Hearing about Rhapsody in August before seeing the film, I was seriously expecting a bad film with a lot of people saying it was Kurasawa's worst. Well, I wouldn't call it one of his finest, but I am not yet in a position to say it's his worst as I haven't seen every single one of his films(I will be watching Madadeyo in due course and see if it was as underwhelming as I remember). Rhapsody in August I do find a flawed film, the script is not entirely sure which way it wants to go and sometimes has a melodramatic tone, the ending is rather confusing and abrupt, the children's acting is rather stilted at times and Richard Gere while trying hard to bring a sense of understatement felt out of place to me. However, it is delicately directed by Kurasawa, and contains some typically gorgeous cinematography and images, especially the rose blooming and the ants. The score is pleasant and never over-bearing, and the story is humanistic and genuinely moving. Of the characters, the most intriguing and well developed was the grandmother Kane. Her scenes are the most haunting and poignant of the film, and she is powerfully acted by Sachiko Murase. All in all, while not Kurasawa's finest hour, I didn't find it a bad film and better than I was led to believe. Even at his worst, Kurasawa is better than a lot of directors now at their best, to me anyway. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Rhapsody in August
