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Dersu Uzala

Play trailer Poster for Dersu Uzala G Released Jan 1, 1975 2h 20m Adventure Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
"Dersu Uzala" is epic in form yet intimate in scope. Set in the forests of Eastern Siberia at the turn of the century, it is a portrait of the friendship that grows between an aging hunter and a Russian surveyor. A romantic hymn to nature and the human spirit, it boasts a performance by Maxim Munzuk as the wise and wizened old man of the Taiga.

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Dersu Uzala

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Elliott Stein Film Comment Magazine The film's finest passage occurs when the hunter and the captain are stranded on a frozen lake-a harrowing, spooky-gorgeous spectacle of supernatural realism. Rated: 4/4 Apr 10, 2018 Full Review Richard Eder New York Times The episodes in this second part go on endlessly, loosely, obviously. They lack the revelations of the winter scenes and they do little but belabor at length the points already made. They wreck the film's balance and make its achievements dull. May 9, 2005 Full Review Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films To Arseniev, Dersu embodies something civilized men have lost… Neither can really understand the other — which is precisely what makes their friendship so special. Rated: A May 31, 2004 Full Review Don Kenny Japan Times Dersu Uzala will undoubtedly go down in film history as a fine expression of the creative style, and the deeper urges and beliefs behind that style, of a truly great director. Feb 10, 2023 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) This is a faithful portrait of man's best virtues. [Full Review in Spanish] Jul 18, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's sweetly told and heartwarming, much like a Disney film, but not demanding much of the viewer. Rated: C+ Jul 19, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Lord V A thrilling visual and storytelling masterpiece. One of Akira Kurosawa’s underrated classics. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/11/24 Full Review Peter W Overall, this is a strong story about an unlikely and touching friendship. Performances here feel genuine, plus I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow more beautiful as the film progressed. Visually, I loved seeing the various settings and locations this film takes its audiences through, all of which kept the film highly captivating. It's a slow-paced film, but my engagement was always present due to the delightful and charming story and the gratifying finale. No wonder this film won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 1976. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/15/23 Full Review william d A good old fashioned "man vs. nature" tale, coupled with some poignant male camaraderie between Maxim Manzuk and Yury Solomin. I don't know why they don't make movies like this any more. They're much more interesting than the preachy/woke and superhero movies they make these days. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William M One of Akira Kurosawa's best movies, though little known in the USA. Very much worth the effort of finding it, if you can. A simple story, well told, and great shots (filmed on location) of the Russian Far East. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/20/22 Full Review Audience Member That dude from Deep Siberia is boring sometimes. 5/10 Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member For a movie that takes place mostly in dense Russian forest, this movie is surprisingly cozy in its atmosphere, as we constantly spend time at night in camps, close to warm fire or in some kind of huntsman's hut in the middle on nowhere. This cozy atmosphere is leveraged by established master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa to tell a deeply emotional real life story about the strength of unconventional friendship in a harsh world as well as about how old age changes us all and how hard is to cope with it. This themes are obvious in this movie, yes, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, as it invokes sincerity and wise simplicity of Dersu himself. A tale about a man who became immortalized not because he was powerful or genius, but because he was a good friend. If you will not be bored by its expansive runtime, you will surely be touched by the story of a Nanai huntsman, a person of the kind that now may sadly be entirely gone from this world. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Dersu Uzala

Maksim Munzuk and Yuri Solomin in Akira Kurosawa's DERSU UZALA. Left to right: Yuri Solomin and Maksim Munzuk in Akira Kurosawa's DERSU UZALA. Dersu Uzala (1975) Dersu Uzala (1975) Dersu Uzala (1975) Dersu Uzala (1975) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis "Dersu Uzala" is epic in form yet intimate in scope. Set in the forests of Eastern Siberia at the turn of the century, it is a portrait of the friendship that grows between an aging hunter and a Russian surveyor. A romantic hymn to nature and the human spirit, it boasts a performance by Maxim Munzuk as the wise and wizened old man of the Taiga.
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Producer
Yoichi Matsue, Nikolai Sizov
Screenwriter
Akira Kurosawa, Yuri Nagibin
Distributor
New World Pictures
Production Co
Atelier 41, Satra
Rating
G
Genre
Adventure, Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 8, 2017
Runtime
2h 20m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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