Red Beard (aka: Akahige) was at the time the most expensive film, and one of the longest, to be made in Japan, and it took three years to make. The result is an engrossing, though certainly overlong, film that is surprising in quite a few ways. It's also graced by a dynamic performance from Mifune, in his last film for the director. Filmed in black and white Scope (despite the title!), Red Beard does give a strong picture of its place and time. For 1965, its content is unusually tough: some medical procedures are graphically portrayed and this is one of the earliest films (along with Sam Fuller's The Naked Kiss) to deal with the subject of child sexual abuse. And, although we're a long way away from the samurai films which Kurosawa is best known for, there's a very violent fight scene complete with bone-crunching sound effects, where Red Beard sees off some bandits. No doubt the subtitles and the film's artistic credentials helped the film pass through the BBFC intact with an X certificate (The Naked Kiss was banned outright at the time), and it's still strong enough to earn a 15 certificate nowadays.

Red Beard has an expansive, epic feel to it, despite the smaller-scale subject matter, and it holds the interest well despite the three-hour length.