Skandal (1950) watch online HD

This film is about an artist named Ichiro Aoye (the great Toshiro Mifune) who by chance meets up with a famous singer Miyako Saijo (the very pretty Shirley Yamaguchi) while he is on a mountain painting. He drives her on his motorcycle to town and they happen to be staying in separate rooms at the same inn. A picture of them together, though not in any way with each other, is taken and causes a tabloid sensation. Ichiro decides to sue for libel and a very flawed lawyer (the equally great Takashi Shimura) takes the case. This film was done in 1949, yet it somehow remains relevant. Substitute Ichiro and Miyako with any celebrities you like and you'll get the idea. Mr. Shimura's character is so deeply explored you understand the pain, but may not like the man. Mr. Mifune is his usual solid self in this role and the film says a lot about privacy, hurt, pain and possibly even evil and redemption. Highly recommended.

This is my favourite Kurosawa film. The director was reported to have been furious at the state of media freedom under the post-WWII US Occupation, and he vents his spleen on it here. The film is a passionate condemnation of gutter press and appears to be partly based on the director's own experiences.

I have to stop myself from the overuse of superlatives when describing this film. The acting is simply some of the best I've seen in any movie. Mifune does his usual good job as the brooding and very serious motorbike-riding painter but, for once, even the great Mifune is outclassed by several other actors.

Yoshiko Yamaguchi shines as the doe-eyed singer, whom a scandal magazine tries to frame as the painter's lover.

Despite not appearing until a third of the way through the film, Takashi Shimura steals every scene from Mifune. He is in top form as the weird and corrupted lawyer, and is a delight to watch.

But even Shimura is outclassed by the young Yoko Katsuragi, playing his daughter, who despite dying of TB is cheerful and a joy to all around her.

Nor does the support cast let them down. A number of great character actors, led by the man who plays the sleazy editor, complete the picture nicely.

I unreservedly recommend this film as a must-see for any film lover.

This Kurasawa film, starring the ubiquitous Toshiro Mifune is exactly what most film fans do NOT expect. This is NOT a samurai film and there is no killing and it was set in the present-day. Unfortunately, because of these factors it is seldom shown on TV and has been largely ignored by Kurasawa buffs. This is a real shame because I think it's one of his best--due to wonderful writing and characterizations.

The story begins with Mifune on vacation. He's in the mountains painting for relaxation when he accidentally meets up with a famous female celebrity. He drives her back to the inn they are both staying at and the next day they happen to meet again and share breakfast. Nothing illicit--just two nice people sharing time together. However, unknown to them, they are seen and photographed by sleazy tabloid writers who try to create scandal.

The star is't terribly bothered by the mess but Mifune sees this as a great dishonor and he MUST gain satisfaction from the rag. They refuse to relent and so Mifune seeks out legal representation to sue.

This is only the first third of the movie. The alcoholic lawyer and his handicapped daughter make up a powerful and importance presence in the movie. The ending is NOT TO BE MISSED--I couldn't have wanted a better human drama or better acting. Wonderful and true throughout.

It is wonderful to see how a skilled director like Akira Kurosawa can create a masterwork from mundane material. This one is a simple court case over a "Scandal" involving Toshiro Mifune and a famous singer. A sandal sheet magazine publishes a photo claiming them as lovers ... they are not, and sue the magazine. The resulting court trial is the bulk of the film. Their sleazy lawyer played by Takashai Shimura is a delightful, complicated character. Completely absorbing.

I've seen dozens of films by Akira Kurosawa. Of course, I hunted down the films that have made him famous first - films like Sanjuro, Yojimbo, and the Seven Samurai. After viewing those masterpieces I moved on to his catalog of lesser-known (and much more difficult to find!) films such as this one, Shubun (Scandal).

While watching this movie I was continually amazed at how well this movie kept my interest. I firmly believe it could be presented to an audience of disinterested types and they would be quickly pulled in. It is quickly paced, competently directed, and the acting is great. Some of the early Kurosawa flicks become quite dull in spots (Ikiru), a flaw this film does not suffer from.

Toshiro Mifune (playing Ichiro Aoye), young and impossibly handsome, does not manage to steal the show in this film, as he does with nearly all of his Kurosawa rolls. In fact, Takashi Shimura gets all the juicy bits and only furthers my belief that he is among Japan's greatest screen actors.

