Amazon.com
Scandal could be considered the last film of Akira Kurosawa's early career, and in part a thematic rehearsal for his next film, the internationally successful
Rashomon.
Scandal is more generically melodramatic, but like
Rashomon it deals in the nature of truth and the consequences of falsehood. It's also a personal film; Kurosawa fully intended this harsh attack on foul ethics in yellow journalism, for he had recently been romantically linked to an actress in Japanese scandal-rags. Here, the story involves a successful painter (Toshirô Mifune) and a popular singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) who become embroiled in public scandal after an innocent photo is published as "proof" of their secret romance. The singer feels helpless and remains passive; the painter decides to pursue a lawsuit (giving Mifune a chance to flaunt his intimidating presence).
The film switches gears--and focus--with the introduction of a rather pathetic lawyer (the great Takashi Shimura) who takes Mifune's case to court. He's a sad but well-meaning man whose devotion to his chronically ill daughter (and constant need for money) leaves him vulnerable to corruptive influence, making Scandal an engrossing study of moral ambiguity and misguided zeal. It's surprising to see how maudlin Kurosawa can be in his handling of the sickly daughter, and certainly Kurosawa is guilty of total imbalance in his rabid treatment of the press. Still, this is a splendid film, rich with detail about postwar Japan and blessed by an abundance of superb performances, most notably that of Shimura, who would later achieve greater prominence in Ikiru and Seven Samurai. --Jeff Shannon
