Though DODESKA-DEN is void of a straight plot or structured narrative, director Akira Kurosawa was able to create in the film a highly emotional depiction of simple dreams, tragedies, and desires in an impoverished Tokyo slum. The title refers to the sound made by a slightly retarded boy
as he impersonates a streetcar. The boy's hopes, like those of many of the characters living in the shantytown, are best symbolized by one man in the slum who dreams of the palace he will build for himself and his son--a far cry from their actual home, a hollowed-out Volkswagen Bug. This was,
after three decades of filmmaking, Kurosawa's first film in color, and his eagerly awaited...
Released:
1970
Rated:
NR
Length:
139 mins