The plot goes all over the map, taking us from lighthearted moments to some excruciatingly tragic affairs. These are not terms I throw around without hesitation...you WILL be moved.

The icing on the cake: a vile villian, one of the nastiest characters you'll ever see in a Kurosawa film and the strikingly beautiful Shirley Yamaguchi who plays the pop singer, Mikako Saijo (with whom Mifune's Aoye is caught in a tabloid scandal with).

This film has recently been released on video with new subtitles and it most certainly worth hunting down.

Akira Kurosawa has now become one of my favourite directors. Even in some of his weaker films like Dreams and Rhapsody in August there is much to like. All his films are beautifully made and directed, with complex and humanistic characters and themes, fine music and great acting. Scandal is not one of my favourites from Kurosawa like Seven Samurai, Ran, Hidden Fortress, Ikiru and Yojimbo, I did find some scenes like the Auld Lang Syne bar scene on the melodramatic side and I found Toshiro Mifune's performance here to be the least interesting of his I've seen so far and his character somewhat dissuasive. That is not to say at all that Mifune is bad, he is actually very good with his usual brooding persona, just that he has done characters that were more human and interesting. Besides while I have found Mifune to have stolen the films he's in before, he's outclassed by a brilliant Takashi Shimura, and Shirley Yamaguchi and Yoko Katsuragi are just as natural. Other than Shimura, Yamaguchi and Katsuragi, Scandal is made and directed with delicate skill, and the story, with quite a daring and personal subject matter, is always intense and engaging. The script is just as naturalistic and never stilted, the characters on the whole are well done especially Shimura's lawyer, the courtroom scene is compellingly played and the music while not one of the best ever scores for Kurosawa's films is fitting. All in all, not one of the master of Japanese cinema's best but still a film of interest. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Frequently neglected in comparison with his earlier works, this 1950 film provides a naturalistic look at conditions in post-war

Japan and hits on themes that seem oddly contemporary: the price of celebrity and the debate over the responsibility of a free

press

All the right characters are here: a pop star, a prominent artist, a seedy attorney, an unscrupulous gossip magazine publisher and the obligatory angelic daughter with tuberculosis! ItÕs even topped off with a climactic courtroom scene.

While Toshiro Mifune is the marquee name,Takashi Shimura, as the conflicted attorney Hiruta, is the star of this moral melodrama. His performance may seem excessive to some but he gets the great self condemning line that resonates today, ÒA bad lawyer is the worst scum.Ó

One trivia note: While Mifune and Shimura are among the better known members of KurosawaÕs stable, Scandal marks the debut of another familiar face, Bokuzen Hidari, as a drunk in a hostess bar belting out Auld Lang Syne

The new Eclipse set Postwar Kurosawa might be more accurately titled Lesser Kurosawa. I mean, Kurosawa didn't make any pre-war movies, and he only made two or three during the war. Scandal is most famous for being released the same year as Rashomon and being infinitely inferior. It's definitely one of the director's more forgettable films. In fact, I'd probably say it's my personal least favorite so far (there are three more in this set that I haven't yet seen). But it's not that bad. Pretty good, really. Toshiro Mifune plays a pipe smoking, motorcycle riding painter who gets photographed by paparazzi hanging out with a famous singer (Yoshiko "Shirley" Yamaguchi, who also starred in Sam Fuller's House of Bamboo). A tabloid spins the story out of control, so Mifune decides to sue. He hires pathetic failure Takashi Shimura to be his lawyer, mostly because he feels sorry for him and his daughter, who has tuberculosis. But being a weak man, Shimura is susceptible to temptations from the other side of the lawsuit. There are a few very good scenes, especially the one in the bar where Shimura has a breakdown and gets the whole place to join him in a Japanese version of Auld Lang Syne. The courtroom drama is one of my least favorite genres, and while this film mostly takes place outside of that setting, the scenes that do take place there are poor. The film includes one of my most hated clichés, that of the courtroom audience bursting into laughter and/or applause during the testimonies. The final twist is lame, too. Let's just say checks are always a bad idea when you're attempting to bribe someone.

