Dodes-ka-den was Arika kurosawa’s film to revive his career. Prior to Dodes-ka-den, Kurosawa, was slated to direct an Epic film, Runaway Train, with American producers; do to complication with him and the production company, the project was scraped. He was slated to direct the Japanese actors in the film TORA TORA TORA, but do to differences; he was removed from the project. Five years had passed. Kurosawa hadn’t made a film. To prove his worth as a filmmaker, Kurosawa formed a band called the white knights to make Dodes-ka-den. The film had to be successful, win over critics, and grab international acclaim. To add more pressure, Dodes-ka-den was Kurosawa’s inaugural effort in color filmmaking. According to film “historians,” after the Dodes-ka-den was released in 1970 it was not well received. However, the film was nominated for an academy award.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
With the intro out the way, I like to say forget critics. My favorite comedian Richard Pryor said, “No one ever grows up wanting to be a critic.” I’m no cheerleader, but I have respect for man’s passion, for a person who performs with his or her heart and soul . Dodes-ka-den had themes centering on the human heart: delving into the quality of a person, the experiences that govern our choices, and ones philosophy or outlook on life.
In man or woman’s lifetime, they give others hell, and receive it just as equally. But the amazing quality about humans, we endure. All these elements are wrapped around a brilliant use of color. Vivid, striking and at times exaggerated, the colors in the film make Dodes-ka-den a joy to watch. But use of color does not overshadow the story. Dodes-ka-den opens with a young boy who is mentally ill, a boy who’s called the Train freak; he drives an imaginary trolly car through out a slum outside Tokyo. With his foot and his imaginary pedal, he takes us into the slum, chanting Dodes-ka-den, Dodes-ka-den, which seems to be the Japanese equivalent to Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a.
We encounter stories, told in episodic fashion, or like a cluster of vignettes. There is no identifiable plot. However, I feel Dodes-ka-den naturally is an entertaining film. The only thing that bothered me was the ending. I wanted to know the fate of the films most despicable character. However, the strongest parts are the scenes that contain real emotion. Overall, I enjoyed this film.
Lately, I've been going on a Kurosawa binge. I have a few more of his films on deck. Next up, KAN and Yojimbo.
No comments:
Post a Comment