Dersu Uzala (1977)

Interesting, but not his strongest work.

Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa, 1975)

As much as I understand the importance of Akira Kurosawa in the greater language of film, I have to say that I've never really gotten his movies the way other people seem to; Rashomon is a movie I've watched a number of times trying to glean what it is that makes it, as many critics would have it, one of the hundred finest films ever made, and I just can't wrap my head around it. It's a good movie, to be sure, but I guess I'm missing something. I felt the same way about Dersu Uzala, now that I've seen it for the first time; I enjoyed it well enough, but nothing about it struck me as being for the ages.

Uzala himself (Maksim Munzuk) is a woodsman, who makes his living trapping and serving as a guide in the wilds of Taiga. He is hired by Vladimir Arseniev (Yuri Solomin), a captain in the Russian army, as a guide, and the two form a friendship during their time together that is renewed on occasion as the two run into each other. The real plot of the story develops when Dersu Uzala develops cataracts; with his eyesight getting worse and worse, his continued survival in the woods becomes untenable, and so Arseniev offers to put up Dersu, who's never lived anywhere but the woods, in his house in the city. Cue culture clash.

Dersu Uzala won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1975, beating out such luminaries as Wajda's The Promised Land and Kumai's Sandikan 8. I'm glad I wasn't a member of the Academy at that time; that would've been a tough call. (For the record, I should mention I'm not a member now, either.) I'm relatively sure I would've gone for one of the others, though; as I said above, Dersu Uzala is a good film, interesting if a bit slow to get to the real meat of the matter, but nothing about it grabbed me in the way slow films sometimes do (a perfect example of this is the work of Bela Tarr, in which nothing at all happens most of the time, but I can't tear my eyes away from the screen). Kurosawa gives us interesting, well-acted characters in a fantastic framework, and with some of the more stunning scenery I've come across in recent months, but there's that ineffable something about Kurosawa's movies that I just don't grasp. And I still don't know why. ***

August 20, 2008

Kurosawa in the Wilderness

After the critical and popular failure of Kurosawa's previous movie, Dodes-ka den, Kurosawa attempted suicide. After he recovered, he immersed himself in rehabilitating his image. His next movie was this collaboration with Russia's Mosfilm Studios. Filmed in Siberia and set in the early 1900's, Dersu Uzala tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a polished Russian military officer and a primitive Manchurian hunter. while it never reaches the heights of Kurosawa's bonafide masterpieces, Dersu Uzala is an excellent story of friendship and the clash of civilization vs. primordial.

Dersu Uzala was a tremendously ambitious shoot lasting two years and oblidging the crew to live in Siberia for months at a time. The result is a movie that is clearly trying to be a masterpiece but doesn't quite make it. The cinematography is brilliant, as one would expect from a Kurosawa movie. He knew how to shoot a movie and was blessed to work with truly gifted cinematographers throughout nearly his entire career who needed only minimal instruction. Kurosawa may well be the best outdoor filmmaker ever.

There are are two extremely impressive scenes. The first is a blizzard scene where Uzala saves the captain's life. The second is a river rescue scene that looks so harrowing, it's amazing noone drowned filming it. Alot of the rest of the movie is a series of marching about and campfires. It would seem there is only so much to do in the wilderness.

The movie is a dual character study but Maxim Munzik, Dersu Uzala, is given the flashier role and more interesting dialogue and he rises admirably to the challenge. Yuri Solomin, Capt. Arseniev, has the more straight-arrow character and the more pedestrian dialogue. Consequently, Arseniev tends to fade to the background and I didn't really get to know him as well as I would have liked. No real effort is made to delineate the soldier's under Arseniev's command.

Dersu Uzala is a must watch for any Kurosawa fan and an excellent, beautiful and unique movie in it's own right. July 4, 2008

Not Kurosawa's best but still worthy

You can sense Akira Kurosawa was not at his best during the filming of this movie, eventhough it is still a beautiful story that is well told. Acting was ok though it lacks the "connecting" intensity in the relationship between these two men who are supposed to be kindred spirits despite being from two very different worlds. June 18, 2008

"man small before the face of nature"

Dersu Uzala is a memorable Russian film, a departure from one of movies' greatest directors, Kurosawa. The film earned the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign film. It is about survival within the force of nature and a commardiere of friendship, honor and duty.

During a topography expedition, Captain and few members of his troop embark into the Siberian wilderness and encounter an old man, Dersu Uzala, a nomadic tribesman who offers to guide them, knowing they will not survive against the brutal conditions of nature as he says, "man small before the face of nature". Beginning in 1902, the story is told through the writings of the Captain, and the time jumps to five years later.

During their trek, they encounter exhaustion, severe frost, hunger, and on a frozen marshland, the Captain and Dersu are separated from the others traveling on a boat. Dersu, with his survival knowledge saves the two from the bitter blowing cold by creating a hut out of the grass. Here, Captain believes Dersu saved his life. Dersu exhibits great insight and foresight.

In the later years when they meet up again, they encounter Chinese bandits, thick fog, traps, and surviving in rapid waters. Then life changes for Dersu, when he is forced to kill a tiger.

The imagery is spectacular with glowing sunrise, setting of the moon, cold blowing snow, dense fog, rapid waters, marshland, images of shadow and light in the jungle and the seasonal changes. Through this journey, two men endure a friendship to be remembered.

VHS - good viewing!
This review is from the VHS, which is clear with space for subtitles against black screen. It is easy to read without much dialogue. Rizzo
April 21, 2008

Kurosawa's Masterpiece

Kurosawa's underrated masterpiece--the hidden gem of his career. What you remember is the sublime musical score which embodies both the young explorer's memories of the old man and the vastness of the Siberian wilderness, photographed with breathtaking, powerful imagery. What you remember is Dersu, a symbol of humanity's lost connection to nature, and the smallness of humanity in the face of nature. April 15, 2008

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