each of the animals. The swan couple must be happy, the heroine says, not having to worry about inflation. Her companion thinks the monkey seems to be criticizing human beings as he looks out at them from inside his cage. The pelican looks so sad, and so does the camel - but are not we the sad ones? It is a beautiful and deeply affecting passage - along with the scene of the starving homeless boy that occurs just before it, it is in my view the finest and most emotionally real scene in the film. Thank you for the opportunity to share this thought! About 40 minutes into an early film, “One Wonderful Sunday,” there is a 94-second sequence of animals seen by a young couple on their visit to the zoo. The scene consists of eight shots (a mother pig, a pair of swans, three bear cubs, a woolly goat, two giraffes, a monkey, a pelican, and a camel), with voice-overs from the young couple reflecting on and contrasting their personal situation with that of each of the animals. The swan couple must be happy, the heroine says, not having to worry about inflation. Her companion thinks the monkey seems to be criticizing human beings as he looks out at them from inside his cage. The pelican looks so sad, and so does the camel - but are not we the sad ones? It is a beautiful and deeply affecting passage - along with the scene of the starving homeless boy that occurs just before it, it is in my view the finest and most emotionally real scene in the film. Thank you for the opportunity to share this thought!

]]> By: Vili Maunula http://akirakurosawa.info/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-128 Vili Maunula Fri, 10 Nov 2006 08:33:30 +0000 http://kurosawa.vertebratesilence.com/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-128 Yes, I think you are right about the horses. They do have their own role to play in that scene in Kagemusha. I was trying to remember... is there a caged bird in <i>No Regrets for Our Youth</i>? Or am I only imagining one? It's been ages since I saw that film, and I think I have only watched it once as I for some reason didn't quite like it that much, and haven't got around to trying again. If there was a caged bird, though, I would imagine it to be a symbolic reference to the main character. I suppose I need to watch the film at some point. Yes, I think you are right about the horses. They do have their own role to play in that scene in Kagemusha.

I was trying to remember… is there a caged bird in No Regrets for Our Youth? Or am I only imagining one? It’s been ages since I saw that film, and I think I have only watched it once as I for some reason didn’t quite like it that much, and haven’t got around to trying again. If there was a caged bird, though, I would imagine it to be a symbolic reference to the main character.

I suppose I need to watch the film at some point.

]]> By: Jeremy http://akirakurosawa.info/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-126 Jeremy Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:52:29 +0000 http://kurosawa.vertebratesilence.com/2006/11/09/kurosawa-and-animals/#comment-126 I never got to feeling Kurosawa used to crows to give symbolic meaning to himself, however he does mention in "something like a autobiography" within some sense, that you would learn more about him in a film of his ,rather then his book. the dog in stray dog is the only time I can recall the use of a animal for this nature, however I did feel in Kagemusha, the horses during the battle that were killed or fighting off death and struggling to get back up were use to help demonstrate the wastefulness of the war, as clearly the horses had no reason to be killed (ignoring the fact that it would be common practice to kill the horse as a way to reduce the effectiveness of the attack leaving the man on foot) The meaningless death of the horses help shows the complete waste of the soldiers as they only died because the new leader had something to prove. It could be said the horses were just part of the setting but there are alot of scenes that focus on the dieing horses only I never got to feeling Kurosawa used to crows to give symbolic meaning to himself, however he does mention in “something like a autobiography” within some sense, that you would learn more about him in a film of his ,rather then his book.

the dog in stray dog is the only time I can recall the use of a animal for this nature,
however I did feel in Kagemusha, the horses during the battle that were killed or fighting off death and struggling to get back up were use to help demonstrate the wastefulness of the war, as clearly the horses had no reason to be killed (ignoring the fact that it would be common practice to kill the horse as a way to reduce the effectiveness of the attack leaving the man on foot) The meaningless death of the horses help shows the complete waste of the soldiers as they only died because the new leader had something to prove.
It could be said the horses were just part of the setting but there are alot of scenes that focus on the dieing horses only

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