Shimura offers respite through film

I am having a "bad day" at the office -- I have to write an obituary story for Sister Michelle Nemmers, a person I had profiled in 2001, shortly after her retirement as head of the local Alzheimer's Association.
Lunch provided an opportunity to briefly escape the sad news of the day. I watched some of Kurosawa's "Shichinin No Samurai (Seven Samurai)" on DVD.
Although Toshiro Mifune is the actor best-remembered from this greatest of films, my favorite has always been Takashi Shimura.
He plays the patriarchal leader of the samurai with such effortless grace, it is difficult to remember that he is only an actor, playing a role.
The girls and I watched Shimura in action this weekend, too, in a much different role. He plays the eminent scientist Kyohei Yamane-hakase in the original "Gojira (Godzilla: King of the Monsters)." Shimura is such a great actor, he makes that role believable, too.
It turns out Shimura is regarded in Japan as one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. He played more than 20 roles for Kurosawa and appeared in an average of more than six films per year for Toho film studios for four decades. Shimura passed away in 1982.
His work helped me escape from sad reality today, and for that, I am grateful.