Humanist story of the poor in Tokugawa Japan
Toshiro Mifune is Red Beard a doctor in a poor provincial town during the Tokugawa Shogunate. A new staff member Dr. Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama) arrives and resents having to work there. It’s a battle of wills and generations but the larger theme is poverty in this humanist story.<br /><br />At the start of the movie a new doctor arrives and the one he’s replacing talks about he hates working at the clinic. He denigrates the people saying they smell, have lice and are always sick. All the patients look like they’re near death. This creates the dilemma between the two main characters. Red Beard feels like he is there to cure the common man while Yasumoto is an elitist feeling like he should only deal with special cases and the elite. He therefore has contempt for the patients. By working with them he finds his humanity and purpose in life.<br /><br />Red Beard also realizes that many of the sickness that he sees are caused by poverty in Japan and there’s no cure for that. Along the way the movie attempts to tell the stories of some of these common people. It’s all these sidestories that makes the movie 3 hrs long.<br /><br />The movie actually gets better as it progresses. At first I thought it was being brought down by the stories but the last two are very touching.
The movie title "Red Beard (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.8 from 226 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Criterion Collection and All. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Drama", "Format": "Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen", "Contributor": "Toshir\u00f4 Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kinuyo Tanaka, Akira Kurosawa, Yuzo Kayama, Haruko Sugimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Terumi Niki, Akemi Negishi, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Chishu Ryu, Nobuo Chiba, Miyuki Kuwano, Eijir\u00f4 Yanagi, Eijir\u00f4 Tono, Koji Mitsui, Reiko Dan, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Ky\u00f4ko KagawaToshir\u00f4 Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kinuyo Tanaka, Akira Kurosawa, Yuzo Kayama, Haruko Sugimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Terumi Niki, Akemi Negishi, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Chishu Ryu, Nobuo Chiba, Miyuki Kuwano, Eijir\u00f4 Yanagi, Eijir\u00f4 Tono, Koji Mitsui, Rei\u2026  See more", "Language": "Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Unqualified", "Runtime": "3 hours and 5 minutes", "Aspect Ratio": "2.35:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "Unrated (Not Rated)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 Ounces", "Item model number": "CRRNRED190DVD", "Director": "Akira Kurosawa", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen", "Run time": "3 hours and 5 minutes", "Release date": "July 16, 2002", "Actors": "Toshir\u00f4 Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan, Miyuki Kuwano", "Subtitles": "English", "Studio": "Criterion Collection", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira Kurosawa's "Red Beard (Akahige)" chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as the dignified yet passionate director who guides his pupil to maturity, teaching the embittered intern to appreciate the lives of his destitute patients. Perfectly capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan, Kurosawa weaves a fascinating tapestry of time, place, and emotion. Includes: Audio Commentary by Kurosawa Film Scholar Stephen Prince; Trailer; Notes by Japanese-Film Historian Donald Ritchie (1965) Running time: 185 minutes. Languages: Japanese / SUB: English..