Principal cast
Takashi Shimura, Haruo Tanaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Bokuzen Hidari and Miki Odagiri
Film 228 of 498 on the Screen Path
Ikiru
A big story of a little man which will grip your soul...
About the film
Ikiru at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1952 film at stop 228 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Key craft credits
Asakazu Nakai (director of photography), Akira Kurosawa (editor), Fumio Hayasaka (original music composer), Hideo Oguni (screenplay) and Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay)
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Release
- 1952-10-09
- Runtime
- 143 minutes
- Genres
- Drama
- Country
- Japan
- Quiz
- 51 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 51 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
51 questions in this journeyCitizen Kane is the complete public example: both learning videos and a five-question sample quiz are available below.
Start the example โFull cast
Full cast
- Takashi ShimuraCharacter: Kanji Watanabe
- Haruo TanakaCharacter: Sakai
- Nobuo KanekoCharacter: Mitsuo, son of Kanji
- Bokuzen HidariCharacter: Ohara
- Miki OdagiriCharacter: Toyo
- Shinichi HimoriCharacter: Kimura
- Minoru ChiakiCharacter: Noguchi
- Minosuke YamadaCharacter: Subordinate Clerk Saito
- Kamatari FujiwaraCharacter: Sub-Section Chief Ono
- Makoto KoboriCharacter: Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother
- Nobuo NakamuraCharacter: Deputy Mayor
- Atsushi WatanabeCharacter: Patient
Full crew
Full crew
- Akira KurosawaCredits: Screenplay, Editor, Director
- Asakazu NakaiCredits: Director of Photography
- Shinobu HashimotoCredits: Screenplay
- Sลjirล MotokiCredits: Producer
- Shinji KojimaCredits: Lighting Technician
- Ichirรด MinawaCredits: Sound Effects Editor
- Akio NojimaCredits: Set Decoration
- Hideo OguniCredits: Screenplay
- Fumio HayasakaCredits: Original Music Composer
- Hideo NishizakiCredits: Sound Recordist
- Hiromichi HorikawaCredits: Assistant Director
- Takashi MatsuyamaCredits: Production Design
- Hisanobu MarubayashiCredits: Assistant Director
Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.