*MINOR SPOILERS*
The sneakiest film I've seen in quite a while - at first viewing, I was almost put off by the surface looseness of DR AKAGI, but for several days I kept reflecting back on several key scenes. So I rented it again, and have come to consider this a great film. Imamura's trademark of "showing people as they are, rather than what we would like them to be" is on vivid display here - as with THE EEL and WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE, the quirks and eccentricities of the characters (in this case, a crusading doctor battling a hepatitis outbreak that may be a mere reflection of an obsessive mind, a morphine-addicted surgeon, a former prostitute, and a lecherous alcoholic monk) aren't just allowed, but are viewed as essential components of identity, and the depiction of such eccentricities is the only way to capture a true community in all of its' ragged glory. Inherent in this kind of depiction is an unshakeable confidence that even the most deeply flawed human beings have (or are capable) of acting on principle and conviction if sufficiently moved to do so. Thus, the story, swings from poetic to tragic to hilarious to disturbing at the drop of a hat, and Imamura's confident mastery in managing all of this (perhaps rivaling even Fellini) makes him one of the greats.
It should also be noted that - though his style and worldview are both extremely different - Imamura, like his one-time mentor Yasujiro Ozu, makes films that look like no one else's, with an unhurried, careful eye that somehow manages to make even the debris of the stories he relates take on a quality of human necessity.
An excellent and very rewarding film.
The sneakiest film I've seen in quite a while - at first viewing, I was almost put off by the surface looseness of DR AKAGI, but for several days I kept reflecting back on several key scenes. So I rented it again, and have come to consider this a great film. Imamura's trademark of "showing people as they are, rather than what we would like them to be" is on vivid display here - as with THE EEL and WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE, the quirks and eccentricities of the characters (in this case, a crusading doctor battling a hepatitis outbreak that may be a mere reflection of an obsessive mind, a morphine-addicted surgeon, a former prostitute, and a lecherous alcoholic monk) aren't just allowed, but are viewed as essential components of identity, and the depiction of such eccentricities is the only way to capture a true community in all of its' ragged glory. Inherent in this kind of depiction is an unshakeable confidence that even the most deeply flawed human beings have (or are capable) of acting on principle and conviction if sufficiently moved to do so. Thus, the story, swings from poetic to tragic to hilarious to disturbing at the drop of a hat, and Imamura's confident mastery in managing all of this (perhaps rivaling even Fellini) makes him one of the greats.
It should also be noted that - though his style and worldview are both extremely different - Imamura, like his one-time mentor Yasujiro Ozu, makes films that look like no one else's, with an unhurried, careful eye that somehow manages to make even the debris of the stories he relates take on a quality of human necessity.
An excellent and very rewarding film.