Kurosawa's Scandal is thus far my least favorite of all of his films. It tells the most kindergarten of yarns: Two celebrities accidentally meet during a holiday staying at the same hotel. In an easily misunderstood situation each other, tabloid photographers seek revenge on them for rejecting interviews by taking a picture of them and fabricating a love story about them. There is a scandal, and a lawsuit eventually battles the paparazzi. Despite Kurosawa's message pertaining to the post-war Americanization of Japan in terms of the media, could a single pop culture magazine dominate the entire media the way it's depicted to in the story?

The narrative is so clearcut and unsurprising with its message-obsessed subject, the good guys are practically perfect with complete humility and no character flaws and the bad guys are cocky jerks with no redeemable values.

It's not a terrible film, however. It is, after all, directed by Akira Kurosawa who, aside from showcasing an obvious scenario about the shrewdly dishonest media, explores the Japanese cultural perception of weakness. Weakness is something intolerable in Japanese culture, yet good enough people can understand a naturally weak person. Weakness is an organic part of someone. It comes from sensitivity, feelings of inferiority, harsh luck, all of which the character of the lawyer has, and as hard as it is for the surrounding characters to do, they understand it when he gives into weakness.

I prefer the last half of the movie by a landslide because it becomes more about the lawyer wrestling with his own guilt. It's a story that would never be found in an American film because of the cultural differences and how bound to accords the Japanese feel.

I was a bit disappointed with this film (the reason I have given it 10 out of 10 is that a disappointing Kurasawa film is better than most others) - I was expecting something a bit more dynamic, another "Stray Dog" perhaps. To me it was a bit too sentimental - there is a scene in a tavern on Christmas Eve that seemed to go on to eternity. Another reason I am giving it 10 stars is due to the magnificent performance of Takashi Shimura as the down at heel lawyer battling with his own inner demons and ultimately triumphing.

He and Toshiro Mifune were a screen team - "Stray Dog" and "I Live in Fear" among others. Mifune plays a young motor cycle riding artist who gives a shy young girl a lift as they just happen to be going to the same mountain retreat. It just so happens that she is a popular singer who is publicity shy so the paparazzi have staked out her destination just waiting for the right picture. The couple find they have adjoining rooms and while innocently looking over the balcony they are photographed and Amor, a tell all gossip magazine, prints a lurid story of their "affair". Aoyke (Mifune) is all for suing, Miyako is too shy. Enter a ramshackle lawyer, Hiruta, who is just itching to take on the case, but when Aoyke visits his "office" the story is too plain, he is nowhere in sight, the "office" is on the roof and the table is littered with betting forms and a booklet on how to grow rich!!!

Hiruta has a sickly daughter, who is dying of TB but Aoyke is amazed at her beautiful way of looking at the world and with Miyako, as well as Sumie, a sassy artist's model, they become like a family, trying to ease her life with little gifts. Christmas is wonderful, Aoyke provides a tree and decorations, Miyako sings carols but Hiruta can't face them and causes a scene. He has been "got at" by the other side, who have realised his many weaknesses and have given him money in return for an out of court settlement. In a very touching scene Masako is afraid her father has gone wrong and is ashamed of the good things her new friends are doing for her. Aokye confesses that he knows something is not right with her father but will try to keep him on the right path.

When Masako dies Hiruta faces up to his responsibilities and goes to the court determined to do right for the memory of Masako. Even though he doesn't enter the story until half an hour has passed, Shimura's performance is riveting and his final moments in court where he faces up to the jeerers and mockers is unforgettable.

Scandal reveals an Akira Kurosawa who was passionate about a topic and wanted to reveal it through his view of "fiction", which was closer to reality than some might have realized. Kurosawa was in the midst of a scandal before making the picture, linked to an actress while also married and with a few kids at home. It was a smear tactic that he hated, and decided to put all of his anger into a "message" movie where a 'yellow' journalist's rag (titled, amusingly, Amour which means love), and how a painter (Mifune) and a singer (Yamaguchi) get caught in the cross-hairs of a scandal via out-of-context picture of the two of them. Kurosawa sets up a situation that could potentially become hazardous territory: no matter how much he can use cinematic tricks out of journalism dramas, with the fast flashes of newspapers and the dynamic editing with each side delivering their sides of the situation to the press, it could potentially become preachy as the Amour editor is shown as truly corrupt and evil with his power as a cheap exploitation peddler.

