Jump to content

Dr. Akagi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vulk1 (talk | contribs) at 00:18, 3 December 2019. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Dr. Akagi
Directed byShohei Imamura
Written byAngo Sakaguchi (novel Doctor Liver)
Shohei Imamura
Daisuke Tengan
Produced byHiso Ino
Koji Matsuda
StarringAkira Emoto
Kumiko Asō
CinematographyShigeru Komatsubara
Edited byHajime Okayasu
Music byYosuke Yamashita
Distributed byImamura Productions, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co. Ltd., Toei Co. Ltd., Tohokashinsha Film Company Ltd., Kino International (USA)
Release dates
  • 17 October 1998 (1998-10-17) (Japan)
  • 15 January 1999 (1999-01-15) (U.S.)
Running time
129 min. (Japan)
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Dr. Akagi, known in Japan as Kanzō-sensei (カンゾー先生, literally "Dr. Liver"), is a 1998 Japanese Comedy-drama film by director Shohei Imamura. Imamura is much more highly regarded in his home country and Europe as a key figure in the Japanese New Wave, and is little known in the West. Imamura undertook making Akira Kurosawa's final script, and is the only director from Japan to win two Palme d'Or awards. Yosuke Yamashita was awarded "Best Film Score" for Dr. Akagi at the 1999 Mainichi Film Concours.

Plot

The film concerns Dr. Akagi, a doctor on an island in the Seto Inland Sea area during World War II. He runs into conflict with the military while trying to combat a hepatitis epidemic. Akagi earns the nickname "Dr. Liver" (カンゾー先生 Kanzō-sensei) because of his work, though the townsfolk use it as a humorous dig at his persistent diagnosis. Though the broad circumstance of Japan slowly losing the war is the setting, many of the interactions and situations tilt into humor, for instance; the very music used for the doctor running from patient to patient has an upbeat and light-hearted tone.

Cast

See also