Another wartime piece, The Most Beautiful serves as Kurosawa’s most propagandized, and perhaps most patriotic film. Following his successful directorial debut – Sanshiro Sugata – Kurosawa was eager to touch on the subject matter of war, specifically the toils of female factory workers and their outstanding resolve. The film was developed and released in the midst of World War II; three years after the attack on Pearl Harbor and a year prior to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so you have to consider the demographic here. This was Kurosawa’s ode to the female working class; a film made for the Japanese by the Japanese. A pseudo-documentary of sorts, Beautiful incorporates social realism in order to evoke the emotions of those who could directly relate to the women onscreen. While not his best film, or his most accessible, Beautiful signifies Kurosawa’s commitment to both his audience and his country.
Generally plot-driven, the film focuses more on situational aspects rather than the characters themselves. Before the film really began to flesh out, it felt reminisce of those History Channel documentaries teachers would use to bore students during high school. Kurosawa refrains from delving too deeply into the context of war, so the film isn't overbearingly didactic, but it's still propaganda. The story itself follows several women working in an optics factory during the second World War who are subjected to injury and illness, yet persevere as a result of their diligence.
To American audiences, the work ethic displayed in Beautiful is utterly foreign; these women are practically droids slaving away over their work instruments without complaint. The hard-working Watanabe – played by Yoko Yaguchi, Kurosawa’s wife – even opts to remain at the factory instead of visiting her dying mother. The women, proving to be the antithesis of corporate sloths, eventually crack under pressure and find their work quota in a slump. Luckily, through the power of song – and volleyball matches that would put Top Gun to shame – the ladies manage to boost their morale and their dropping quota.
In terms of character development, Beautiful disappoints, and even rivals Sanjuro’s forgettable cast. I mentioned above how these women are portrayed as robots essentially, but the performances are equally mechanical. I’m guessing this was intentional; to show the group as a singular unit hell-bent on carrying out its task. Void of identities, save Watanabe, the clan of women represent a body, each worker functioning as a limb; one worker becomes ill, the entire body is affected. From that perspective, the film succeeds as an informative look into Japan's industrial structure during the war. Not only that, the motif of teamwork is powerfully executed – not to mention globally familiar. So whether or not Kurosawa had Americans in mind while making Beautiful is irrelevant. The themes are timeless and there’s still much to be taken from this enjoyable and well-made tribute.
7.5/10
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