Cheap Dersu Uzala (DVD) (Maksim Munzuk, Yuri Solomin) (Akira Kurosawa) Price

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Customer Reviews of Dersu Uzala

The story is intriguing. I was moved to laughter, joy, and almost to tears throughout this wonderful film. The themes of aging, friendship across cultures, loyalty, and individual and societal transformation are handled with typical Kurosawa profundity, insight, and pathos. Perhaps more than any other director, Kurosawa gets the little details right, especially regarding relationships and the way a person's motivation and behavior are determined to a large degree on their history and their quest for wholeness. Dersu Uzala often reminded me of Kurosawa's early films in this regard.

The cinematography was wonderful. The Siberian wilderness was shown as a beautiful and compelling Garden of Eden, soon to be destroyed by the evils of civilization. Ironically, one of the protagonists was a surveyor, a decent and caring man whose survey was to be used to destroy the wild paradise he and Dersu traveled through.

Rent it, and then buy it. If you love Kurosawa's work, just buy it.

Dersou Ouzala: Pure Poetry!
Dersu Uzala is probably one of the most beautiful and touching movies ever made. A 1971 production directed by the genius Akira Kurosawa, based on Vladimir Arsenyev's novel, this movie received the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. A true visual experience -- like every Kurosawa picture --, this movie portraits the breath-taking paradisiacal wilderness of Siberia. The story focus on the relationship between a russian captain (played by Yuri Solomin) and a Goldi hunter (Maxim Munzuk), and its development, nature, and consequences. It is a very moving picture, about true feelings, emotions, and above all friendship. As far as the DVD is concerned, the quality is disappointing, especially when one takes in consideration the price. However, I believe this is still a worthy acquisition for any serious movie collector. Akira Kurosawa is definitely one of the best movie directors ever, and Dersu Uzala is a movie to be not only watched, but experienced.

The old man and the Taiga
1902: Arseniev (Yuri Solomin), a czarist officer and his men exploit and map the Usuri-region. The gigantic pine-forests of the Taiga evoke visions of the Walpurgis-night. Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk) sits down at their camp-fire and smokes his pipe. The old man who lost his wife and children during a smallpox-epidemic lives in the mountains without permanent refuge and hunts for the stag, the wild boar, the sable. He benefits from the nature, but does not exhaust it. As a matter of course he takes the lead of the expedition and shows them how to cover a roof with bark and instructs them to leave stock- rice, salt, matches - to other travelers. They learn not to squander cartridges and that an empty bottle can be valuable in the wilderness. They wade through the morass and suddenly the winter sets in. Arseniev and Dersu lose their way on the ice-covered lake Hanka and a snow-drift covers their footprints. Their race against time is perhaps the most breathtaking scene in the film: The two men cut as many blades of grass as possible in order to survive the cold night. Arseniev realizes how small man is in from of the big nature. He invites Dersu to join him ("It' comfortable in the city") but Dersu prefers his free life. He sees the men off to the train station and they agree that "He is such a good man!".

1907, spring, snow-break: Arseniev explores the Usuri-region again. Three months later a vast territory has been mapped, but the task would be carried through quicker with Dersu's help. Arseniev looks out for his old friend. Dersu made much money with furs, but a trader disappeared with his savings...

The Taiga in summer is a jungle. "Amdar" (the tiger) follows them. They discover pitfalls with carrion. Dersu is shocked over those needless killings. He is at war with the Chunchuse who abduct women. Arseniev helps him save three of their victims who were nearly drowning, but Dersu fall in a torrential river and the rescue-operation is another absorbing (and ingenious) moment.

The turning-point in Dersu's life comes when he inadvertently kills the tiger. He becomes nervous and irritable and believes the the spirit "Kangar" will punish him. His vision becomes defective; He misses his game. "How can I live in the Taiga?". Arseniev invites him to Chaberowsk: "My house is your house". His wife welcomes Dersu and his little son worhips him, but Dersu cannot manage life in the city where water and wood cost money. He is arrested when he tries to fell a tree. He feels redundant and decides to return to the mountains. Arseniev understands his request and gives him a brand-new gun as farewell-present. A few days later he is forced to identify the body of his old friend: somebody killed Dersu - for his gun.

DERSU UZALA needs no recommendation: it won an oscar as best foreign film in 1975 and every fan of Akira Kurosawa will see it sooner or later. Centra Asia, this gigantic territory, looks awe-inspiring in itself (and bear in mind that there is no wilderness in Japan where nearly every tree has been cultivated for aesthetic reasons) and the cinematography is overwhelming - I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. What impressed me most was the high-mindedness of the performances. There is not one patronizing undertone. Deep respect for those people who live in, of, and most importantly with the nature pervades this film.