I have to contrast Andrei Rublev (1966) & Dersu Uzala (1975)
Both are Soviet Union backed movies (How Kurosawa managed to do that when Soviet sentiment in Japan at the time was probably viciously negative, is beyond me)
I really enjoy the rawness of Rublev. Dersu seems magical, fantastical, poetic. I enjoy it very much, but I think my soul sleeps better, at least in terms of cinema, with Rublev.
I think with the way that the camera is done, handheld, the choice of scenes and dialog, it feels like I'm there, I'm a member of the travelers with Rublev.
In Ursu, I don't feel as much a part of the journey or the time. I feel like I'm an entity floating behind them safe and sound. Ursu feels way more gentle to me.
I think I can clearly see Japanese animism in Dersu Uzalas mythology & worldview. His care for strangers, people around him and nature reflects Japanese habits & culture quite clearly, despite the movie being in a harsh Taiga, far away from Japan.
I'm significantly inconvenienced by the notion that I could never be a new land or new continent surveyor. We need new frontiers to conquer so we can dream right.
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