But enter in Takashi Shimura's character and things seem to even out, wonderfully in fact, as he plays a small-time and weak-willed lawyer with a weak-in-body-not-in-spirit daughter who has TB. He becomes more of the emotional lynch-pin of the film than anyone else, as he has a true crisis of conscience, leaving him with a facial expression throughout like the one Shimura also had for those scenes wandering around the bars in Ikiru. He took bad money, a bribe, and he is not the sort who can live with it easily. He drinks, he rants how much of a scoundrel he is, and then even tries to push it down by crying for the stars, and (a great scene) where he sings "auld lang sign" on Christmas night with everyone in a restaurant. In a sense, Shimura is Kurosawa's wild card, a part of his film that works in every scene (Shimura, aside from Mifune, was Kurosawa's most crucial acting collaborator), undercutting certain moments just with the look on his face, the sad glare in his eyes with the total burden of everything he's throwing to the "devil".

When Kurosawa is at his strongest with Scandal, he crafts a view of reality that is just a touch surreal, a touch into what should be closed-and-shut, and through his form of entertainment (including his usual tricks of editing wipes and sublime compositions), which is incendiary while not really being as preachy as one might think. If anything, like La Dolce Vita, Kurosawa is prophetic with his view of tabloid journalism, with the only difference being reaction: whereas today a "scandal" of a photo with a celebrity in a picture with another celebrity as if in a relationship is brushed off as just gossip, Kurosawa's view is more pessimistic. There can't be a manner of exploitation with people's lives such as this. The only error Kurosawa then makes with his execution of the material comes in the subplot of sorts with the lawyer's daughter- here it does become sappy, like a Tiny Tim type of character who's meant to have a glow around her as a pure soul. Not a bad idea, but it's not pulled off with the same quality of the rest of the film.

The story is a bit of a groaner, but interestingly photographed, and the young Mifune a pleasure to watch as always. To Western sensibilities, the characters are maddeningly uncommunicative... until pushed to the extremes of emotion or crisis. In this sense, words and 'straight talk' represent the breakdown of the normal process of communication, which for the Japanese is largely non-verbal. This is most evident in the lawyer Hiruta and his family (wife, daughter), and less so in the more westernized Mifune character, Aoye.

Clearly Kurosawa (who co-wrote the script) is making some social commentary particular to scandal-mongering in post-war Japan, but also, returning to a familiar theme, urging individuals to step out, speak out, to identify injustices and corruption and oppose them, even if this results in social or personal discord, since often the consequence of not doing so is a silent but soul-destroying evil.

This premiered in Japan only four months before "Rashômon" (1950), a film that marked a turn of events for Kurosawa, who, a year later in 1951, would find himself picking up the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, his name henceforth on everyone's lips.

This marks an end of an era, then. It does pair up very well with "Yoidore tenshi" (1948) and "Nora inu" (1949), its immediate predecessors, but also with "Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru" (1960). All of these are scintillating depictions of urban Japan, but they all mark an acute sense of drama on the personal level: these are "small" films when compared to "Shichinin no samurai" (1954) and "Ran" (1985), for example, but Kurosawa, in these films, shows his strengths, and the great energetic intimacy that is prevalent in "Samurai", for example, quite possibly stems from the experience of making a film like this.

I have no idea why this is often overlooked as mere "early Kurosawa", as if that would somehow de-note a lesser film. His later masterpieces are great films, but the early films of his are amongst the most rewarding I know of. What's more, this film shares a great deal with "Rashômon" (1950) in meditating on truth and how that is and can be depicted on screen in the narrative. A brilliant film in all respects, and Mifune is as amazing as ever.

Scandal (1950)

