The Human Condition Part 1: No Greater Love

1959, 3h 21min -

Director Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) was attracted to Junpei Gomikawa's source novel because he recognised himself in the character of the protagonist Kaji, an ardent pacifist who came of age during the aggressively militaristic 1930s and 40s. Kaji is relocated to a mine-supervising job in Manchuria, where he is horrified by the use of forced labour. Throughout, Kobayashi unflinchingly examines the psychological toll of appallingly complex decisions, where being morally 'right' risks outcomes ranging from ostracism to savage beating to death. As Kaji, Tatsuya Nakadai (Sanjuro) is in virtually every scene, providing a rock-solid emotional anchor - and a necessary one in Japan, where the film was hugely controversial for being openly critical of the nation's conduct during WWII. But it's this willingness to confront national taboos head-on that makes it such a lastingly powerful experience. Show more

"The Human Condition Part 1: No Greater Love" — movie released in 1959. It is a feature-length film with a runtime of 3h 21min. "The Human Condition Part 1: No Greater Love" is not currently available to stream in undefined. Add it to your Watchlist and we'll notify you when you can watch it!