Mr. Thank You (1936)

Japanese film about a friendly bus driver and his passengers over the duration of one journey through the mountains to the nearest train station.

Director:

Hiroshi Shimizu

Writers:

Yasunari Kawabata (novel), Hiroshi Shimizu (screenplay)

Stars:

Ken Uehara, Ryuji Ishiyama, Einosuke Naka

Cast

Credited cast:
Ken Uehara	...	Arigatô-san
Ryuji Ishiyama	...	Gentleman with beard
Einosuke Naka	...	Peddler
Michiko Kuwano
Mayumi Tsukiji
Kaoru Futaba
Reikichi Kawamura	...	Villager from Tokyo
Setsuko Shinobu
Kazuji Sakai	...	Peddler
Nagamasa Yamada	...	Peddler
Kanji Kawahara
Kiyoshi Aono	...	Old countryman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shôsuke Agata	...	Man on wake
Shôtarô Fujimatsu	...	Primary school student
Masao Hayama	...	Primary school student

Storyline

Mr. Thank You is the kindly young driver of a local bus traveling from poverty stricken coastal villages, over the mountains, to the town. He thanks everybody when they let his bus pass on the narrow road. Among the passengers is a worldly young woman, who flirts with the driver while trying to put the villagers in their place. There is also an embarrassed mother who is taking her virginal daughter to the train station to be sent to Tokyo, presumably to be sold.

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Plot Keywords:

moustache | politeness | hat | moustached man | mustache | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

27 February 1936 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Mr. Thank You

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku Ofuna

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Location of the Film

From the references in the film, it is not hard to infer this takes place in the mountainous southern end of the Izu peninsula (part of Shizuoka prefecture). The towns of Yugano, Kawazu-onsen, and Shimoda (mentioned in the film), are all in this area. The railroad (then as now) runs up the eastern side of the peninsula, so the bus is taking passengers from the relatively isolated western side across the Amagi mountains to the eastern side. From the configuration of roads, we can deduce that the starting point of the journey was probably the town of Matsuzaki.

In the film, this picturesque journey feels a very lengthy one. On the modern paved road, the entire trip today takes about 40 minutes by car.