This is Yves. Satyajit sent up some cerebral fare, as the fictional treatment of death cannot be described as ‘lighter’. It highlights one of my favorite films, Ikiru, and spares us bromides like Love Story.
By Satyajit Das, former banker and author of numerous books on derivatives and several general titles: Traders, guns and money: knowledge and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives (2006 and 2010), Extreme Money: the masters of the universe and the cult of risk (2011), A banquet of consequences RELOADED (2021) and The fool of fortune: Australia’s choices (2022). His latest book is about ecotourism and man’s relationship with wild animals – Wild Quests (released May 1, 2024). A version of this article originally appeared in New Indian Express online
In 2022, Oliver Hermanus directs a film – Life. Scripted by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and starring British actor Bill Nighy, it is set in post-war England and revolves around a civil servant diagnosed with a terminal illness. He seeks to correct a frustrated life of quiet desperation with one final redemptive act: building a children’s playground in a poor neighborhood, which has been repeatedly thwarted by an ossified bureaucracy trained to say “no.”
The film is a remake of the 1952 film Ikiru directed by Akira Kurosawa which is inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s 1886 short story The death of Ivan Ilyich. The remake, which demonstrates a pitiful lack of originality and creativity in much art today, is a pale imitation of the original which is rightly considered one of Kurosawa’s seminal works.
Ikiru presents an extraordinary death scene that director Hermanus recreates. The original constitutes a reference in terms of the representation of cinematic death. Leaving aside the comic book bang-bang shoot ’em up blood and gore of action thrillers, the cinematic depiction of death is difficult. It is difficult to avoid lascivious and overly graphic images or cowardly disavowal. The choice between bathos and pathos is delicate. The same goes for sex scenes in movies.
There are some interesting death scenes in the films. The end of Ridley Scott for his 1982 Blade Runner – THE Tears in the rainsequence – is remarkable. It is a short monologue spoken by replicant Roy Batty (played by Rutger Hauer): “I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe… Attack ships on fire on Orion’s shoulder… I’ve watched C-beams flicker in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All these moments will be lost to time, like tears in the rain… It’s time to die.”
The oft-quoted speech demonstrates a surprisingly insightful exploration of what it means to die. Everything an individual has seen or experienced is erased as if it never happened. The universality of words, like death our common destiny, is haunting. Written by David Peoples, Hauer altered the dialogue to create a moving monologue of death.
Its power is reinforced by the framing and symbols within the sequence. Batty saves Deckard (Harrison Ford) who plans to kill him. Batty’s words as he saves Deckard in an act of mercy are telling: “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? This is what it means to be a slave.” It captures the terror of death that affects us all. Batty also appears to be holding a white dove. The literary reference to Wagner is intriguing. His hand is pierced by a nail. The allusions to the crucifixion are powerful.
At the other extreme is the hilarious death scene from Blake Edwards’ otherwise execrable and unfunny 1968 comedy. Celebration designed around the improvisational talents of the sellers. In the sequence known as the bugle Who wouldn’t die, Hrundi V. Bakshi (played by Sellers in blackface makeup that would raise politically correct trouble today) takes forever to die after being shot multiple times and after the director yells “cut” into the goal to get more screen time to display his theatrical virtuosity. Hrundi also accidentally detonates a huge fort rigged with explosives, ruining the film. It’s humorous but not heavy.
In his masterful trilogy, Bengali director Satyajit Ray has created several powerful death scenes. They all involve the death of the family of the central character – Apu. The death of Durga, his sister, is classically framed by a violent storm. The death of his parents is on a completely different level. The boy’s sick mother, Sarbajaya, is in her garden as night falls. The background fades until only the fireflies are visible. Then they too turn black, signifying his death. As Apu’s father Harihar lies dying, there is great applause. The camera captures pigeons taking flight as he takes his last breath, freeing his spirit.
At Akira Kurosawa Ikiru, the death of protagonist Watanabe Kenji (magnificently played by Shimura Takashi) is magical. He is sitting on a swing in the park that the dying bureaucrat fought for. It’s snowing. Watanabe peacefully contemplates the playground which is his latest achievement. The swing is then filmed moving back and forth empty, signaling his death. The soundtrack – Kenji whistling a sad traditional song – continues to play.
Death completes a cycle. The first images in Ikiru is a close-up of an X-ray photo of Watanabe’s stomach cancer and his stunned face as he realizes his fate. The final sequence also shows him alone, without family or friends, without recognition or reward, but at peace with himself.
To live is to prepare for death. Hamlet recognized the need to be ready for the end, which comes when he chooses or is chosen. Ikiru ironically means to live.
