Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 1 nomination total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie was made as the first feature of the Committee of the Four Knights, a group founded by four of Japan's greatest directors: Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi and Kon Ichikawa. According to a interview with Ichikawa, they wanted their first picture to be a hit. When this film told a story deemed too depressing and was subsequently a failure with audiences, the group disbanded and never made another film. The movie's failure also contributed to Kurosawa's suicide attempt one year later.
- Quotes
Beggar: Our house ought to be built on a hill. We Japanese used to build houses in valleys and mountain coves. We've always preferred the lowlands.
Beggar's Son: That's true. I saw pictures of foreign countries. They have their houses in high places, but ours are in low places.
Beggar: There's a reason for that. There are many earthquakes and typhoons in Japan. Wooden houses in high places are easily shaken by earthquakes and typhoons. So they chose the lowlands to avoid the danger. But that's not the only reason.
Beggar: [continues] The Japanese prefer soft light to bright sunshine. We like shady places. We like to live in the midst of nature. So we couldn't get used to concrete houses.
Beggar's Son: That's right. I don't like concrete houses either. They're too cold for me.
Beggar: But we shouldn't forget one thing. It's true that wooden houses suit the Japanese people. But we mustn't cling to our culture and characteristics if we become weak and lose endurance as a result. By living in houses made of stone, iron, and concrete, foreigners have strengthened their characters and capabilities. Now we're building our own house. We must take our future into consideration. We must think of you, your children, and your grandchildren.
Beggar's Son: Yes, that's true.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (1990)
The film doesn't have a traditional plot, it's a snapshot of the lives of a strange ensemble of characters who live in the dump. (In much of the third world today, municipal dumps are inhabited by poor people who scavenge trash to make their living. It wasn't that long ago that the same was true in the US, by the way. In the late 1800's the NYC dump was home to a population of desperate scavengers too.) Kurosawa does his usual brilliant job of creating a full spectrum of characters, except that here most of them are damaged and dysfunctional. Kurosawa is loved for his portrayals of honor, courage, and heroism. Some find it more difficult to appreciate his unblinking examination of loss, failure, wickedness and despair. This film lays bare some of the dark corners of the human heart, and presents the full spectrum of human reality, warts and all - but with an emphasis on the warts.
It's not a dark film nonetheless. These tragic blighted lives are shown with zen clarity and humor. We see a cross-section of human psychology, both good and bad, and the genius of Kurosawa makes it clear that each of us share the feelings and foibles of these Tokyo dregs.
- gerold-firl
- Jul 9, 2010
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Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $981
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1