Dersu Uzala is a surprising movie for me. It is the 13th Kurosawa film that I have seen, and to me it is so different from the rest of his work that I might not have guessed who the director was if I had simply stumbled upon it at random. For one, it is a Soviet-Japanese joint production, and is spoken entirely in Russian, not Japanese. There is no Mifune or Nakadai at the helm, but rather some relatively unknown actors, although talented nonetheless). There are no samurai that Kurosawa became known for, neither is it a noir-esquire type of film like High and Low or Stray Dog. And yet, among all these differences, it is one of the most beautiful films that Kurosawa created in my opinion. And to me, it is a different kind of beauty. It is a raw, pure beauty. The stunning cinematography adds so much to the story. Nature is alive in this film, from the crackling flames to the cascading rivers to the shredding winds, Dersu even refers to all these natural aspects as "men." This film is not driven by ambiguous symbolism or a complex plot, but by strong themes and tremendous character development. One must be rather cold to not be affected by some of the heartwarming scenes. I have seen some call this film too slow or too long, and while Kurosawa definitely does exhibit a lot of patience in his shots, none of it is wasted. The relationship between the two primary characters is so well developed that I could not help but be captivated throughout the whole story. This is truly one of Kurosawa's most overlooked, under appreciated works. Kurosawa succeeds in telling a very touching tale without making it sentimental, but rather filled with a beauty that deserves to be witnessed.
Review of Dersu Uzala
