With a beautifully nuanced performance by Shimura Takashi (who starred in 21 of director Kurosawa Akira’s films) as the dying bureaucrat, Ikiru (1952) is an intensely lyrical and moving film that explores the nature of existence and how we find meaning in our lives. This classic of world cinema and of Kurosawa’s non-Samurai films, was re-made in 2022 as the Oscar-nominated Living, starring Bill Nighy. It comes to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from the BFI, restored in 4K and presented in High Definition.

Opening with a simple shot of an X-ray, Ikiru proceeds to tell the tale of Watanabe (Shimura Takashi), a dedicated, downtrodden civil servant now diagnosed with terminal cancer. After a bout of self-pity, he determines to change his unfulfilling existence and discover a zest for life, plunging into hedonistic pleasure-seeking on the frenetic streets of post-war Tokyo. But Watanabe is soon driven to give lasting meaning to his life, and lights upon a plan to construct an urban children’s playground.

Describes by Empire as "Meticulously constructed, beautifully played and poignant," Ikiru will be released on 2-disc Blu-ray by the BFI on 19 August 2024 at the RRP of £24.99.

2-DISC BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Restored in 4K and presented in High Definition
• Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin 
• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Ikiru (2002, 42 mins): made as part of the Toho Masterworks series and featuring interviews with Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami, writer Hideo Oguni, actor Takashi Shimura and others
• Introduction by Alex Cox (2003, 15 mins)
• It’s Ours Whatever They Say (1972, 39 mins): a community action film by Jenny Barraclough telling of the battle fought by a group of mothers against a London council to establish a playground for children on a derelict site 
• The People People (1970, 22 mins): intended for school leavers, this COI film shows the vast range and variety of jobs available within the civil service, highlighting the ways in which civil servants help individuals, the community in general and Parliament 
• Original theatrical trailer 
• Image gallery
• First pressing only: Illustrated booklet with essays by Tony Rayns and James-Masaki Ryan, a review originally published in Monthly Film Bulletin in 1959, notes on the special features and film credits

Pre-order from the BFI Shop here: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/ikiru-2-disc-blu-ray.html