is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, and Shinsuke Minami. It is based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1962 novel A City Without Seasons and is about a group of homeless people living in poverty on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Dodes'ka-den was Kurosawa's first film in five years, his first without actor Toshiro Mifune since Ikiru in 1952, and his first without composer Masaru Sato since Seven Samurai in 1954. Filming began on April 23, 1970, and ended 28 days later. This was Kurosawa's first-ever color film and had a budget of only . In order to finance the film, Kurosawa mortgaged his house, but it failed at the box office, grossing less than its budget, leaving him with large debts and, at sixty-one years old, dim employment prospects. Kurosawa's disappointment culminated one year later on December 22, 1971, when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists and neck with a razor.
Plot
The film is an anthology of overlapping vignettes exploring the lives of a variety of characters who live in a suburban shantytown atop a rubbish dump. The first to be introduced is the boy Rokuchan, who lives in a fantasy world in which he is a trolley driver. In his fantasy world, he drives his tram along a set route and schedule through the dump, reciting the refrain "Dodeska-den", "clickety-clack", mimicking the sound of his vehicle. His dedication to the fantasy is fanatical. Rokuchan is called "trolley fool" (densha baka) by locals and by children who are outsiders. His mother is shown as being concerned that Rokuchan is genuinely mentally challenged. (Rokuchan has earned the label in several cinematographic writings.)
Ryotaro, a hairbrush maker by trade, is saddled with supporting many children whom his unfaithful wife Misao has conceived in different adulterous affairs, but he is wholeheartedly devoted to them. There also appear a pair of drunken day laborers (Masuda and Kawaguchi) who engage in wife-swapping, only to return to their own wives the next day as though nothing has happened. A stoic, bleak man named Hei is frequented by Ocho who appears to be his ex-wife, and he watches emotionless as she takes care of his domestic chores. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Shima. Shima, a man with a tic, is always defending his outwardly unpleasant and bullying wife, and flies into a rage when friends criticize her. A beggar and his son live in a derelict car, a Citroen 2CV. While the father is preoccupied with daydreams of owning a magnificent home, the boy dies tragically of food poisoning. A girl (Katsuko) is raped by her alcoholic uncle and becomes pregnant, and in a fit of irrationality stabs a boy at the liquor shop who has tender feelings for her not having any other way to vent her emotional turmoil. When her uncle is confronted as a suspect for this abusive act, he decides to gather his meager belongings and flee from the town barely one step ahead of the investigation. Tanba the chasework silversmith is a sage figure, who disarms a youth swinging a katana sword, and allows a burglar to rob him of his money.
After exploring the set-backs and anguish which surrounds many of the families in this indigent community, along with the dreams of escape which many of them support to maintain at least a superficial level of calm, the film comes full circle returning to Rokuchan. As the film ends Rokuchan is again seen preparing to board his imaginary train tram and serve his community of passengers as best he can.
Cast
Yoshitaka Zushi as Rokuchan
Kin Sugai as Okuni, Rokuchan's mother
Toshiyuki Tonomura as Taro
Shinsuke Minami as Ryotaro Sawagami
Yuko Kusunoki as Misao, Sawagami's wife
Junzaburō Ban as Yukichi Shima
Kiyoko Tange as Shima's wife
Michio Hino as Ikawa, Shima's guest
Keiji Furuyama as Matsui, Shima's guest
Tappei Shimokawa as Nomoto, Shima's guest
Kunie Tanaka as Hatsutaro Kawaguchi
Jitsuko Yoshimura as Yoshie, Kawaguchi's wife
Hisashi Igawa as Masuo Masuda
Hideko Okiyama as Tatsu, Masuda's wife
Hiroshi Akutagawa as Hei
Tomoko Naraoka as Ocho
Atsushi Watanabe as Tanba
Kamatari Fujiwara as Suicidal Old Man
Kōji Mitsui as Stall Operator (cameo)