Dodesukaden
Encyclopedia
is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa
based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's [pen name of Satomu Shimizu] book Kisetsu no nai machi (The Town Without Seasons).
conductor. He is both the tram and the tram driver and follows a set route and schedule through the dump; his dedication to the fantasy is fanatical. The film title refers to a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound made by a tram or train while in motion ( "Do-desu-ka-den do-desu-ka-den do-desu-ka-den"). The sound is made by the boy as he makes his daily faux-tram route through the dump. Because of the simplicity of the set, the film has the likeness of a play. True to Akira Kurosawa's style, the inquisitive viewer will find an interesting range of virtues and flaws in the twenty or so characters, and the usual A.K. unspoken request, "Please consider" type social comment. The film was shot on an actual dump in Tokyo.
, it took Kurosawa five years before this film appeared. Very few of the actors from Kurosawa's stock company of the 1950s and 1960s were in it, and most of the cast were relatively unknown. Dodesukaden was unlike anything Kurosawa had made before, and was critically panned in Japan despite earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film
in the 44th Academy Awards
. Dodesukaden was a financial failure and came during the worst possible time in Kurosawa's life. When it was filmed, Kurosawa had been going through a lull in his career and personal life—he was finding it increasingly difficult to obtain financing despite the critical and financial success of his previous films, and rumors about his deteriorating mental health made matters worse. Dodesukaden was only made by the cooperation and co-producing of three other Japanese directors, Keisuke Kinoshita
, Masaki Kobayashi, and Kon Ichikawa
.
Its critical failure sent Kurosawa into a deep depression
, and in 1971 he attempted suicide. Despite having slashed himself over 30 times with a razor, Kurosawa survived his suicide attempt; however, he would not return to filmmaking for five years, releasing Dersu Uzala
in 1975.
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's [pen name of Satomu Shimizu] book Kisetsu no nai machi (The Town Without Seasons).
Plot
The film focuses on the lives of a variety of characters who happen to live in a rubbish dump. The first to be introduced is a mentally challenged boy who lives in a world of fantasy in which he is a tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
conductor. He is both the tram and the tram driver and follows a set route and schedule through the dump; his dedication to the fantasy is fanatical. The film title refers to a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound made by a tram or train while in motion ( "Do-desu-ka-den do-desu-ka-den do-desu-ka-den"). The sound is made by the boy as he makes his daily faux-tram route through the dump. Because of the simplicity of the set, the film has the likeness of a play. True to Akira Kurosawa's style, the inquisitive viewer will find an interesting range of virtues and flaws in the twenty or so characters, and the usual A.K. unspoken request, "Please consider" type social comment. The film was shot on an actual dump in Tokyo.
Cast
- Yoshitaka Zushi as Roku-chan
- Kin Sugai as Okuni
- Toshiyuki Tonomura as Taro Sawagami
- Shinsuke Minami as Ryotaro Sawagami
- Yûko Kusunoki as Misao Sawagami
- Junzaburô Ban as Yukichi Shima
- Kiyoko Tange as Mrs. Shima
- Michio Hino as Mr. Ikawa
- Keiji Furuyama as Mr. Matsui
- Tappei Shimokawa as Mr. Nomoto
- Kunie TanakaKunie Tanakais a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro and The Bad Sleep Well and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan.He has been nominated for five Japanese Academy Awards, winning the Best Supporting Actor statuette for Gakko in 1993.-Selected filmography:*Minna no Ie aka...
as Hatsutaro Kawaguchi - Jitsuko Yoshimura as Yoshie Kawaguchi
- Hisashi IgawaHisashi IgawaHisashi Igawa is a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Dodesukaden, Ran and Madadayo.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Masuo Masuda - Hideko Okiyama as Tatsu Masuda
Production
Dodesukaden was Kurosawa's first color film, and he took full of advantage of the new medium. After the success of Red BeardRed Beard
is a 1965 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa about the relationship between a town doctor and his new trainee. The film was based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's short story collection, Akahige shinryotan . Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Insulted and the Injured provided the source for a subplot about a...
, it took Kurosawa five years before this film appeared. Very few of the actors from Kurosawa's stock company of the 1950s and 1960s were in it, and most of the cast were relatively unknown. Dodesukaden was unlike anything Kurosawa had made before, and was critically panned in Japan despite earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in the 44th Academy Awards
44th Academy Awards
The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the major highlights of the evening was the appearance of Betty Grable, who was battling...
. Dodesukaden was a financial failure and came during the worst possible time in Kurosawa's life. When it was filmed, Kurosawa had been going through a lull in his career and personal life—he was finding it increasingly difficult to obtain financing despite the critical and financial success of his previous films, and rumors about his deteriorating mental health made matters worse. Dodesukaden was only made by the cooperation and co-producing of three other Japanese directors, Keisuke Kinoshita
Keisuke Kinoshita
was a Japanese film director.Although lesser known internationally than his fellow filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa , Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu , Keisuke Kinoshita was nonetheless a household figure at home beloved by audience and critics alike, especially in the forties through the sixties...
, Masaki Kobayashi, and Kon Ichikawa
Kon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
.
Its critical failure sent Kurosawa into a deep depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, and in 1971 he attempted suicide. Despite having slashed himself over 30 times with a razor, Kurosawa survived his suicide attempt; however, he would not return to filmmaking for five years, releasing Dersu Uzala
Dersu Uzala (1975 film)
Dersu Uzala is a 1975 Soviet-Japanese co-production film directed by Akira Kurosawa, his first non-Japanese-language film and his first and only 70 mm film. The film won the Grand Prix at the Moscow Film Festival and the 1975 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film...
in 1975.
See also
- List of submissions to the 44th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
External links
- Dodesukaden at the Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as JMDB, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, but lists only those films originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...