High and Low (天国と地獄 – Heaven & Hell)

High and Low (天国と地獄 – Heaven & Hell)

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa

Released: March 1, 1963

            High and Low or (天国と地獄 – Heaven & Hell), is about a wealthy executive, Gondo who is trying to gain control of National Shoes. The film opens up with Gondo and other executives discussing the stocks of the company and how they can override the boss. When the other executives show Gondo the show they want to sell, Gondo begins to tear apart shoe and asks for the businessman to leave. During the commotion of the businessmen leaving, the phone rings and someone one the other line has claimed to have taken Gondo’s son and wants money for the exchange. When Gond realizes his son his safe and their chauffer’s son is taken instead, the business side of him wants his right-hand man to take a check to Osaka. Gondo’s wife and the chauffer plea to Gondo and eventually the film takes a turn to get back the chauffer’s son. As the police get back the son, they find out where the child was hiding out. As they check to see if the owners were there, they stumble across dead bodies that seemed to have overdosed on heroin.

            The film keeps the viewer on their feet and on edge. When you think the police have found the suspect, all of a sudden it seems they have lost them. Until a scene in the film, where ‘pink smoke’ can be seen in a black and white picture, despair becomes and hope. Fast action pace driven with many turns, this was one of my favorites films of Kurosawa.

            In what seems to part two of film, when the police are looking for the suspect, they become aware that he is a supplier of heroin. The film had portrayed heroin, by showing a house filled with people who were in a lot pain and agony. As a viewer watching, it was very disgustful and may make one look way. But what may keep a viewer still looking, is the suspect, who was looking for a victim to try the heroin on.

            In 1919, methamphetamine was developed in Japan (Drug Free World n.d). It had been used during World War II, for Kamikaze pilots. It had reached an epidemic when it was being stored for the military after the war had ended. The usage of methamphetamine got worse in 1960, and by 1970’s the US government made it illegal (Drug Free World n.d). Japan legislated a Stimulant Control Law in 1951 to ban the production, import, and possession of methamphetamine (Ito, 2014). This lowered a number of arrest – from “55,664 in 1954 to 271 in 1958,” (Ito, 2014).

            Japan’s drug use compared to American’s drug use is lower. “0.4% of the Japanese population…between 15 and 64 years old have tried stimulants at least once in their life. In the United States, 5.1 of the population over the age 12 has tried meth at least once,” (Ito 2014). Japan seems to be able to crack down on the usage of drugs but has taken a fall when it comes to treating the addicts.

Reference

Ito, Masami. “Dealing with Addiction: Japan's Drug Problem.” The Japan Times, 23 Aug. 2014, www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/08/23/lifestyle/dealing-addiction-japans-drug-problem/#.Wve3jdMvxPM.

“The History of Crystal Methamphetamine - Drug-Free World.” Foundation for a Drug-Free World, www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth/history-of-methamphetamine.html.