Dersu Uzala

Dersu Uzala is slow, serene, beautiful, but nevertheless gripping. It tells of the friendship between a nomadic Siberian native and a Russian army explorer, and how the former is able to help the latter and his team to negotiate the many obstacles presented by the Siberian wilderness. We see how traditional survival methods and intrinsic common sense can help the more urbanised army men to cope with the extremes of climate and geography. Eventually the nomad is persuaded to join the general on his trip back to a town. His ignorance of urban life is apparent, but interesting nevertheless, as we do not imagine such people nor meet them in everyday life today. Kurosawa is on top form here, letting the camera take in the vastness of Siberia, and still allowing the viewers to observe the characters closely. The story is interesting too, with a sadly ironic ending (won't say any more!). I think everybody should watch this film, because everybody will have something to learn from it.

It's 1902. Russian army explorer Captain Arseniev leads an expedition into the Siberian wilderness. They encounter local native hunter Dersu Uzala and recruit him as their guide.

It's a Soviet film made by the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. I'm not sure how that happened. Quite frankly, I watched the first hour without knowing about Kurosawa and was going to write that this is the best filmmaking out of the Soviet Union. The movie is over two hours and it does need to find a road map for their journey. I'm not saying that it lacks direction. It has an emotional direction. It's about the two men's relationship. I would like for more scenes of the two of them alone. They should have more heart to heart dialogue. Dersu is a great character. For example, I love the grass shelter and the two men are alone in survival mode. I'm also surprised by the tiger. The second half holds some interesting surprises. This is an interesting page in a legend's work. It won an Oscar.

This 1975 joint Japanese-Russian film is a celebration of simple virtues, friendship, loyalty, love, and respect for nature. Based on the journals of the Tsarist explorer and surveyor, Captain Vladimir Arseniev, it is the story of the relationship between Captain Arseniev and an Asiatic hunter of the Goldi tribe named Dersu Uzala. With a love and understanding of the forest that is extraordinary, Dersu guides the Captain through several deadly encounters. He saves the Captain's life by building a shelter out of reeds during a ferocious wind storm. Maksim's performance as Dersu, the ancient woodsman, is very "Yoda-like": wonderous, dignified, and very natural.

The friendship between the two main characters grows over many years and several expeditions in the wild. Their relationship is beautifully developed and moves to an inevitable climax when Dersu and the Captain move back to the Captain's home in the city.

There is in this film a sense of the beauty, tranquility, and timelessness of nature. It takes place at a time in the early part of the last century when people had closer ties with nature and felt a kinship with animals, plants, and the elements. Dersu endearingly refers to all elements of nature including the river, the wind, the trees, and the animals as "men". As the English writer, Hugh Trevor-Roper said of Shakespeare so it is true of Dersu, "He sees mankind almost as part of nature, sometimes basking in a delightful, smiling Nature; sometimes caught up in a fierce, cruel, inexorable, insatiable Nature".

I was totally absorbed in this film and in its regard for the essential goodness of man and the beauty of the natural world. Dersu Uzala is a great film from one of the all-time masters.

On the face of it, Dersu Uzala would not seem like a candidate for a great film. The story is about a young Russian (Imperial Russia) officer is sent to the far east of Siberia to explore. He meets with a native of the region and they form a bond together. The territory in question is the wild, rugged eastern Siberia (north of Valdivostok). I would say that you have not lived until you have seen what Kurosawa can do filming nature in its raw splendor and magnificence. The scenes in this film like the wind rushing through the tall reeds, or the mist draping the forested hills, are images of haunting beauty.

Kurosawa, one of the greatest film directors of the 20th century, made his final masterpiece with film. The characters are well drawn, the sub-text of the story (the clash of civilization vs. nature) is nuanced, but most of all it is the wild beauty of nature which is the focus of this film. Once you see it, I don't think you will forget it, I know I never have.

I own many of Akira Kurosawa's films. I have Ran, Throne of blood, Seven Samarai, Roshomon, Dreams, Hidden Fortress, Jojimbo, Snajuro, Red Beard, and even "Kurosawa" the documentary. I guess you can say that I like his work. The "Kurosawa" documentary narrated by Sam Shepard and produced by thirteen / WNET I recommend for anyone at all interested in Kurosawa's films as it will really wet your appetite.

Of all of his films, Dersu Uzala is my favorite. It is also one of my favorite films by anybody. It was done shortly after Akira had went through a very dark time in his life and had attempted suicide. It was his first film afterwards and the content of the film appears to reflect more than a little of his mindset at the time. Dersu Uazla is both a feel good film and also a sad film. It touches the way that people as they grow older have a more and more difficult time adapting to life as it changes and has its affect on them. The end of the film can certainly show light on the inhumanity that appears to be growing more prevalent in our society. But, I think what you remember from the film is the love between two individuals, and that is what feels good.

Many of Kurosawa's films have a great deal of spectacle, and he is perhaps known best for his Samarai films. There is none of that in this movie. Dersu Uzala is a statement by Akira of life. Akira was fighting to keep making films and was not having an easy time of it. If Akira Kurosawa could not make films, he could not feel that he was living. As a result, he attempted suicide. He survived to make this film plus many others that we all enjoy today. Dersu Uzala may be the most important of his films and the one that shows the great director's true personality. Just perhaps, it shows more about humanity than any of his other films. Again, it is my favorite.