Dodes'ka-den (1970)

Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (screenplay), Hideo Oguni (screenplay)

Stars:

Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yoshitaka Zushi	...	Roku-chan
Kin Sugai	...	Okuni
Toshiyuki Tonomura	...	Taro Sawagami
Shinsuke Minami	...	Ryotaro Sawagami
Yûko Kusunoki	...	Misao Sawagami
Junzaburô Ban	...	Yukichi Shima
Kiyoko Tange	...	Mrs. Shima
Michio Hino	...	Mr. Ikawa
Keiji Furuyama	...	Mr. Matsui
Tappei Shimokawa	...	Mr. Nomoto
Kunie Tanaka	...	Hatsutaro Kawaguchi
Jitsuko Yoshimura	...	Yoshie Kawaguchi
Hisashi Igawa	...	Masuo Masuda
Hideko Okiyama	...	Tatsu Masuda
Tatsuo Matsumura	...	Kyota Watanaka

Storyline

Episodes from the lives of a group of Tokyo slum-dwellers: Rokkuchan, an intellectually disabled boy who brings meaning and routine to his life by driving an imaginary streetcar; children who support their parents by scrounging or by tedious and ill-paying endeavours; schemers who plot or dream of escaping the shackles of poverty.

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Plot Keywords:

slum | poverty | pregnancy | overworked | orphanage | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kurosawa took a mortgage on his home in order to finance the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Roku-chan: I know I often ask this, but please listen to me, dear Buddha. Please make my mother smarter.

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Connections

Featured in Music for the Movies: Tôru Takemitsu (1994)

User Reviews

Underrated Kurosawa

This one tends to get slighted by a lot of critics and Kurosawa fans, but I thought it was wonderful. It's an episodic multi-character study of Tokyo's poorest, who live in a city literally made from garbage. Though it looks like an A-Bomb just hit, the film has a sort of serene beauty thanks to the glorious use of Technicolor. The title comes from the sound made by the insane young man who drives an imaginary trolley through the slum. All the characters were wonderful and all the stories engrossing, but perhaps the most tragic concerns the man and his young son who live in an abandoned car. When not searching for food, they spend their spare time using their imagination to build their dream house. An emotionally moving and beautiful film.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

17 October 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dodes'ka-den

Filming Locations:

Horie-cho, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$981

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yonki-no-Kai Productions, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1