Akira Kurosawa is largely known by younger cineasts in the West, or those with less knowledge of world cinema, as being a director of period/jidaigeki films, featuring samurai and the like. However, his filmography was actually extremely varied, including, but certainly not limited to, medical dramas, gangster movies and a Dostoevsky adaptation.
His work was often inspired by Western sources and this included crime fiction. Two such examples are Kurosawa’s films Stray Dog and High and Low, the former being inspired by the work of Georges Simenon and the latter being based on a novel by Ed McBain.
After bringing two of Kurosawa’s films out on Blu-ray in handsome new restorations, with their releases of Ikiru and Seven Samurai (the latter of which was also released on UHD), the BFI are now turning their attentions to Stray Dog and High and Low. The films are being released separately, but with them both sharing a few similarities and a release date, I figured I would take a look at the discs together in one review.
Stray Dog
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay: Ryûzô Kikushima
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Teruko Kishi, Reizaburô Yamamoto, Masao Shimizu
Country: Japan
Running Time: 122 min
Year: 1949
BBFC Certificate: PG
As mentioned, Kurosawa was inspired by the books of Georges Simenon when writing Stray Dog. However, his homage first took the form of a novel (which has never been published, sadly). Kurosawa then decided to adapt this for the screen (a process that took him much longer than anticipated).
Also reportedly based on a true account, Stray Dog sees Toshirô Mifune play Detective Murakami, a policeman whose gun is stolen by a pickpocket on a crowded train during a heatwave. The young officer is ashamed and worried about the repercussions, so frantically scours the city to find it.
After it’s discovered that the weapon has been sold and used in some violent crimes, the search heats up further and Chief Detective Sato (Takashi Shimura) is brought on to investigate, with Murakami assisting. This older detective takes a much more careful and intelligent approach, that eventually draws them closer to the culprit.
I hadn’t seen Stray Dog before being tasked with reviewing this disc, so I was excited to watch it. I wasn’t disappointed.
What was most immediately impressive was the atmosphere Kurosawa creates. On top of a noir-ish feel, you get a wonderful sense of life in different parts of the city through a range of locations and characters populating them. The sweltering heat is effectively portrayed too, with characters clearly sweating and regularly fanning themselves. Kurosawa is known for his great use of the elements and this heatwave culminates in a torrential downpour that heightens the drama of the film’s climactic scenes.
Some sequences in an extended montage set in the black markets were done for real, using a stand-in for Mifune and hiding the camera. Chief assistant director Ishiro Honda, who would later find fame as the director of the original Godzilla, reportedly directed these sequences.
These, and another couple of scenes, whilst incredibly atmospheric, bring up my only criticism of this otherwise superb film. A few scenes are drawn out far longer than necessary, making for a film that could have benefited from a trim, even if it could never be called boring.
Thematically, the film is strong though. It was made and set only a few years after the war, when Tokyo was decimated. This was also a time when the country was occupied by US soldiers and the film could be seen to be commenting on the difficulties of this post-war period. Soldiers returning home to a damaged country, having witnessed and been part of horrific acts, as well as ‘losing’ the war, were constantly reminded of that by their damaged cities and US troops surrounding them. This caused mental health issues that, when added to the poverty many faced, must have pushed some people towards desperate acts.
Murakami starts off very clean-cut and still ingrained with habits from his military background. After his gun is stolen and his search for it drags on, however, he grows desperate and agitated, a little like the stray dog of the title. As the film progresses, Murakami even finds himself relating to the ‘villain’ of the story, the man who ends up with his gun. This criminal is also a desperate, troubled man.
On a technical level, the film is as impressive as you’d expect from Kurosawa. Great use is made of depth and movement and the sound design is incredibly good for the era too. There are some rhythmic beats used to punctuate key scenes and I loved the contrast with the noise of the city and the calming sound of nature at Sato’s family home.
Some wonderfully effective musical counterpoint is used in a couple of places too, most notably in the film’s climax, where someone practising the piano and later some children singing are both put to good use against the violent showdown unfolding before us.
Praise must also be heaped on the young and attractive Toshiro Mifune and the great Takashi Shimura as our lead performers. Their contrasting personalities work beautifully together in the film.
Overall then, despite my finding a couple of scenes a touch overdrawn, Stray Dog is an expertly directed, thoughtful and engrossing police thriller that deserves to stand among the many masterpieces of Akira Kurosawa.
Film:
High and Low
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima, Eijirô Hisaita
Based on a Novel by: Evan Hunter (under the pen name Ed McBain)
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Kenjirô Ishiyama, Takeshi Katô, Takashi Shimura, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Country: Japan
Running Time: 143 min
Year: 1963
BBFC Certificate: 12
In High and Low, wealthy executive Kingo Gondo (Mifune, again) plans a leveraged buyout to take control of the company he works for, National Shoes, after disagreeing with his colleagues’ desires to boost profits by making lower-quality products. However, his plans are derailed when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake, instead of his own. The kidnapper demands a large ransom from Gondo, regardless of whose child it is. The businessman initially refuses to pay, as he doesn’t wish to cater to such demands and knows it will ruin his precarious business position.
However, faced with the agonising dilemma of choosing between the boy’s life and his own financial ruin, Gondo eventually relents and pays the ransom. Despite losing his company and facing the loss of his home, Gondo gains public sympathy and admiration whilst the police focus their efforts on apprehending the kidnapper.
