Take this High And Low quiz to find out which character from High And Low you are. Answer these quick questions to find out. Play it now!
According to the novel “King’s Ransom” by Ed McBain, the world of the film “High and Low” has a complexity that is unique in film. Another, the lesser director could have made a whole series of films out of character studies, socio-political criticism, and police procedure, but Kurosawa does it all in one film.
The kidnapper (Tsutomu Yamazaki) kidnaps not his son, but his chauffeur.
Kurosawa explores the cops’ huge attempt to find down the kidnapper, led by the sympathetic, yet merciless, Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai).
Because of his dilemma, the movie takes on epic dimensions — it’s similar to Abraham’s story, in which Gondo must choose between the life of an innocent and devotion to a code. Meanwhile, Kurosawa subtly hints at the more general conundrum of modern Japan — the clash between humanistic values and the tight allegiance that has made the country’s economy so successful.
High And Low quiz
However, High And Low are one of the few films ever to be so quietly and painstakingly crafted. With every frame reflecting some aspect of the duality offered in its title.
The first and second half of Kurosawa’s film include completely different modes. The fact that certain sections were directed by the same person. Let alone that they were part of the same film, is nearly unbelievable. Also, you must try to play this High and Low quiz.
In this busy set, it’s the director’s role to keep things from devolving into chaos and to keep the activities organized. Even when viewers aren’t consciously aware of them, many of these minor alterations in perspective are noticeable to those who pay close attention.
As an example, consider the following: Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai in the black suit) appears at the center of the frame, surrounded on either side by the other members of the company, which Kurosawa frames in a panoramic view. Toshirô Mifune (sitting at left) is the most prominent figure in the photo, although the chauffeur is by far the least noticeable. A large ransom may be required to save the chauffeur’s son. But nobody realizes that until the kidnapper makes his demands in the film.
About the movie
Yet, Kurosawa has already hinted at this moral dilemma visually. As Mifune and the actors playing the technicians (to his right) move into position to create this composition. Despite the fact that the camera is positioned on the other side of the room from where the players are standing.
During Detective Tokura’s discussion of earlier kidnapping instances, Kurosawa simultaneously follows him and moves the camera ahead. There is now an altogether new composition inside the same scene. Which draws the viewer’s eye directly to the upset chauffeur. Who is now clearly visible in full view at the right border of the frame. Suddenly, Tokura’s head is in the middle of the gap between the standing bald person and Gondo. Sending viewers’ eyes careening into the unlucky driver.
Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, a work of structural and thematic brilliance. Do not rely on samurai or trips into Japan’s distant past to draw historical connections. As many of the director’s films do. It also does not rewrite a Shakespearian play or a Dostoyevsky novel in a specifically Japanese manner. The film, which was released in 1963, explores the social and class divisions that existed in postwar Japan. Happening via the lens of the kidnapping thriller subgenre. Classes and wealth become the driving force behind a captivating, noir-style procedural.
For more personality quizzes check this: Paths Of Glory Quiz.