Kaseki (1975)

  Kaseki (The Fossil) is a 1975 Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi.

  Itsuki (Shin Saburi) is a wealthy ageing man on a business trip in Europe with his business partner Funzau. His wife, Yoshie, died a year ago and he is taking this business trip as a holiday to get away from everyday life. However, he starts feeling ill, and after reluctantly going to the doctor, he discovers he has an inoperable cancer. No-one else knows, so he spends the rest of the trip alone, and reflecting on life. He journeys off to Italy with his friend Kishi, his wife and, Madame Marcelin. Itsuki has met Madame Marcelin in the park twice before the trip, but she also plays the 'death' figure, recurring more often as he gets more and more sick.

  Nobody has ever heard of this film, but it has a reputation of being the best Japanese film no-one has seen. Kobayashi is one of my favourite directors, but only four of his films are available in the West: 'Harakiri', 'Kwaidan', 'Samurai Rebellion' and 'The Human Condition Trilogy'. The last of which is my favourite film, so any chance to see any of his other ten films, I have to take them.

  'Kaseki' draws many parallels with 'Ikiru', both are about old men, which don't know what to do with life once they hear the dreaded news. While in 'Ikiru', he's alone and he builds a playground, in 'Kaseki' he repels everyone's friendliness and travels around various parts of Europe including France, Spain and Italy. This is a film that depends entirely on the acting of the main character. Shin Saburi is no Takeshi Shimura, but he plays the film in the deepest possible voice possible and with the utmost compassion. Supporting actors were good as well. This is also the first film I've seen set in four different countries: France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

  There is constant narration through the entire film, in the third person stating 'Itsuki felt this' and 'Itskuki didn't want to be seen' etc. The most pessimistic and anti-social, third person narration in cinema history. The film is over three hours long, the ending was rather anti-climactic and doesn't raise up to the high bar of his other films. But it's a good watch.

TO CONCLUDE
A profound, reflective and obliquely sad film.

SCORE
77