Daily Dialogue — November 24, 2019

Dr. Noboru Yasumoto attempts to give medicine to a sick patient. She swats his hand away splashing the liquid across Yasumoto’s face. Dr. Kyojô Niide (Red Beard) enters.

Dr. Kyojô Niide: How is she?
Dr. Noboru Yasumoto: I give up. She won’t let me examine her, won’t take her medicine.
Dr. Kyojô Niide: I’ll see what I can do.

He sits across from the young patient. Picks up the medicine bowl. Pours some into a spoon. Extends it in front of the girl’s face. She swats it aside.

Niide tries again. She backhands it away.

Again. Same result.

One more time. Same thing.

Niide patiently pours more into the spoon and opens his mouth wide.

Dr. Kyojô Niide: Ahhhh!

The patient opens her mouth and takes the medicine.

Dr. Kyojô Niide: Good girl.

— Red Beard (1965), screenplay by Masato Ide & Hideo Oguni & Ryûzô Kikushima & Akira Kurosawa, short story collection by Shûgorô Yamamoto

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Doctor.

Trivia: Kurosawa’s desire for authenticity for this film led to having the hospital set thoroughly stocked with expensive medical supplies of the time period the film’s set in. The drawers that were never referred to or opened on camera, were nevertheless filled with pills.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Red Beard is a strong Mentor figure in this movie, the last Kurosawa movie he filmed in black and white. Notice how patient the old doctor is with the sickly young girl.