Madadayo

Starring:Tatsuo Matsumura, KyÃ´ko Kagawa, Hisashi Igawa, JÃ´ji Tokoro, Masayuki Yui, Akira Terao, Takeshi Kusaka, Asei Kobayashi, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yoshitaka Zushi, Mitsuru Hirata, Nobuto Okamoto, Tetsu Watanabe, Mikihiro Hiaizumi, Norio Matsui, Murohide Sugizaki, Ken Takemura, Hiroyoshi Takenouchi, Motohiro Shimaki, Masaaki Sasaki
Director: IshirÃ´ Honda, Akira Kurosawa
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Akira Kurosawa was 83 years old when he made this, his serenely glorious final film. Kurosawa's eyesight was failing, so Madadayo would be the master's farewell to filmmaking, and one can hardly imagine a more lovely and loving way to end one of the greatest careers in motion picture history. Based on the literary works of Japanese author Hyakken Uchida, the film presents Uchida as its central character (named only "The Professor"), and begins in war-torn Tokyo with the sensei's retirement from teaching in 1943. He is considered "solid gold" by his legacy of former students, who support their beloved teacher as he focuses on writing and throw annual birthday parties in his honor. Each year they ask "Maadha kai?" ("Are you ready?"), to which the aging professor responds, "Madadayo!" ("Not yet!"), acknowledging that he will die someday, but only when he's ready.

While Madadayo may not be autobiographical, the professor (played with charming grace by Tatsuo Matsumura) is clearly Kurosawa--a beloved master reflecting on life, continuing to teach, and expressing gratitude for a long and rewarding career that was "not yet" over. This is a calm and simple film of peaceful resolution, in which the only major crisis is the loss of a cat--an episode both heartbreaking and, finally, as life affirming as the professor's benevolent wisdom. And while Kurosawa was criticized for being sentimental when Madadayo was released in Japan in 1993 (it didn't reach Western shores until 2000), there's an important distinction to be made between sentiment and the twilight serenity of one of the cinema's most eloquent humanitarians. Closing with a final dream image that's as beautiful as only dreams can be, Madadayo is, in its own way, as miraculous as any of Kurosawa's previous masterworks. --Jeff Shannon
Description
The film follows the last 2 decades in the life of Hyakken Uchinda, a writer and teacher who retires in the war years of the early 1940's. His students venerate him in his old age, and join him and his family each year for a ritual birthday party, asking "are you ready?" to which he answers, "not yet," acknowledging that death may be near, but life still goes on.

Amazon.com

Akira Kurosawa was 83 years old when he made this, his serenely glorious final film. Kurosawa's eyesight was failing, so Madadayo would be the master's farewell to filmmaking, and one can hardly imagine a more lovely and loving way to end one of the greatest careers in motion picture history. Based on the literary works of Japanese author Hyakken Uchida, the film presents Uchida as its central character (named only "The Professor"), and begins in war-torn Tokyo with the sensei's retirement from teaching in 1943. He is considered "solid gold" by his legacy of former students, who support their beloved teacher as he focuses on writing and throw annual birthday parties in his honor. Each year they ask "Maadha kai?" ("Are you ready?"), to which the aging professor responds, "Madadayo!" ("Not yet!"), acknowledging that he will die someday, but only when he's ready.

While Madadayo may not be autobiographical, the professor (played with charming grace by Tatsuo Matsumura) is clearly Kurosawa--a beloved master reflecting on life, continuing to teach, and expressing gratitude for a long and rewarding career that was "not yet" over. This is a calm and simple film of peaceful resolution, in which the only major crisis is the loss of a cat--an episode both heartbreaking and, finally, as life affirming as the professor's benevolent wisdom. And while Kurosawa was criticized for being sentimental when Madadayo was released in Japan in 1993 (it didn't reach Western shores until 2000), there's an important distinction to be made between sentiment and the twilight serenity of one of the cinema's most eloquent humanitarians. Closing with a final dream image that's as beautiful as only dreams can be, Madadayo is, in its own way, as miraculous as any of Kurosawa's previous masterworks. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The film follows the last 2 decades in the life of Hyakken Uchinda, a writer and teacher who retires in the war years of the early 1940's. His students venerate him in his old age, and join him and his family each year for a ritual birthday party, asking "are you ready?" to which he answers, "not yet," acknowledging that death may be near, but life still goes on.

Kurosawa is considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and this, his final and touching film, is the perfect ending to a lifetime of cinematic achievements.

Customer Reviews:

Quietly amazing..........2007-06-18

This turned out to be Kurosawa's final film. Of course, he did not intend it to be so, but it just turned out that way. I saw this film in 1997 (4 years after it was made. It didn't get distribution here in the States), and was struck about how funny, touching, and humanistic it was. And how wonderful. It really has a lot in common with Kurosawa's 2 other films from this period (Dreams and Rhapsody in August), in that it's more humanistic and loving that Akira's previous films, which were bleak in their assessment of human nature (but were still great films). A great director/artist like Kurosawa never says "this is my final film" because if he did, he'd be finished. He thought like this after the financial failure of Dodeskaden (he tried to kill himself shortly thereafter. Luckily, he failed). He did not die, and he went on to make 6 more films, several of which (Dersu Uzala, Ran, Dreams, and this film) are masterpieces. The drinking party in the middle of the film is one of Kurosawa's greatest sequences. It's brilliantly shot, acted, and edited together. Kurosawa was very fond of using multiple cameras, which enabled him to allow the actors to be freer and not have to repeat themselves in subsequent takes. This is gloriously rendered in the drinking party scene. I loved this film when I saw it, and it still remains one of my favorite Kurosawa films.

