Ikiru (生きる)

TOHO CO., LTD.

Toho 20th Anniversary Film

Arts Festival Selection - 1952

IKIRU

Produced by SOJIRO MOTOGI

Screenplay by AKIRA KUROSAWA, SHINOBU HASHIMOTO, HIDEO OGUNI

Cinematography by ASAKAZU NAKAI

Music by FUMIO HAYASAKA

Cast:

TAKASHI SHIMURA

Directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA

This stomach belongs to the protagonist of our story.

At this point, our protagonist has no idea he has this cancer...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION CHIEF

My child has sensitive skin,

and that water gave him an awful rash. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

Plus it breeds mosquitoes like crazy.

And it stinks, besides.

Can't you do something? It would make a great playground if you filled it in.

Please wait a moment.

Sir, they've come to complain about a sewage pond.

- Engineering Section. - Yes.

Ah, here is our protagonist now.

But it would only be tiresome to meet him right now.

After all,

he's simply passing time without actually living his life.

In other words, he's not really even alive.

Odagiri,

how dare you, during business hours?

But it's so funny.

Funny? What is?

It's the "Liar's Club." Someone sent it around.

Read it to us.

"I hear you've never even taken a vacation.

Is that because City Hall couldn't function without you?"

"No, because everyone would realize that City Hall doesn't need me at all."

Oh, no, this will never do.

He might as well be a corpse.

In fact, this man has been dead for more than 20 years now.

Before that, he did live a little.

He even actually tried to do real work.

A PROPOSAL FOR INCREASING DEPARTMENTAL EFFICIENCY

SUBMITTED 1930

But now, there's barely a trace of his old passion and ambition.

He's been worn down completely by the minutia of the bureaucratic machine

and the meaningless busyness it breeds.

Busy. Always so very busy.

But in fact, this man does absolutely nothing at all.

Other than protecting his own spot.

The best way to protect your place in this world is to do nothing at all.

Is this really what life is all about?

Is this really what life is all about?

Before our friend will take this question seriously,

his stomach has to get a lot worse,

and he'll have to waste much, much more time.

But any proposal for creating a park

goes to the Parks Department.

This really seems to be a question of hygiene,

so you'd better try the Health Department.

Go to the Sanitation Department.

See Environmental Sanitation.

Department of Prevention.

Infectious Diseases.

Lots of mosquitoes?

That's a job for the Division of Pest Control.

The problem is seeping waste, which means

it's a problem for the Sewage Department at City Hall.

Originally, it was a ditch with a road running over it,

which means the Roads Department.

We're waiting on a decision from City Planning.

Go to Ward Reorganization.

The Fire Department objected to draining that cesspool.

There are water pressure problems in that area.

Are you kidding? All we need's a good water supply.

There's no reason it has to breed mosquitoes and cause rashes.

Think what a time we'd have getting that filth out of our hoses.

Of course, we'd love a kiddie pool in that neighborhood.

Try the Education Department. They should have a Child Welfare Committee.

But the problem doesn't only affect children.

We've had enough trouble just rebuilding all the schools.

A problem this big belongs with your Ward Representative to the City Council.

I'll give you an introduction to the Deputy Mayor.

Show him my card and he'll meet with you immediately.

Please, sit down.

Thank you for all your hard work.

The truth is that we truly appreciate

folks like you, who know to bring

such complaints directly to our attention.

That's precisely what inspired our new Department of Public Affairs.

Don't skimp on your complaints.

Hey, you. Show these folks the Public Affairs desk.

You'll need to take that up with Engineering. Desk 8.

How dare you? Stop giving us the runaround.

What the hell's this poster mean? To help us kill time?

We call people like you time-killers.

All we want is to get that stinking cesspool cleaned up.

If it's Engineering, Sewage, Health, Sanitation or the Fire Department,

Public Affairs should sort it out.

Forget it. We won't bother you anymore.

You're just laughing at us. What a mockery of democracy.

Let's go.

Um, excuse me.

Unfortunately, the section chief took the day off,

and it'd be easier for us if you'd put this in writing.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION CHIEF

What do you think?

The section chief never takes days off.

Yes, he's been kind of listless recently.

But we really can't have him taking extended time off.

Exactly. It's not like him to take a day off over a little cold.

Nothing moves unless he stamps it.

Yes, you're right.

I must say, it's a terrible shame.

One more month

and he'd have broken the record of 30 years without a single absence.

Trust me, some people are happy to have him gone.

Only a bureaucrat schemes to replace his boss as soon as he's out.

What's that medicine he's been taking?

Stomach medicine. He always slurped his noodle bowl to the bottom,

but lately, he barely touches it.

Plain noodle soup. In all these years, I've never seen him eat anything else.

And if the worst happens, who'll replace him?

What's the rush? Lots more guys have to die before it's your turn.

X-RAY LAB

- Hiraoka-san... - Yes.

Your stomach?

Yeah, my stomach's bad, too. It's what they call "chronic."

These days I hardly feel alive unless my stomach hurts.

- Suzuki-san... - Yes.

That man over there...

His doctor told him he's got an ulcer,

but trust me, it's stomach cancer.

In a word, that very thing.

And stomach cancer is practically a death sentence.

The doc usually says it's just a mild ulcer,

and that there's no real need to operate.

And that you can eat whatever you want as long as it's easy to digest.

If that's what he tells you, you've got a year, at most.

But if you've got these symptoms, you won't last a year:

First, if the pain is kind of heavy.

Second, if you can't stop burping unpleasantly.

And your tongue's always dry.

You can't get enough water and tea.

And then there's the diarrhea.

And, if it isn't diarrhea, well, then you're constipated.

Your bowel movements go black.

And then,

that meat you used to love so, you can hardly touch it anymore.

And whatever you eat, you vomit half an hour later.

And when stuff you ate last week comes up

when you vomit, well, then you're done for.

You've hardly got three months...

Watanabe-san. Watanabe Kanji-san.

Watanabe-san.

Yes.

Sit down.

Um... it looks like you've got a mild ulcer.

Honestly...

please tell me...

the truth.

Tell me it's stomach cancer.

I just told you, it's a mild ulcer.

What about an operation? Can't you operate?

Oh, no, there's no need to operate. It'll heal on its own.

And my diet?

Well, just use your common sense. As long as it's easy to digest,

you can eat whatever you like.

Does that patient have a year?

No, I'd give him six months.

- Six months? - Yeah.

What would you do if you had only six months left to live, like him?

What about you, Aihara?

The barbiturates are over there.

Is there a blackout?

The street lights and neighbors'are lit.

How strange. I wonder if Dad's out.

Where's the key?

In your handbag.

Did Hayashi-san forget to lock up when she went home?

She's only a part-time maid.

Full-time would hardly break the bank, but a thief sure would.

That's just like Dad, the petty bureaucrat.

Man, it's freezing.

Just as cold inside as out.

I just hate Japanese houses.

Have a great time out and come home to this dump. We need a modern home.

- Honey... - Yeah.

A house of our own would cost 500,000 yen, right?

Use father's retirement bonus as collateral...

Yeah, it ought to be worth 6 or 700,000 yen by now.

Plus a monthly pension of 12 or 13,000 yen.

And another 100,000 in savings.

But you think he'd agree?

If he doesn't, we'll tell him we're moving out. That'll clinch it.

Besides, even Pop wouldn't want to take all that money to his grave.

What's wrong, Dad?

Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.

That was strange.

Listen, honey.

It's not fair.