The taiga mysteriously defeats, as it did Napoleaon, even the great Akira Kurosawa. Perhaps camping with the Russian crew left him hungover. It is unfortunate (as it is too often with Oscars) that his great opus is know to many through this work without samurai. But perhaps it is not that Akira needs Japanese. It may be he needs greater (historical) distance. His version of Macbeth is a better adaptation.
The film is undoubtedly beautiful, in particular an iconic shot of Captain and Dersu skygazing with the sun lower left the same size as the full moon upper right. The film ought to be called Siberia. It is only incidentlay about the little Mongolian Dersu Ursula, and ultimately it is the Russian captain who has the greater conflict with nature, needing to map the great white.
Dersu Ursula is disadvantaged by being known to us only through bad Russian. One struggles to reconcile one's condescension to the wiseman, so awesomely lored, so adorably bowlegged. The film's rhythm is like the permafrost, suddenly flowing after long stretches.
The film is undoubtedly beautiful, in particular an iconic shot of Captain and Dersu skygazing with the sun lower left the same size as the full moon upper right. The film ought to be called Siberia. It is only incidentlay about the little Mongolian Dersu Ursula, and ultimately it is the Russian captain who has the greater conflict with nature, needing to map the great white.
Dersu Ursula is disadvantaged by being known to us only through bad Russian. One struggles to reconcile one's condescension to the wiseman, so awesomely lored, so adorably bowlegged. The film's rhythm is like the permafrost, suddenly flowing after long stretches.
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