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

Riding The Bus

This is a simple premise about a bus driver dubbed Mr. Thank You because he always thanks people when they move to the side of the road to let him pass. Everyone he knows likes him and many say thank you back. This story is mainly about the people who get on the bus headed to a train. One is a mother and daughter, the mother only going so far to say goodbye to her daughter who is presumably being sold (this was the Great Depression, when things like that happened). There is a mix of people on the bus with different reasons for being there and they forge a relationship one might have if they were all going on a bus tour. You see some of the countryside of Japan, some of which is pretty even in black and white. It was a grim time for the world then and this film, while having a bit of light comedy, also has some sadness. As the film went on, I was more interested. Mr. Shimizu, as far as I'm concerned, can be mentioned in the same breath of the titans of Japanese film, like Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi and Naruse, as well as others. If you're interested in Japanese film, you owe it to yourself to buy the box set that has this film, which was just received domestically. Mr. Shimizu was very adept at capturing everyday people as they were living their lives. This is a triumph.