As mentioned in my introduction, the film was based on an Ed McBain novel but Kurosawa was reportedly mainly interested in the book’s concept of a wealthy person being asked to pay a ransom for someone not related to them. The director’s most notable change was that, rather than intercutting the wealthy protagonist’s plight with the police investigation, Kurosawa stays with Gondo in the first half of the film, then the police in the second, though there are splashes of both in each section. This fits nicely with the idea represented by the title, of the hierarchical nature of society.
In the first half, we’re confined to Gondo’s spacious, spotlessly clean luxury villa, whereas the second half brings us down the hill to the dirty, crowded and dangerous world below. The boundaries between these are explored throughout the film and we learn that Gondo was once part of this ‘lower’ world, working his way up the corporate ladder through hard work. The act of the film’s jealous antagonist looks set to bring Gondo back down there too.
The criminal is a little more villainous here than in Stray Dog, but there’s still some sympathy shown towards him, particularly in the powerful closing sequence that visually and metaphorically draws comparisons between Gondo and the kidnapper.
Both this and Stray Dog push the initial protagonist to the sidelines though, in their second halves. In these sections, the films open up further into their wider cities (Yokohama being the setting of High and Low), to show how small and ineffective the characters are in the grand scheme of things.
The first half has the feel of theatre, but not in a bad way. It plays out like a chamber piece that rarely leaves Gondo’s house. Kurosawa shot this portion in long takes, using multiple cameras, adding to that theatrical feel. The careful placing of characters in the wide frame during this portion feels staged but the composition often symbolically tells much of the story, so works beautifully.
The thrilling handover scene at the centre of the film, set on a speeding train, contrasts dramatically with this first half, leading us into the second portion of the film. Here, the police investigation takes over and we watch the detectives painstakingly covering every detail to try and catch the kidnapper. It’s police procedural at its finest. Despite this methodical approach, the film being quite long and the first half being restricted in terms of locations, it remains gripping throughout.
Once again, the mise-en-scene is carefully constructed and atmospheric. Kurosawa had found international acclaim by this point, so was able to work with a big budget and the studio fulfilled most of his elaborate demands (the roof of someone’s house was even removed to allow for a shot out of the train window). These resources weren’t frivolously spent though, as every detail serves the narrative and themes.
Overall, High and Low is slow-burning but takes hold of you from the offset, offering an exceptional crime drama that blends deep police procedural with themes of class, power and control. It’s a firm favourite for some Kurosawa fans and I hold it in high esteem too. If you haven’t yet watched it, now’s your chance.
Film:
Stray Dog and High and Low will be released separately on Blu-ray on 27th January 2025 by the BFI. They’ll also be available to stream on iTunes and Amazon Prime. The new 4k restorations are impressive. Stray Dog looks a little soft, likely due to the available source, but it’s still clean, stable and has well-balanced tones. High and Low looks stunning though. It’s pin-sharp, clean as a whistle and the tonal balance is perfectly pitched. I’ve used screengrabs throughout my review, though these have been compressed. Both audio tracks are strong too. For High and Low you get an option of either stereo or 4-track audio.
STRAY DOG SPECIAL FEATURES
– Presented in High Definition
– Newly recorded interview with Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp
– Newly recorded audio commentary by Kenta McGrath
– Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Stray Dog (2002, 32 mins)
– **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw, archive essay by Philip Kemp and original review
HIGH AND LOW SPECIAL FEATURES
– Presented in High Definition
– Newly recorded audio commentary by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp
– Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – High and Low (2002, 38 mins): the director discusses how High and Low came to exist, and how specific sequences were filmed. Also features interviews with actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa, Takeshi Kato, and Tatsuya Mihashi, as well as cameraman Takao Saito and Masaharu Ueda and script supervisor Teruyo Nogami
– **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new essay on the film by Alex Barrett, archive essay by Philip Kemp and an original review from Monthly Film Bulletin
Kenta McGrath provides a commentary over Stray Dog. It’s a deeply analytical track that breaks down Kurosawa’s directorial technique as well as discusses how events in Japan at the time might have informed the film.
Jasper Sharp provides a commentary over High and Low. As usual, he puts the film in greater context, digging deep into what was going on in Japanese cinema at the time as well as the country in general. He also draws a number of comparisons between the film and Stray Dog.
Jasper Sharp also appears on the Stray Dog disc, discussing the film, its context and its merits. It’s another well-researched and illuminating piece.
Like with their new Seven Samurai disc, both films come with lengthy excerpts from the excellent Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create series (but titled ‘The Masterworks’ on the documentaries themselves), focussing on Stray Dog and High and Low. These see first-hand contributors, including Kurosawa himself in places, describe how the films were made whilst telling some fun anecdotes along the way. A lot of time is spent on Kurosawa’s extravagant demands. The train scene in High and Low, in particular, is quite eye-opening in how it was done.
The booklet for Stray Dog begins with an essay by Barry Forshaw, where he discusses the various inspirations behind the film as well as looking at what makes it worth your time so many decades later. This is followed by a piece by Philip Kemp that was included in the older BFI DVD box set ‘Kurosawa Crime Collection’. Then, finally, there’s a short archival piece by Kurosawa himself, who describes his feelings on the film.
The High and Low booklet begins with an essay by Alex Barrett. He spends much of this discussing the differences between the source novel and the film. Following this is a short piece by Philip Kemp who looks at the film’s themes. Then there’s an archival review of the film by David Wilson, written at the time of its UK release.
So, the BFI have put together another pair of excellent Blu-ray releases celebrating the work of Akira Kurosawa. We’ve still got new 4k releases of Yojimbo and Sanjuro to enjoy soon and hopefully there are more to come.
Discs/packages:
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