Stray Dog (1949) Nora inu (original title)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (writer)
Ryûzô Kikushima (writer)

Release Date:

31 August 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Shooting | Chiaroscuro | Japanese Noir | Police Chase

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Det. Murakami
Takashi Shimura	...	Det. Sato
Keiko Awaji	...	Harumi Namaki, showgirl
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Harumi's mother
Noriko Sengoku	...	Girl
Noriko Honma	...	Wooden Tub Shop woman
Reikichi Kawamura
Eijirô Tôno
Yasushi Nagata		(as Kiyoshi Nagata)
Katsuhei Matsumoto
Isao Kimura	...	Yusa
Minoru Chiaki	...	Girlie Show director
Teruko Kishi
Ichirô Sugai	...	Yayoi Hotel owner
Gen Shimizu	...	Police Inspector Nakajima
Hiroshi Yanagiya	...	Police Officer
Hajime Izu	...	Criminal Identification Officer
Masao Shimizu	...	Nakamura
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Old Landlord
Yûnosuke Itô	...	Bluebird Theatre manager
Akira Ubukata	...	Police Doctor
Fujio Nagahama	...	Sakura Hotel manager
Isao Ikukaka	...	Sei-san, bellhop
Shiro Mizutani	...	Punkster
Eizo Tanaka	...	Old Doctor
Kazuko Ihonbashi	...	Sato's wife
Haruko Tôgô	...	Azuma Hotel madame
Haruko Toyama	...	Kintaro geisha
Mie Asô	...	Pinball Parlor woman
Rikie Sanjo	...	Manager's wife
Chôko Iida	...	Kogetsu Hotel manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ishirô Honda	...	Fleeing Villain
Haruo Nakajima	...	Man in Bar Fight (scenes deleted)
Hajime Taniguchi	...	Man in Bar Fight (scenes deleted)
Reisaburô Yamamoto	...	Hondo

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ryûzô Kikushima		writer
Akira Kurosawa		writer

Produced by
Akira Kurosawa	....	associate producer
Sôjirô Motoki	....	producer
Senkichi Taniguchi	....	associate producer
Kajirô Yamamoto	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Film Editing by
Toshio Gotô
Yoshi Sugihara

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Production Management
Seinosuke Hirai	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ishirô Honda	....	chief assistant director
Zenshu Koizumi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yoshirô Muraki	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Chôshirô Ishii	....	lighting technician
Issei Tanaka	....	still photographer
Kazuo Yamada	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Toshio Gotô	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Yoji Ken	....	choreographer
Hachiko Toi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Film Art Association
• Shintoho Film Distribution Committee
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toei Company (1949) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Toho Company (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (????) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Sandrews (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Toho Video (2009) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• WoWow (2012) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Nora inu" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Film Art Association

Trivia:

The gun, which is the object of a search in the film, is a .25 caliber Colt model 1908 hammerless Vest Pocket Automatic.

Quotes:

Det. Sato:A stray dog becomes a mad dog.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Uncertainty (2009)

Soundtrack:

Sonatine in C Major, Op.20-1

Kurosawa noir...

With his penchant for incorporating "Western" ideas into his films, Kurosawa hits yet another home run with his take on the crime film. As ever, he manages to make scenes that would (in the hands of a lesser director) seem boring become absolutely riveting. Mifune's ride on the trolley, when he loses his gun, for instance; or the scene where he has to explain the situation to his superiors (and the subsequent search through police files for a suspect); or the long undercover sequence. We can almost feel his frustration. The tension mounts. And yet again we have the brilliant Shimura playing off of Mifune, speaking in carefully modulated tones as he dispenses advice to the hotheaded young detective. If ever there was a more perfect combination of performers in cinema history, I never saw them.