After the box office failure of Dodes'ka-Den, Kurosawa was extremely depressed and attempted to commit suicide. After his recovery, he got over his depressive state and directed the Japanese/Russian co-production, Dersu Uzala.
Set in the forests of Siberia in the 19th century, Dersu Uzala is one of the most important films about friendship ever made. It tells the story of Captain Vladimir Arseniev (Yuri Solomine) as he leads an expedition through the woods. While his group is camping one night, a small mountain man named Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk) comes across the men and agrees to act as their guide. The friendship between Dersu and Vladimir grows over the years and Vladimir urges Dersu to return to the city with him but the latter always refuses. Finally Dersu agrees to go, but finds that it is a very difficult adjustment to make.
This was the first Kurosawa film that I ever saw and it amazed me in so many ways. The beautiful landscapes, the well-developed characters, and most importantly, the great friendship between Dersu and Vladimir make this one of my favorite films.
Set in the forests of Siberia in the 19th century, Dersu Uzala is one of the most important films about friendship ever made. It tells the story of Captain Vladimir Arseniev (Yuri Solomine) as he leads an expedition through the woods. While his group is camping one night, a small mountain man named Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk) comes across the men and agrees to act as their guide. The friendship between Dersu and Vladimir grows over the years and Vladimir urges Dersu to return to the city with him but the latter always refuses. Finally Dersu agrees to go, but finds that it is a very difficult adjustment to make.
This was the first Kurosawa film that I ever saw and it amazed me in so many ways. The beautiful landscapes, the well-developed characters, and most importantly, the great friendship between Dersu and Vladimir make this one of my favorite films.