Conflict in Kurosawa

Originally written December 8, 2014


Akira Kurosawa makes very thoughtful, human films. Even through the four films that we have viewed in this class so far- Rashomon, Sanshiro Sugata, Drunken Angel, and Stray Dog- you can see common themes discussed. I feel like one thing that Kurosawa loved to explore, at least up to this point in his career, is conflict. Conflict within each individual person, and also conflict in the human race. These themes were not only stated in the content, but also thoroughly illustrated artistically.

Throughout every Kurosawa film there have been characters who have inner struggles, or inconsistency in their actions. In Rashomon, the character of the woodcutter is accused of theft, but immediately after that, he takes in an abandoned baby.

In Drunken Angel, both of the main characters, the Doctor and Matsunaga, display serious conflicting traits. The Doctor cares deeply about his patients and friends. He loves them, however he is very strict. He shows very little affection, particularly to Matsunaga. He wants Matsunaga to be cured of his disease, but he is unwilling to work with him in a way that is any different than how he believes it should be done, even if he knows that means that Matsunaga will not follow his advice, and will die.

Murakami in Stray Dog faces inner conflict with his work as a police officer. He wants to fulfill the law to the best of his ability, however he feels like what he is doing may not be the most compassionate thing. While chasing down Yuzo, he realizes that he is also just a man. He is another human, and Murakami wonders if he deserves to face the law, even though he broke it.

The conflict of humans is not only within each person, but also in the entire human race. The film that best displays this is Rashomon. There are conflicting stories, each told as truth, and no one can distinguish the difference between what’s real and what’s false. Conflicting ideas of what is “true” is a very prevalent, timeless idea.

In Rashomon, another conflict is the fight between good and evil in us. The characters all start to lose their faith in humankind. They think that the bad in the world is steadily taking over any good that may be present. They are so focused on the unpleasant things, that they entirely lose sight of all the beauty. Near the end of the film, when the woodcutter takes in the baby, they remember that life is not composed of just one thing. You have to take the good with the bad, or else you will just be sad all the time and hate everything.

Kurosawa did not only explicitly state these themes, he definitely showed them artistically. One thing that people love to analyze in his films is his use of light and darkness. I felt like, out of the four films, this was most shown in Rashomon. In all of the shots in the woods, light was streaming in through the trees, which could represent how each story had elements of the truth, but was ultimately shadowy and incomplete.

The fight scenes in Drunken Angel and Stray Dog were a superb example of artistic contrast. The fighting was intense, brutal, and violent, but in both scenes he made them look beautiful. Once with a bucket of paint spilled on the floor, and once with the beautiful natural surroundings of a field. I felt like the violence was much more disconcerting since it was in such a lovely package, and I think that’s what Kurosawa intended.

Conflict is definitely a theme that I feel is heavily discussed in Kurosawa’s films. I go away from watching them thinking about the conflicting sides of my own character, and the conflict of human nature and the society I am a part of. These points resonate even more as a result of Kurosawa’s careful, technical planning. I feel like these films, in part because of the prevalent theme of conflict, are very valuable and should not be missed.