Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

A drama based on the true story of a college professor's bond with the abandoned dog he takes into his home.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Stephen P. Lindsey (screenplay), Kaneto Shindô (motion picture "Hachiko monogatari")

Stars:

Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Parker Wilson
Joan Allen	...	Cate Wilson
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Ken
Sarah Roemer	...	Andy
Jason Alexander	...	Carl
Erick Avari	...	Jasjeet
Davenia McFadden	...	Mary Anne
Robbie Sublett	...	Michael (as Robbie Collier Sublett)
Kevin DeCoste	...	Ronnie - 11 years
Rob Degnan	...	Teddy Barnes (as Robert Degnan)
Tora Hallstrom	...	Heather (as Tora Hallström)
Donna Sorbello	...	Myra
Frank S. Aronson	...	Milton - The Butcher (as Frank Aronson)
Troy Doherty	...	Sal
Ian Sherman	...	Student Pianist

Storyline

In Bedridge, Professor Parker Wilson finds an abandoned dog at the train station and takes it home with the intention of returning the animal to its owner. He finds that the dog is an Akita and names it Hachiko. However, nobody claims the dog so his family decides to keep Hachi.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | loyalty | japanese | puppy | friend | 

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Taglines:

A true story of faith, devotion and undying love.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Germany]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

12 March 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Siempre a tu lado

Filming Locations:

Bristol, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£442,753 (UK) (12 March 2010)

Gross:

£1,048,876 (UK) (26 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stage 6 Films, Inferno Distribution, Hachiko

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The baseball game that Parker watches with Hachi is Game 6 of the 1996 World Series, which the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 to win their 22nd World Series championship.

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Goofs

When Hachiko has moved in with Andy, Michael and Ronnie (still a baby), he is shown laying on the floor, while Ronnie collides with the dog repeatedly in his baby walker. In the first shot showing the walker from the side, the baby is absent from his walker. Cut to a master shot showing baby Ronnie in the walker, followed by another shot of the walker colliding with Hachi, similar to the first which shows now the baby's legs.

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Quotes

Ken: [Talking in Japanese] It's been a year, hasn't it? I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and think about Parker. He was a good friend. I understand how you feel. Hachi, my friend, Parker is never coming home. But if Hachiko wants to wait, then Hachiko should wait. You want to wait for him, don't you? Have a long life, Hachi.

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Connections

Remake of Hachi-ko (1987)

User Reviews

Be sure to take tissues!

Well, I just came back from seeing this in Shinjuku earlier and I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen so many people crying at the end of a movie.... it really is a sad story.

However, it's also a heartwarming tale of loyalty, about how people and dogs are more than just friends and, I guess most of all, about how a dog's love for its master never fades - even after his/her death!

Richard Gere was fantastic in this movie, he bonded really well with the dog and it never felt like watching an actor at all - it genuinely seemed to be a movie with his own dog!

I highly recommend this to people of all ages. There are enough bits to laugh at (seeing Richard Gere teaching his dog to play 'fetch' was brilliant!) and the story is portrayed really well (even if there were some changes made to the original Japanese tale)