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Kokoro Details

1955

70
from 93 members

Starring	Masayuki Mori, Tatsuya Mihashi, Michiyo Aratama, Shoji Yasui
Director	Kon Ichikawa
Genres	Drama, World Cinema

Kokoro

Brimful with brooding psychological torment, Kokoro is vintage Kon Ichikawa (An Actor's Revenge, The Burmese Harp, Tokyo Olympiad). Based on a novel by celebrated Japanese author Natsume Soseki, the director foregrounds its themes of individual isolation and social estrangement, most notably in a central protagonist stricken by existential demons and stranded by changing times.

Why does Nobuchi (Masayuki Mori) visit the grave of his old friend Kaji (Tatsuya Mihashi)? Why is he so secretive with his wife Shizu (Michiyo Aratama)? And how does Nobuchi's friendship with the young student Hioki (Shoji Yasui) – for whom the older man acts as reluctant sensei – relate to his time with Kaji? As the Meiji Era draws to a close with the emperor's death and the suicide of General Nogi, a fateful tale of tainted love, failed friendship, and redemptive honour unravels with tragic consequences.

Though sometimes overlooked in the director's impressive oeuvre, Ichikawa's profoundly beautiful rendering of Soseki's novel is a considerable work of cinema in its own right. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Kokoro for home viewing in the UK for the very first time.

Starring	Masayuki Mori, Tatsuya Mihashi, Michiyo Aratama, Shoji Yasui
Director	Kon Ichikawa
Studio	EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 2 hrs
Certificate
Genres	Drama, World Cinema
Language	DVD: Japanese
Subtitles	DVD: English
Released	Production year: 1955 To Rent: DVD: 23 Feb 2009

Most helpful member's review of Kokoro
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- - 2
  - 0
  Inscrutable psychology of the sensei
  
  Hardly surprising perhaps, notwithstanding the director's reputation, that this 1955 effort has taken so long to reach our shores, concerned as it is with ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 900210
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - Sussex
  - 20 Jun 2010 at 21:21
Most recent members' reviews of Kokoro
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- - 0
  - 0
  Matters of the heart
  
  A man visitis his friends grave on the anniversary of his death every year and prefers to go alone not even taking his wife.
  
  A young man visits him ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1050182
- - itstinks
  - 573 reviews
  - North of Reading
  - 11 Oct 2011 at 12:14
- - 2
  - 0
  Inscrutable psychology of the sensei
  
  Hardly surprising perhaps, notwithstanding the director's reputation, that this 1955 effort has taken so long to reach our shores, concerned as it is with ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 900210
- - a customer
  - Sussex
  - 20 Jun 2010 at 21:21
View all members' reviews (2)
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Rating breakdown

93 Member ratings

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- Kokoro
  
  Brimful with brooding psychological torment, Kokoro is vintage Kon Ichikawa (An Actor's Revenge, The Burmese Harp, Tokyo Olympiad). Based on a novel by celebrated Japanese author Natsume Soseki, the director foregrounds its themes of individual isolation and social estrangement, most notably in a ...