Dersu Uzala (1975)

This Akira Kurosawa film easily stands out from all the rest that I've seen. Not only is it based on a true story; it's set in Siberia, with USSR actors speaking what I can only assume to be Russian. No Toshirō Mifune this time -- or anyone else you're likely to recognize. I figured the director had some interest in that country after adapting The Idiot, but this is still a great departure.

The story follows Army Captain Arsenev, leader of a topographic expedition troop starting in 1902. They run into several episodes of trouble, mostly in the form of nature, but an aged Nanai trapper by the title name has the woodland smarts to help them out. Arsenev and Uzala become friends. Too bad Uzala is too much of a country mouse to visit comfortably....

I had never before heard of the Nanai tribe, or "Goldi" as the soldiers call them. Uzala does look like another ethnicity. More importantly, the subtitles indicate that he speaks a very broken Russian. He believes not only in multiple gods but in calling elements like the sun and wind "men." No doubt this all fuels prejudice against him. Nevertheless, even the most brazen laugher sobers up when he puts them to shame at tracking, building, and especially marksmanship. (The rating is G, so you don't have to worry about humans getting shot.)

Alas, Uzala's beliefs eventually cast a cloud over him. He never really recovers. I suppose his age may have something to do with it. In truth, what we hear of his past makes me marvel at his positive disposition up to that point. At any rate, we know from the opening scene that it will not end particularly well for him: Arsenev has difficulty locating his unmarked grave.

I would not be surprised to learn that this was the slowest Kurosawa picture ever. Sometimes I'd look at the DVD player and think, "Two minutes of basically nothing?" Don't get me wrong: Somehow, it didn't bore me. Perhaps the reliance on natural scenery, like in the one other color Kurosawa flick I've seen, Ran, kept me interested. (Note: Between this and Stalker, I get the impression that Soviets didn't have good color cinema technology.)

If you're looking for something along the lines of, well, anything else by Kurosawa, keep looking. If you want to see how he handles something very different, you may check it out. Just don't expect complexity.