Search - Human Condition I: No Greater Love on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1958 DVD Release: 06/22/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: Japanese Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 25 mins Studio: Image Entertainment Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Drama, War, War Drama

Originally titled Ningen No Joken, No Greater Love is the first of Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi's Human Condition trilogy. Drawing from his own experiences, Kobayashi weaves the tale of a Japanese pacifist, trying to get by as best he can during World War II. Tatsuya Nakadai plays the leading role of a mine supervisor, whose kindly treatment of POW laborers incurs the wrath of his superiors. As the war in the Pacific rages on, Japan begins suffering heavy losses and military humiliations, yet still Nakadai adheres to his principles. Ultimately overwhelmed by events, Nakadai is horribly mistreated by the powers-that-be, then ordered to don a uniform and fight for his country. Originally released at 200 minutes, No Greater Love was followed in 1961 by the first of two sequels, Road to Eternity (see entry 23819) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tatsuya Nakadai - Kaji
Michiyo Aratama - Machiko
Chikage Awashima - Jin Tung Fu
So Yamamura - Okishima
Ineko Arima - Yang Chun Lan
Eitaro Ozawa - Okazaki
Akira Ishihama - Chen

Masaki Kobayashi's seminal film about a pacifist trying to survive World War II comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.20:1. The Japanese soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are available. Although this release is short on supplemental materials, simply having this landmark of Japanese cinema available in a letterboxed format makes this disc worth a look to anyone interested in the cinematic traditions of that proud country. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide