| Akira
Kurosawa’s final film, and his most
charming, is the incomparable Madadayo.
A great deviation from his previous film Akira
Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990), Madadayo
is a much more traditional, yet nevertheless innovative
outlook on the human spirit. The film recounts
the life of a beloved professor who, despite setbacks
in the world, perserveres emotionally and retains
his innocent spirit with the help of his ever-devoted
students. There are moments that will make you
laugh, and still others that could have you bawling
like a baby. What it all boils down to is the
fact that Madadayo is a movie that is
as charming as it is thoughtful; a beautiful tapestry
of the life not only of its main character, but
in some ways, of the director himself.
At a Japanese academy, a beloved
instructor of German, Hyakken Uchida, suddenly
declares that he is prepared to retire his position
as professor, to which a loyal student thoughtfully
observes that he will never cease to be their
professor, for he was always a man of “solid
gold”, free from impurities. The aging teacher
is touched, and with his loyal students always
as his support, he eases into his age of retirement,
moving into a new house in 1943. With a small
group of his former students there to dine on
the first night of the professor’s residence,
they learn that their clever sensei has devised
a plan to ellude burglars, who are common in that
area. When two of his students test out these
procedures in secret, they come to a sign labeled
the “Burglar’s Entrance”, which
leads them on a path of signs designed especially
for thieves, which in turn, lead them to the “Burglar’s
Exit.” Highly amused, they laugh heartily
as they walk off into the distance.
Time passes, and the professor’s
60th birthday rolls around. The joyous occasion
is cut short due to an impending air raid, and
ultimately during these raids, the professor’s
house is burned to the ground. He and his wife
are forced to move into a virtual sardine can,
a gardener’s shack which only barely survived
the attacks. The professor escaped with few possessions,
and following the war, times became very rough.
But his students and his devoted wife stayed by
his side, and when the seasons passed, the first
“Maddha Kai”, which is to say the
professor’s grand birthday celebration,
comes to pass. With a wide group of his former
students there to wish him good cheer, they ask
him “Maddha Kai?” (ready yet), to
which he responds “Madadayo” (no,
not yet).
In the near future, his students
finally rally the completion of a much nicer estate.
With a pond, a study, and a pleasant home to enjoy,
it appears as though the professor is finally
at ease. A new cat, whom he calls “Nora”,
also enters his life and captures his heart. But
alas, Nora eventually runs off, and the professor
begins to grieve bitterly so. His devoted students
search high and low, but cannot find the missing
animal. Finally, when all seems lost, a stray
prances into his garden, and while the professor
is at first resistent to this new guest, his wife
generously feeds the cat and welcomes him with
open arms. Soon, the aging man finally starts
to accept his loss and his new gain. For all the
searching done by, and the emotional aid of, his
former students, the professor thanks them deeply
for their kindness.
The professor’s 77th birthday
rolls around, and just as before, the professor
is quick to announce “Madadayo.” However,
his physical state has weakened, and the celebrations
are cut short by a brief convulsive episode. He
is brought home and allowed to rest, as his former
students marvel after their sensei, pondering
about the pure dreams of this “solid gold”
man. And as he sleeps, the old man dreams he is
a child, hiding from his friends in a game where
they would yell: “Maddha Kai?” and
he would respond “Madadayo”.
Madadayo is very thematic…
there is a lot of meaning to the motives and the
actions of the characters. One of the prevailing
messages here is “innocence”, which
is superbly captured by the professor’s
character (especially in the final scene). His
declarations about his fear of the dark, his inability
to tolerate thunder, and his love for Nora being
three prime examples. “Resilience”
is also a solid cornerstone to the purpose of
the film, coupled with “hope”. Despite
the hardships, the professor resists the pain
and always finds a way to live on with the help
of his pupils. Loyalty and friendship are the
qualities of his students, and this comradery
seems to stem from the professor’s childlike
innoncence. But it is really humor that often
takes center stage in the story, which works hand-in-hand
in many cases with innocence, hope, and friendship
combined. It also makes for a pleasant viewing
experience. The very term “Madadayo”
is used in this sense, as it is asked at his birthday
celebrations: “Maddha Kai?” (ready
yet?), which is to say, are you ready to pass
on yet? To which he responds “Madadayo”
(no, not yet). Often it is during the celebrations
or gettogethers that some chuckle-worthy anecdotes
come out, one example being the professor's recount
of an incident where a horse observed him purchase
horsemeat. Visual humor is also skillfully utilized,
such as the professor’s method to detract
people from urinating on the nearby wall, or the
poem he hung on the wall of his first home after
his retirement: “Annoyance is to have visitors.
Nonetheless, this does not imply you. By the host.
Delight is to have visitors. Nonetheless, this
does not imply you.” Often, the humor is
subtle and believable within the context of the
story, and never detracts from the mettle of the
film; but instead, always strengthens the thematic
quality.
The acting here is top notch and
very believable. Tatsuo Matsumura simply soars
in his role. His performance as the highly sentimental,
deeply wise, and often quirky professor is augmented
by his range of emotions. He can go from positively
jubilant, to downright miserable in a matter of
minutes. The scenes where he cries are just too
unbearably real, and the audience is bound to
produce a flow of tears in response. The roller
coaster ride of emotions he portrays while his
character is searching for Nora accounts for several
such examples. Kyoko Kagawa, while given a slightly
less prominent role, also thrives in her performance.
Her dutiful, highly polite behavior is what we
most commonly see, but sometimes we get to her
playful side. Her holding Nora and keeping him
away from Tatsuo’s character being one example,
and her feeding the new cat (Kurz) as he first
drifts into the yard being another. Her scenes
sometimes require sorrow or deep concern as well,
and she brings, as does Tatsuo, a great deal of
professionalism to her performance. The characters
Hisashi Igawa and Akira Terao play, along with
those of Joji Tokoro and Masayuki Yui, represent
the loyalty, friendship, and compassion of the
wide spectrum of the professor’s students.
The actors who handle these roles do so excellently,
often wondering in awe at the film’s protagonist,
and skillfully playing him up in the efforts to
completely develop him. Unfortunately, the development
of these characters individually is a bit low,
and it would be difficult to analyze any contrasting
characteristics between them individually (which
is one of the few spots where the film loses points).
Nevertheless, the plot does revolve specifically
around Professor Uchida, and the remaining cast
are, in many cases, the pillars that hold the
protagonist firmly in place.
Even in a movie that is part comedy
and part drama, there is still some room to comment
on visuals. The lighting at all times during the
movie seems to, despite the period this movie
was made, connote the time period of the plot.
There is almost a pale, aged look to everything…
giving it a feeling (at least by my modern perception)
of the 1940’s. The way it seems to have
been accomplished doesn’t appear to simply
be a “flaw” of my print, either. The
sets, as a visual, are also superb. The filmmakers
seem to have gone for a romanticized view of post-war
Japan in several instances, with a look of devastation,
but a prevailing feeling of hope. The final scenes,
inside the dreams of the main character, also
present a visual feat, but this time in a surrealistic
sense. Much like Kurosawa’s paintings, the
sky has a very fantastical look to it, and brings
the movie to a wonderful close.
There is some, but not too much,
orchestral music in Madadayo. It has a really
classical sound. And when I say classical, I don’t
mean Star Wars-style, I’m talking
the style of classical you find the pages of 18th
century history. It relies heavily on strings,
and it is a superb and sophisticated method by
which to accentuate the emotional level of a scene
(especially the close of the dream sequence).
Setting aside the orchestral side of things, there
are also songs throughout, which are often simple
numbers sung by the characters. One-two Mr.
Pharmacist is one such song, and it is actually
rather humorous in its parody of the state of
contemporary current events (from the time frame
in which this film takes place).
Above all,
what Madadayo really is about is innoncence.
There is a certain call for people to recapture
their innocence, a quality that the professor
never seemed to lose, even in the face of hardship.
The visuals, the music, and the humor all provide
a vehicle for this one prevailing theme, and it
all comes together to make one knock-out swan-song
for the “Emperor” of Japanese cinema.
While not as well known as some of his other classics,
it is truly well-worth viewing, for I’m
sure that on some level it will capture your heart
as it has mine.
|
(4.5/5)