The Idiot (1951 film)
| The Idiot | |||||
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Theatrical release poster showing Toshiro Mifune (left), Masayuki Mori (centre) and Setsuko Hara (right) | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 白痴 | ||||
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| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa | ||||
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky | ||||
| Produced by | Takashi Koide | ||||
| Starring | |||||
| Cinematography | Toshio Ubukata | ||||
| Edited by | Yoshi Sugihara | ||||
| Music by | Fumio Hayasaka | ||||
Production company | |||||
| Distributed by | Shochiku | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 265 minutes (original; lost) 166 minutes (existing) | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
| Budget | ¥70 million | ||||
The Idiot (Japanese: 白痴, Hepburn: Hakuchi) is a 1951 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Eijirō Hisaita. It is based on the 1869 novel The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The original 265-minute version of the film, faithful to the novel, has been long lost. A nearly three-hour release currently survives as the most complete version of the film available for contemporary audiences.
The film stars Setsuko Hara who plays the part of Taeko Nasu, the beautiful mistress of Tohata. The characters are involved in a weblike plot of intersecting relationships.