*** (out of 4)

This Kurosawa picture is pretty much a protest again the media and I'm sure plays much better today than in 1950. In the film, an artist (Toshiro Mifune) is away on vacation when he happens to meet an actress (Shirley Yamaguchi). Neither know it but a picture is taken of them together and placed in a gossip magazine that pretty much ruins their reputations. They decide to sue and hire a crackpot lawyer (Takashi Shimura) who might not be much better than the magazine. This isn't considered a very good film from the legendary director but I found enough great moments here to kill off some of the badness, which there is quite a bit of. I'll start with the bad stuff and that's some of the most over dramatic moments as there's no doubt this film is bias against the media and in the end the film turns out to be a major propaganda piece against them. There's nothing wrong with this but it doesn't get to be too much at times and the screenplay, for whatever reason, loses focus of the actual scandal during the second half and turns all of the attention onto the lawyer. This here is where some of the more over dramatic moments come into play and this is where the film loses a bit of steam but at the same time it leads to a rather powerful final ten-minutes. What does work are the performances, which are all terrific. I found Yamaguchi to be incredibly charming in her role even though it's probably the weakest written. Shimura gets handed many of the over dramatic moments but he still manages to nail most of the scenes he's in. His drunken scene with his sick daughter were quite touching as were his final few moments in the film. Then we have Mifune who once again turns in a great performance. The more and more I see from this guy the more amazed that I am as it really seems like he could do no wrong and had the ability to blend into any role and make us believe the character. There wasn't a single frame that I didn't believe I was seeing a private artist struggling with this scandal and Mifune nailed every bit of the drama but also the lighter bits of comedy and even more importantly some terrific scenes with the lawyer's daughter. The story of the media doing innocent people wrong is probably a lot more relevant today than it was when this film was released and I felt this gave the film another plus. This certainly isn't the greatest film from Kurosawa but it's easy to see and feel that he had a strong hatred for the media and it's in every inch of this film. While some of the subject matter is a bit over the top, at the same time you can't get away from the terrific performances and great ending.

In 1949 Japan, an artist is in the mountains doing a painting when he is approached by a woman who turns out to be a news media-shy female celebrity singer. As she has missed her intended bus, he takes her on the back of his motorcycle to an inn where they separately stay the night. When they converse together, some photographers in the area spot them and take a photograph of them, and the scandal sheet they work for invents a story about their being lovers, confident that they will get away with it. But both artist and singer are outraged by the false story, with the scandal making them both public laughingstocks, and a decrepit lawyer visits them and offers to help them in filing a lawsuit against the scandal sheet. Suspicious at first, the artist visits the lawyer's home and discovers that he has a daughter who is seriously ill with tuberculosis. Then the lawsuit is filed...but how trustworthy is this lawyer? Great performances from all, especially the questionable lawyer who suffers poverty and guilt and shame as the scandal sheet people press bribes upon him, knowing how desperate for money he is. What will happen? Will the lawyer end up destroying himself, his family, and the clients who trust him? The performers put life into this otherwise trite message, and we learn a few things about Japan in that era-they do celebrate (secular) Christmas and New Year's, and even sing Western songs with Japanese lyrics to go with these holidays.

This is one of my favorite Kurosawa films--right up there with IKIRU and RAN. Considering SCANDAL was made in 1949, I think it's interesting that Kurosawa was already showing how Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky influenced him. The corrupted lawyer's dilemma whether he should side with the prosecutors or defendants is something straight out of HAMLET. And like Hamlet, he doesn't make his decision until the very end. The painter who tried to find justice in a corrupt society reminded me of Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. Although the painter didn't commit a crime, he was still being tried for one and treated like a criminal. You begin to see how his anger to a corrupt society is rooted to his psychological makeup of the "superman" complex--or the little man standing up to the big boys. After SCANDAL, Kurosawa made a number of films that show how he was influenced by Dostoyevsky and Shakespeare: THE IDIOT (Dostyovesky), IKIRU (Dostoyevsky), THRONE OF BLOOD (Shakespeare), RAN (Shakespeare), etc. I highly recommend SCANDAL.

A gossip magazine spreads rumours of a relationship between two high society people so a down and out lawyer approaches them to combat the press villains. A critical social view of the Japanese culture that became too Americanized after the war.

Being a perfectly consistent and downright expressive man, Akira Kurosawa knew how to approach every fresh topic, no matter how controversial. He had this innate ability that allowed him to transform, with unmistakable ease, each and every one of those topics into impressive and captivating motion pictures. Scandal (Shûbun) is his darkly satirical effort to unveil the gradual deterioration of the Japanese press industry. Through a somehow unsurprising and bitterly pretentious – yet informative and intense – drama Kurosawa attempted to criticize all the immoral actions of reporters in post-war Japan. For the sake of sensationalism, the private lives of not only celebrities, but even some of the lesser-known citizens, were suddenly deemed invaluable. It seemed as though to catch the attention of the readers is to forget about a human moral code. Writing a story, which might not even be true, was totally all right, and even hurting other people's feelings was on the agenda. Ironically so, all those wrongdoings remain unchanged up to this day in most places in the world.

