Ikiru
dir. Akira Kurosawa
1952

Both a scathing indictment of bureaucracy and an inspirational parable about living life to its fullest, Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru is bursting with unforgettable images of aesthetic beauty and emotional impact:

• the opening X-ray of Watanabe's cancer-infested stomach
• Watanabe emerging from a dark alley after puking his guts out during an all-night bender
• a small group of grateful village women interrupting bureacratic masturbatory back-patting to mourn Watanabe at his wake
• Watanabe silhouetted in black as he reflects upon the sunset only to remember the urgency of his mission to park a village park
• Watanabe swinging peacefully in the newly-completed snow-covered park as he sings "Life is Short" moments before his death

:`(:`(:`(

Review:
Roger Ebert