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The Idiot

Based on Dostoyevsky's classic novel of love and murder, adapted by Kurosawa himself, the story tells of Kameda, a former soldier whose wartime experiences have left him mentally scarred. He returns home to the snowy island of Hokkaido after a spell in a mental institution, meeting Akama (Toshiro Mifune) on the train. The two men fall for the same woman and tragedy is soon in the air. Originally 100 minutes longer the studio would not release it unless it was cut almost in half. Kurosawa famously quipped, "In that case, better cut it lengthwise". His original 265 minute epic has yet to be released.

Year: 1951
Genre: Drama, Foreign Language Films, Classic Drama, Japanese Cinema, Based on..., Classic Cinema
Country: Japan
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Masayuki Mori, Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, Yoshiko Kuga, Takashi Shimura
Duration: 166 Minutes
Rating: PG
Subtitles: Yes
7.4/10
Location in store: Foreign (Japan)

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