Ichiban utsukushiku (The Most Beautiful)
Posted by martinteller on October 4, 2010
A group of young women working in an optic factory are united by their unflagging devotion to help kill more Americans. While the film is beautifully photographed, it’s pure propaganda with a narrative that flies all over the place and predictable resolutions to every problem that arises. It also manages to be a feminist film that’s somehow still sexist. Kurosawa was never good at representing females, and coupled with the fact that there is a hive mind mentality being espoused, what’s left is a cast of very flat characters. Even the few who are singled out are barely more than thin sketches, all with the same set of ethics, personality traits and ambitions (i.e., fierce devotion to the war machine and the imperialist cause). Lovely to look at, otherwise kind of a mess. Rating: 5
