 High and Low can be split down the middle into two very different, but both equally great halves. The first is a very personal drama that follows Kingo Gondo, a businessman and director at a shoe manufacturing plant whose chauffeur's son is kidnapped in place of his own, and follows his personal and moral struggle as he tries to figure out if he should ruin himself financially in order to save the innocent child. The second act focuses on the police investigation and sees the extreme lengths that the police will go to in order to bring the kidnapper to justice. Above all else, this movie holds up a moral mirror to the audience, asking, would you pay the ransom knowing if you do, your family will be left in crippling debt? And if you don't, you will be able to become the majority shareholder of your company and achieve success that you could never do before. There is no easy answer, saying yes could save the boy, or it could give the kidnapper the money who would still kill the boy anyway. The film's title, high and low, takes on a few different meanings. I don't speak Japanese, but from what I have read, the title could also be translated as heaven and hell. This reaffirms the moral contrast between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. If Gondo acts selfishly, he is going to hell. If he acts selflessly, he could go to heaven. But according to this film, he is already in heaven. He lives in a mansion looking over the city while enjoying modern luxuries like air conditioning while everybody else has to deal with the blistering heat in the hell of the bustling city below. If this were ancient times, he would be the ruler of the city, but he doesn't rule the city. Instead, he is an executive at a shoe company who rose to the top because he is good at doing business. This film is full of contrast, the contrast of good and bad, but above all else it compares itself to the past and the change that Japan has undergone. This film was released in 1963, with only one year after Kurosawa's Sanjuro and only one year before Redbeard. The former takes place in the 17th century and follows a samurai who helps a determined young man save his uncle and help fight the corrupt town government. Redbeard takes place in the 1800s and follows a noble doctor who trains a young intern. In both of these movies, there is a sense of right and wrong, a code that everybody seems to follow. There may be bad people, but the good people are unequivocally good. In high and low, that doesn't exist, there are still bad people. But what has changed is that the good people are less good. The moral line has been tampered with, there isn't a definitive right thing to do. For the majority of the first half of the film, Gondo is firm in his assertion that he will not pay the money. But in the end, he comes around, and does his best to stand true to the code of morals that he believes in. From beginning to end, Gondo is seen as a noble character. In the opening scene, he has a conversation with other directors at the shoe firm. They are looking to push the company in a new direction, to manufacture sub-quality shoes for a fraction of the price, but sell them at full retail price. Gondo rejects this adamantly. Everything he does in life is structured, careful, and planned out. If he puts his name on something, he wants it to be the best that it can be. Everything he does is so planned out and meticulous and careful, he isn't one to take risks. That is why his world is shaken up so much. He is limited in time and not able to plan things out as carefully as he would want to. However, he takes the time to explore his different options, and in the end he benefits from the situation. He gains public support while only losing 20,000 yen, or by today's standards $1,300. Throughout this stressful situation, he stays true to what he believes in. He does what is right, he helps out others, and because of that, he ended up benefiting from the situation. The film compares the morals of Gondo to the morals of the people around him. His assistant Kawanashi is interested only in business. He will see that a young boy dies if that means he has success in the world of business. The moment that he fears he cannot get anything else out of helping and supporting Gondo, he sells them out to a rival. He spent 10 years of his life supporting Gondo, but is willing to throw that away if he can benefit from it. He has very weak morals, he is interested only in himself, and the selfishness is his downfall. Another character with unique morals is police inspector Tokura. I think this character brings up the most contrast between the old and the new world. Traditionally in Kurosawa's films, the law enforcers were noble and honorable men, willing to risk their lives for the betterment of society and the betterment of the individual person. In High and Low, Tokura is dedicated and devoted to stopping crime, but he has little regard for human life. He wants to take the kidnapper off the streets, but doesn't care why. It's a unique take on a law officer and one of the many great aspects to this film. I think part of what Kurosawa is saying in this movie is that a code of morals is integral to the success of society. When people work together and when they stand up for what is right, great things can happen. He isn't trying to condemn the success of business, the kidnapper does that and the kidnapper is criminally insane. But it is saying that the messages of older times are worth listening to. The modern world in this movie is a crazy place, and in order to find any sense in it, your life has to be driven by high morals and honor. Thank you very much for watching, this film is excellent. If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check it out. It features a handful of great performances, some excellent cinematography, and asks questions that don't definitively have an answer. Next week we'll be taking a look at Arrival, that video is going to be out next Saturday and linked on the right of the screen. On the left is my last video where we explored True Grit. Be sure to check that video out if you haven't seen it yet, and I will see you next week. Thanks for watching.