Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There are many wonderful reviews on this site about why the film "Ikiru" is so great. And many are beautifully written. I have seen many films in my life, yet "Ikiru" stands head and shoulders above any I have ever seen. For me, the film is not only the greatest Japanese film ever, but the greatest film of all-time. One of the reviewers [BARRY C. CHOW] gave a very good and poignant review of this film. And I hope he is wrong that the film will not appeal "to those raised on a western diet of car crashes, yammering idiots and pixie dust." However, maybe in time, when these viewers have grown older, wiser, and have experienced life, then these viewers will come to appreciate the pure genius of this Kurosawa classic. I know that writing that this is the greatest film of all-time is a bold statement. So let me clarify it a bit more: It is my favorite film of all-time. I have seen countless films, but none have had the impact that this film has had on me. Ikiru (To Live) is not a film about dying: but how we live our lives. And in this short life of ours how we live our life matters. Are we kind to our neighbors? Do we care for our children? And just as important: Do we spend enough quality time with them? This is a quiet and simple film. The main protagonist Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) has gone through his life as another cog in the bureaucratic office where he works. Maybe at one time in his life he had dreams of better things; yet with time he grows accustomed to his job; and is no longer alive with the passion of what makes life enjoyable. Yes, one can belong to a bureaucratic machine; but one can also make a difference, as we the viewer are about to find out. Moreover, we can also live a life outside of our jobs. We can all make a difference no matter what our life's work entails. However, events in Watanabe's life are about to take a different turn. A turn for the worse, and yet, also a redeeming turn for the better. When Watanabe is diagnosed with an incurable illness, he sets about to give some meaning to a life wasted as a lifetime bureaucrat. For our humble protagonist realizes that his life must have a meaning. Watanabe realizes that through all the wasted years since his wifes death he has not accomplished anything worthwhile. Alienated from his son, he sets about to correct in what little time he has remaining to make some sort of contribution to society. And this contribution comes in the way of a childrens park. Akira Kurosawa does not insult his viewers with a grand design of a holy crusader about to change the world. No, for Mr. Watanabe, the simple desire to build a childrens park is all that he seeks. Simple and yet all so poignant. We the viewer follow Mr. Watanabe as he meets the very bureaucratic headaches that he himself was once a part of, but no longer. We have sympathy for Mr. Watanabe as goes about trying to cut through all the red tape in order to see the park built before he dies. No longer the obstructionist bureaucrat, he now comes face to face with the very obstacles others have faced when he was once the obstructionist. This is Watanabe's attempt to make amends for his own past. This is not only Kurosawa's greatest film, but the greatest film ever. There are no shoot-outs, explosions or car chases. This film is a simple reminder to those of us who are willing to take the time to see what Kurosawa is attempting to show us: That life is short. And that what we do with our lives matters. How many of us, like the protagonist Kanji Watanabe are alive, but have not lived life? Do we put off visting our loved ones? Are we just going through the motions of life? Or are we living a life of quality? And yes, our dear protagonist Mr. Watanabe does succeed in the end at making a contribution, no matter how small. And Takashi Shimura's character does succeed in giving some meaning to his short life and existence--his way of contributing, no matter how small, to those in his community. I first watched this film in 1977, and I never tire of viewing it again and again. There is not a scene in the film that I cannot recall. This is a heartfelt film, and Takashi Shimura [His greatest role] plays his part in the film with such outstanding humility, that we the viewer come to empathize with him. I have never forgotten the part where he sings, both in the drinking establishment, and at the end of the film; swinging in the now finished children's playground: So haunting, and yet so beautiful. This film puts what's really important in life into perspective. Life is too short, make the best of it. And more importantly, live your life as if each day were the last. There are not enough stars to give this great classic. [Stars: 5+++++]