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A Study on the ≪Record of A Living Being≫ by Kurosawa Akira -Focusing on Factors of Box-Office Failure and Purpose of Production-

  • 日本硏究
  • 2018, (48), pp.261-284
  • DOI : 10.20404/jscau.2018.02.48.261
  • Publisher : The Center for Japanese Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Japanese Language and Literature
  • Received : December 31, 2017
  • Accepted : January 31, 2018
  • Published : February 20, 2018

Si Jun Lee 1,  Kim， Ho-kyoung 1

1숭실대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper considers an atomic bomb film ≪Record of A Living Being≫ by Kurosawa. As this study related the director’s purpose of production to viewers(audiences)’ criticism and social environment related to causes for the box-office failure of this film, it is differentiated from the existing researches. ≪Record of A Living Being≫ is the only work that has failed in box-office out of Kurosawa’s works. As an external factor of failure, the situation of the time could be pointed out. In the second half of 1955 when the film was released, the atomic energy was promoted as ‘the second sun’ because ‘the national policy’ aiming to develop the peaceful use of atomic bomb and atomic development as peace industry was supported. As internal factors of failure, first, audiences could not identify the main character Nakajima’s ‘fear’ and leaving for Brazil with their own fear, which was considered as incoherent. Second, the ‘family drama’ surrounding the inheritance of property between family members was highlighted, so that the main ‘nuclear’ issue got ambiguous. However, contrary to the existing atomic bomb films, the director did not give the experience of radiation exposure to Nakajima and his family, and even did not contain any cruel scenes of radiation exposure. The director aimed to show the fact that ordinary people without concrete damage should feel ‘fear’ as ‘special fear’ would not be caused by special damage by atomic bomb. Also, conflicting Nakajima’s anxiety of atomic bomb with the family’s financial concern by disguising it as ‘family drama’, the director effectively presents the essential critical mind of atomic bomb threatening lives. Moreover, observing Nakajima’s ‘fear’ in the third-party position of a doctor Harada, the director objectively materializes Nakajima’s abstract warning of atomic bomb.

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