Scandal proves to be a considerable visualization of a celebrity's worst nightmare. Coincidentally, a well-known beautiful singer Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi) meets an aspiring painter Ichiro Aoye (Toshiro Mifune) while he's working on a new painting in the countryside. Moments later, Ichiro offers Miyako a lift on his bike, since they both stay at the same inn. Unfortunately, they are tracked down by a group of paparazzi looking for an exciting story to publish in their tabloid magazine Amour. One random picture and a cover story that insinuates an ongoing romance between the two artists change the pace of the film dramatically. In just a short period of time Ichiro and Miyako become the objects of interest of almost the whole nation (a silly exaggeration, though a efficacious one). To prove them all wrong, irritated Ichiro quickly decides to sue for damages, and in order to do so he hires a clumsy, welcoming, yet secretly perfidious lawyer Hiruta (Takashi Shimura). Though Hiruta convinces Ichiro that he shares his hatred towards the press and its shameful actions, he actually goes behind his client's back and decides to throw the trial, in order to get some money for his sick daughter Masako (Yoko Katsuragi). What's surprising is that even though Ichiro is aware of the position of his disloyal lawyer, he still believes that he will come to his senses and choose the right way. For the sake of sheer entertainment and for Kurosawa's own sense of fulfillment, Hiruta goes through an enlightening transformation and brings about the most satisfying twist in action.

Even though Mifune, with all his suave and charm, comes as the most prominent actor of the movie, it's really worth to mention Yoko Katsaguri's performance. Her character, though bound to bed through the whole movie, is the brightest star of the whole showcase. With her purity, kindness, and plausible sense of judgment she is the source of all-energy and immediately becomes, even in her fragile state, the guardian angel seeking a happy ending.

In the ever-changing media reality people are only looking out for themselves, and that is, in the subtlest sense, a cause of the gradual downfall of humanity as such. People tend to care about material things in the first place; they need to suppress their urges through the misfortune of others. And press – with all its power and attention – creates this deeply superficial world, as we now know it. Scandal, the title of this picture, corresponds not only to the sensations that surround the fictitious love affair, but also to the behavior (though unnecessarily biased) of all the characters connected to the newspaper industry.

In "Scandal," Mifune's artist character powers the film's start by motorcycling up a country height to paint a mountain scene--whereupon Yamaguchi's celebrity pop singer, dressed for town, comes walking up to this boondocks site (warbling in the bargain) miles from her would-be destination. Credulity is seriously strained, though the charms of the actors, and the take on post-war Japan keeps the filmic ball rolling, if with further bumps and grinds and lots of sentimentality. By the by, would lawyer Hiruta simply show up at the artist's house and enter without explaining himself right off the bat? And then there's that conveniently broken window in Mifune's well-set-up home/studio that permits Hiruta to peek in early and later....

Viewed on DVD. The plot and script (the Director is a coauthor) seem to be there; camera and sound also; same for the sets and wardrobe. But it goes down hill from here. Acting and direction are pretty good in some scenes and simply terrible (and embarrassing) in other scenes. The latter out number the former by about three (or more) to one. A chaotic film both inside the courtroom (which is effective) and on the outside (which is not so much). One scene has characters celebrating Christmas as New Years in a culture that is not Christian and whose real New Year does not begin on the first day of January! While this may have been intended to reflect the chaotic state of an occupied Japan, it has very little (if anything) to do with the film's story line. The Director milks (as does the film score) many scenes way beyond the dry point (especially the sentimental ones). Courtroom scenes could have been classic ones (like those of other directors), but, instead, are punctuated with bouts of heavily hammy or totally ludicrous acting (a Kurosawa trade mark) and milking except for the Chief Judge (Masao Shimizu) and the defendant's lawyer (Sugisaku Aoyama). Subtitles are especially helpful. Video and audio quality are OK. Bottom line: Not much of a treat for those outside of the Director's "fan club." WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Greetings fellow Kurosawa enthusiasts. I presume most of you, just as I, have arrived here as part of your journey through the career of one of cinema's prodigal sons. It has been quite a ride, has it not? Anywho, after traversing undeniable landmarks, we are now reaching out. Unfortunately, Scandal is not the under-appreciated gem we were hoping to snag. Rather, it seems we were just rooting around the bottom of the Kurosawa barrel. The master's trademarks are present, but this is Kurosawa at his worst, mired in a sea of squishy sentimentality. Scandal is rendered pedestrian by a slew of superior contemporaries, and for Kurosawa, this is a disappointment.

