#465: KUROSAWA, Akira: Dodes'ka-den (1970)

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KUROSAWA, Akira (Japan)
Dodes'ka-den [1970]
Spine #465
DVD


By turns tragic and transcendent, Akira Kurosawa's film follows the daily lives of a group of people barely scraping by in a slum on the outskirts of Tokyo. Yet as desperate as their circumstances are, each of them — the homeless father and son envisioning their dream house, the young woman abused by her uncle, the boy who imagines himself as a trolley conductor — finds reasons to carry on. The unforgettable Dodes'ka-den was made at a tumultuous moment in Kurosawa's life. And all of his hopes, fears, and artistic passion are on fervent display in this, his gloriously shot first color film.

140 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Japanese
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2009
Director/Writers


Based on the book by Shûgorô Yamamoto.
Kurosawa was 60 when he directed Dodes'ka-den.

Eclipse Series 7: One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
#413: Drunken Angel (1948)
Eclipse Series 7: Scandal (1950)
Eclipse Series 7: The Idiot (1951)
#221: Ikiru (1952)
#2: Seven Samurai (1954)
Eclipse Series 7: I Live In Fear (1955)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-eight page booklet featuring an essay by film historian Stephen Prince and a new interview with Teruyo Nogami.

Commentary

None.

Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create

A 36-minute documentary, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series, about the making of Dodes’ka-den, including interviews with director Kurosawa, script supervisor Nogami, actor Zushi, and other members of the cast and crew.
Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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