Railroad Man (1999)

A solitary middle-aged station manager is haunted by troubling memories of his past when he learns the line his station is on will be decommissioned for lack of profitability. He is visited... See full summary »

Director:

Yasuo Furuhata

Writers:

Jirô Asada (novel), Yoshiki Iwama

Stars:

Ken Takakura, Shinobu Ôtake, Ryôko Hirosue

21 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ken Takakura	...	Otomatsu Sato
Shinobu Ôtake	...	Shizue Sato
Ryôko Hirosue	...	Yukiko Sato
Hidetaka Yoshioka	...	Hideo Sugiura
Masanobu Andô	...	Toshiyuki Yoshioka
Ken Shimura	...	Hajime Yoshioka
Tomoko Naraoka	...	Mune Kato
Yoshiko Tanaka	...	Akiko Sugiura
Nenji Kobayashi	...	Senji Sugiura
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eiji Bandô	...	Mailman
Mitsuru Hirata	...	Kawaguchi
Hirotarô Honda	...	Miner
Renji Ishibashi	...	Town Mayor
Kitarô	...	Milkman
Shigeo Kobayashi	...	Motorman

Storyline

A solitary middle-aged station manager is haunted by troubling memories of his past when he learns the line his station is on will be decommissioned for lack of profitability. He is visited by a young woman, who mysteriously appears to cheer him up.

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | flashback | marriage | coal mine | doll | 

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Taglines:

Arigatou- Kono omoi todoku darouka.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Toei Group (in Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 June 1999 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Railroad Man

Filming Locations:

Ikutora, Minamifurano, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi Shimbun,Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K.,Shueisha

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Horomai is a fictional train station. Scenes were actually filmed at Ikutora Station, in Sorachi sub-prefecture, Hokkaido. This station - which still displays its fictitious, film name over the front entrance - is often visited by fans, who can see photos and props related to the making of the movie displayed in the waiting room and also board a preserved section of the train which featured prominently in the film.

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Quotes

Otomatsu Sato: This town is more like an old people's home.

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Soundtracks

Tennessee Waltz

User Reviews

Surprise movie on ANA

I selected this movie on a recent flight to Narita from London in November 2008 because it seemed to have everything I wanted in it. Steam trains, snow, pathos and emotion as well as a reasonable story line. I work in Tokyo and have been involved in Japanese culture for many years, and have many Japanese friends, and the only difference watching THIS movie was that I was crying by myself, rather than in good company.

The winter scenery was, as ever in Hokkaido, simply sublime and the characters carefully drawn and wholly believable. The plot was, for me, simple, but then I am a simple man, and even though I saw it all coming, the ending was a satisfactory confirmation rather than any great surprise.

To say that it made an impression on me does not do this movie justice - it was a confirmation in my mind of most of the things I love about Japan and its people.

You will not find violence, or, indeed, much in the way of loud voices, and the musical score is not only pretty quiet, but wholly suited to the plot-line. The key to enjoying this movie relies on your knowledge of how the Japanese people see themselves.

Even were I never to see it again, I would never forget it, and probably, neither would you.