Scandal is a critique of yellow journalism in post war Japan. Our protagonist Ichiro Aoye, played by legend Toshiro Mifune, is a painter wrongly accused of engaging in an affair with popular singer Miyako Saijo (Yamaguchi). The singers role is largely a throw away part, but Mifune is enjoyable as always. A motor cycle riding rebel who revels in his unabashed abrasiveness, this was a part conceived and reserved for exactly one man. The exaggerated movement, furious scratching, I would not cite this as one of his best performances, but it at least highlights why Kurosawa loved this man. Aoye, who is dead set on extracting some kind of atonement from the libelous rag, forms a partnership with lawyer Otokichi Hiruta (Takashi Shimura). This failure would normally be kicked to the curb, but Aoye is won over by the lawyers crippled daughter (Katsuragi). What a character. Shimura has proved nobility and grace in masterpieces, but his bug-eye queerness here is unique. Hiruta's daughter, however, is a recycled narrative disaster. This Tiny Tim want makes Scandal a mawkish joke. Aoye becomes embarrassingly incompetent and Hiruta blandly pathetic. Both superior characters are brought down by this saccharine mistake. I found the ending unpredictable simply because I could not believe that Kurosawa would turn to such clichés.

Sigh. I really do want to like this movie more. Laudable acting, and Kurosawa's attributes mostly carry the wishy-washy plot. The blocking is sublime. Not of the usual large group shots, just geometric arrangements of trios, quartets. Veterans will also note the movement and editing we have grown to love. However, this lesson in cinematic style is insufficient. I can name a slew of 50's Hollywood movies based on yellow journalism that make Scandal look greenhorn. The courtroom scenes in the last act are also derivative. It would be disingenuous to recommend this movie with so many similar alternatives. If Hollywood is not to your taste look to Masaki Kobayashi. That director was a master of scathing commentary. I think anything more than liking Scandal is settling. Scandal is not a waste of time for those finishing the complete Kurosawa filmography, but that is a sad endorsement.

The most interesting thing about this film is its comparison to Rashomon. It was filmed less than a year before and it gave me the feeling that Kurosawa was testing the waters, so to speak, before tackling Rashomon. It deals with the same subject matter (the relativity of truth and self-perception) but all of the power, beauty and poetry of Rashomon are missing. Mifune as the sensitive artist is nice to look at but too subdued. Watch this movie and then watch Rashomon. He is unrecognizable! Shimura, who I usually like, is rather annoying as the tormented lawyer. How many times does he say "I'm a dog"? Of course, a minor Kurosawa is still better than most other films so Scandal does have some good moments. The courtroom scenes are very well done and the scenes between Mifune and his model are delightful!

A gossip magazine spreads rumours of a relationship between two high society people that are not true. A down and out lawyer approaches them to combat the press villains. A critical social view of the Japanese culture that became too Americanised after the war.

In Scandal, a celebrity singer and artist meet by chance and a tabloid photographer catches of shot of them used to claim their having an affair. The artist, incensed, sues.

But this isn't really about the singer or the artist, and the movie doesn't really get going until the arrival of a shifty lawyer played by Takashi Shimura. Shambling and peculiar, this is far more his film even though Toshiru Mifune plays the artist in a lesser performance).

Shimura's fight between his worse and better halves fuels the film, as in a wonderfully depressing scene in a bar in which people pledge with desperate unconvincingness to make themselves better next year.

The movie is also notable for small parts by Noriko Sengoku as a down-to-earth artists model and Yoko Katsuragi as the lawyer's sweet, dying daughter.

I am perplexed by the people here saying this is their favorite Kurasawa film; they are seeing something that eludes me. For me this is a nicely filmed but somewhat slow-moving movie that isn't entirely convincing. It's also hard to care much about the lawsuit, although the accusation might have felt much more monumental in 1950 than in 2018, when it wouldn't even be a scandal.