THE HUMAN CONDITION
"Amazingly powerful in its emotional sweep and the depth of its historical insight... Kobayashi’s monumental film can clarify and enrich your
understanding of what it is to be alive." - A.O. Scott, NY TIMES
Tuesday, August 19 at 7:15pm • Part 3 (A Soldier’s Prayer)
Tickets to Individual Screenings Will Be Available at Regular Price
Masaki Kobayashi’s epic drama about a decent man’s attempt to remain human amidst the horrors of war is one of the great masterpieces of modern cinema. Manchuria, WWII: well-meaning labor boss Tatsuya Nakadai tries humane methods in a barbed wire world of oppressed workers, cruel Army superiors, and starved Chinese POWs; then experiences the jaw-breaking brutality of Imperial Army life (experienced first-hand by Kobayashi, who served six years in the ranks) and must pit rifle fire against Russian tanks; and finally, discovering the true face of “socialism” from Soviet jailors, makes a desperate break for freedom. The Human Condition is a scathing, three-part exposé of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and of the dehumanization of the individual in war, featuring Tatsuya Nakadai’s breakthrough performance, as he subtly transforms from would-be liberal to rock-hard leader of men (Nakadai made other films in between filming, including Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Sanjuro; he played cards round the clock with Kobayashi, in order to achieve the right degree of haggardness for the final sequences). With dazzling b&w photography, and an enormous supporting cast that’s practically a Japanese movie Who’s Who — from Seven Samurai’s woodchopping Minoru Chiaki (going mouth-foamingly nuts in his foxhole), to Ozu legend Chishu Ryu (Tokyo Story) and super-star Hideko Takamine as Chinese peasants — The Human Condition was the dream project and masterpiece of Japan’s titan of socially critical cinema, Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri, Kwaidan). And, it is, thanks to his narrative expertise, tremendously absorbing — every minute of its almost-10-hour running time. Each part can easily stand on its own; all-night screenings in Japan of the complete work have drawn overflow crowds.
Each part includes a 15-minute intermission
No Greater Love (1959, 208 min., b/w)
Road to Eternity (1959, 183 min., b/w)
A Soldier’s Prayer (1961, 196 min., b/w)
