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Product Description
Akira Kurosawa's Scandal — as relevant now as when made — is a pointed attack on the rising power of the press and their practices in the newly-Americanised postwar Japan of 1950. Kurosawa was outraged by the gutter press' actions, where "personal privacy is never respected", and by how the public's voyeuristic tendency to delve deeper into the lives of celebrities only encouraged this disrespect. Stirred to broaden his film's scope, Kurosawa made the film a study of personal honour, one which highlights the need for ordinary individuals to speak out against injustice and corruption.
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DVD
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By MLindsay89
Format:DVD
Scandal was described by Kurosawa himself as a protest film about "the rise of the press in Japan and its habitual confusion of freedom with license."
Well the film certainly starts of by going with that idea. The main story centers around an artist played by Toshiro Mifune and a picture that is taken of him with a famous singer. They are pictured together by two members of the press who spin it into a big story about how they are romantically involved. Mifune's reaction is to start a propaganda war at first and then later try to sue the magazine for damages. The film goes along at a very quick pace dealing with all this whilst showing us the view from the magazine who printed the story. Even though the film was made in 1950 so is now 62 years old, its depiction of the press and in particular the type of magazine's who make their money from gossip is very similar to what you would expect today.
The film take's a dramatic shift in its focus however when the legal proceedings have been started and Mifune is approached by a lawyer played by Takashi Simura. He wants to represent him and tells him all about how strongly he feels about freedom of the press, the story then follow's him and we get to see what kind of man he is. To say much more would be to spoil the journey that he goes through but it is fascinating and Shimura is fantastic to watch. I honestly think this is one of his very best performances, right up there with Ikiru. The reason I was so surprised by this is that all the descriptions of the film I had read prior to seeing it payed little attention to his character. His story is by far the best part of the film and is worth seeing for him alone.... Read more ›
Well the film certainly starts of by going with that idea. The main story centers around an artist played by Toshiro Mifune and a picture that is taken of him with a famous singer. They are pictured together by two members of the press who spin it into a big story about how they are romantically involved. Mifune's reaction is to start a propaganda war at first and then later try to sue the magazine for damages. The film goes along at a very quick pace dealing with all this whilst showing us the view from the magazine who printed the story. Even though the film was made in 1950 so is now 62 years old, its depiction of the press and in particular the type of magazine's who make their money from gossip is very similar to what you would expect today.
The film take's a dramatic shift in its focus however when the legal proceedings have been started and Mifune is approached by a lawyer played by Takashi Simura. He wants to represent him and tells him all about how strongly he feels about freedom of the press, the story then follow's him and we get to see what kind of man he is. To say much more would be to spoil the journey that he goes through but it is fascinating and Shimura is fantastic to watch. I honestly think this is one of his very best performances, right up there with Ikiru. The reason I was so surprised by this is that all the descriptions of the film I had read prior to seeing it payed little attention to his character. His story is by far the best part of the film and is worth seeing for him alone.... Read more ›
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Morality Play Predictable and Well-Presented
22 Sep 2008
By Randy Keehn
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
"Scadal" is an early Kurosawa film that gives a lot of suggestions of the Director's genius. However, the the plot suffers from being predictable and overstated. The two main characters are played by Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura who are, individually or together, in a majority of Akira Kurosawa's films. Mifune gives the better performance in his role as Ichiro Aoe; an artist who is secure in himself and his purpose. Shimura plays a lawyer named Hiruta who is just the opposite. Ichiro Aoe is insulted when a gossip magazine makes too much out of his chance encounter with a popular yet reclusive singer. Aoe is angered and he wishes to do something about it. In steps Hiruta. The film turns into a story about moral character (standing up for one's principles) and human frailty (Hiruta's weaknesses are rather excessive). The movie attempts to become a courtroom drama but Hiruta is so inept that the legal drama is missing. The ending is quite predictable which might have been avoided if Hiruta had been a bit less than the scoundrel that he becomes.
Fans of Mifune should enjoy this film. It is one of his better performances. Fans of Shimura will likely feel a bit disappointed in his role right out of a soap opera. Kurosawa probably had a lot of fun portraying the celebrity gossip magazine as the unethical "we're just in it for the money" collective group of villans. It's worth watching once.
Fans of Mifune should enjoy this film. It is one of his better performances. Fans of Shimura will likely feel a bit disappointed in his role right out of a soap opera. Kurosawa probably had a lot of fun portraying the celebrity gossip magazine as the unethical "we're just in it for the money" collective group of villans. It's worth watching once.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forgotten Classic
16 Dec 2006
By O. Elmore
- Published on Amazon.com
As a film duo, Shimura and Mifune have a chemistry that is unmatched, and Scandal's themes are perfect holiday fare. I watch this film every season, right after A Christmas Carol.
4.0 out of 5 stars
the story line is only part of the story
19 Nov 2008
By D. Aiken
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
1950 Japan was still reeling in the after effects of their defeat but average life must and did continue. This movie was advertised as a light comedy but it is,in fact a profound view of the average life of many within the Janese society still trying to find themselves in a whole new world. What was not previously mentioned is a scene when a Japanese opera star sings Silent Night and another that has drunken bar goers try to sing Auld Lang Sang, however spelled. The storyline is one matter, peek at daily life in an era we have seldom seen filmed at the time it happen is quite another. Most highly recommended.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
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