at times, it was good, but half of it dragged too tiresome long.......2007-05-25

this is the 'to sir with love' japanese version but all with male students who loved a german language teacher nicknamed 'professor', who could do funny or philosophic wisecracking almost on any occassion. a poor retiree but never faded away in the memory of his students for many many years.
it's a tough time for all the japanese during the wwii and the occupation years. it's a very heartfelt warm film, but sometimes the scenes were dragged too long and too slow to evolve into the next part. this film, in general, was a too overly exaggerated feeling-good film. the love and respect to the teacher was nothing but a whim. at times of such tough era, all the students still had the mood to assemble together to drink sake and beers, singing and dancing with such union form was nothing but too utopia-like daydream, a japanese harvest festival.
in the middle of the film, that drinking party was at first quite interesting, but as it dragged out so long and so slow, you'd feel like watching a musical, very pretentiously staged and not quite natural. there was integrated storyline threading out in it, but seemed to be just too tiny tidbits trivial.
kurosawa obviously wanted to give you an impression that the japanese people were tough to deal with the difficulties of life, yet at the same time could still enjoy certain amount of cultural and literary lifestyle. those singings dancings, jokings and laughters were just a resonant echo cover-up of the bitter sweet past, a memory of purity and innocence it could only exist in unrealistic novela or moviea, painted a false picture of the peace-loving japan and the japanese, yet quite contrary to what they did to other countries and their people during the second world war.
kurosawa adapted an unrealistic fantasia-like novel and made it into a post war 'shangri la', a lost dream and a lost horizon to most of the japanese who used belong to the empire of the rising then sunkened sun.

Movie Review.......2007-01-05

This was an excellent movie. It was very touching and contained a lot of great Japanese style humor.

I Want to Live!.......2005-12-20

This wonderful, humble, simple film is so very compassionate, loving and sincere that you may wonder, "how is this possible?" How is it that someone in the '90's could dare make a film devoid of irony, sarcasm or bitterness?

It seems a miracle that Kurosawa was allowed to make a film which has, as it's main point, human kindness and love.

This film makes me wish that I were a better person. It makes me think about mortality and one's legacy, and it makes me think about the people I love.

Good old Kurosawa...always urging us on to make the difficult choices to live better, truer, more socially responsible lives. See if you don't watch this film, then call your mother, or check in on your brother or sister, or reconnect with an old friend. It's the kind of film that shows you how precious our human relationships are, and what a gift this life can be.

The admirable farewell of a genius!.......2005-12-19

The admirable artistic personality of Akira Kurosawa had never allowed for himself a minimum expression of self pity or self indulgence, even the end was close. Moreover, his undeniable talent allowed him to write two script, he never reached to conclude due the death avoided it.

Curiously, Madadayo is a simple chamber work; an intimate portrait who rejoins with the little details of a sturdy and devoted life. Their pupils love and admire him perhaps even more than their respective fathers. They enjoy his enviable humor sense, his single wisdom, his smart fearlessness, his magnetic charisma and engaging personality. Every birthday they are present to express him the solemn gratitude and fondness.

In spite of the fact Kurosawa was in his 75th anniversary, his untiring handle of camera will be subject of constant analysis for newcomers, viewers of the future when all of us are absent. The love for life and sensitivity expands itself around the loss of his beloved cat. What else can I say about this extraordinary jeweled film?

Go for it and please, treasure it for the moment you and I are lucky to arrive to those golden years. But meanwhile take your time and forget about all the previous comments. This will be a never before experience for your senses, soul and spirit.

Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Average customer rating:

Kurosawa DVD Collection (Individually Numbered Limited Edition) (Amazon.com Exclusive)
Starring: Tatsuo Matsumura , Kyôko Kagawa , Hisashi Igawa , Jôji Tokoro , and Masayuki Yui
Director: Tatsuo Matsumura , Akira Kurosawa , and Ishirô Honda
Manufacturer: Wellspring
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000065BW7
Release Date: 2002-09-23

Amazon.com

Befitting a filmmaker of Akira Kurosawa's masterly stature, this sumptuous limited-edition DVD set pays tribute to Kurosawa's cinematic legacy and Japanese heritage. Like Japanese architecture, the packaging is simple yet elegant, with Ran--Kurosawa's epic reworking of King Lear in feudal Japan--at the center of attention. Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece was remastered for this set, a clear improvement over the notoriously disappointing Fox Lorber DVD. The transfer is now vividly colorful and crisply detailed, presented in anamorphic widescreen with optional yellow subtitles that are easier to read (though the earlier release probably wasn't as bad as the "old" image used in the restoration demo). The 5.1-channel sound option allows deeper immersion into Kurosawa's painstakingly crafted soundtrack, and film historian Stephen Price's superlative, feature-length commentary track provides engaging and scholarly perspective on Kurosawa's development of theme through composition, camera placement, editing, and highly stylized direction of actors. Another comparatively sparse commentary track by Japanese cultural expert Peter Grilli is worthwhile for its insider's view of Kurosawa's personality and methods. Ran--a tragic, awe-inspiring study of human folly--remains timelessly magnificent, marking the first step in Kurosawa's gradual move from the confines of conventional narrative.

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