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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
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