Rhapsody in August (八月の狂詩曲, Hachigatsu no rapusodī (Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku)) is a 1991 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa based on the novel Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata.[3] The story centers on an elderly hibakusha, who lost her husband in the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, caring for her four grandchildren over the summer. She learns of a long-lost brother, Suzujiro, living in Hawaii who wants her to visit him before he dies. American film star Richard Gere appears as Suzujiro's son Clark. The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[4]
Rhapsody in August is one of only three sole-directed Kurosawa movies to feature a female lead, and the first in nearly half a century. The others are The Most Beautiful (1944) and No Regrets for Our Youth (1946). However, Kurosawa also directed most of the female-led Uma (1941), on which he was credited as assistant director.[5]
Rhapsody in August is a tale of three generations in a post-war Japanese family and their responses to the atomic bombing of Japan. Kane is an elderly woman, now suffering the consequences of older age and diminishing memory, whose husband was killed in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Kane has two children who are both married and both of whom grew up in postwar Japan. She also has a brother now living in Hawaii whose son Clark (played by Richard Gere) has grown up in America. Finally, there are Kane's four grandchildren, who were born after the Japanese economic miracle who have come to visit her at the family country home near Nagasaki in Kyushu.
Kane's grandchildren are visiting her at her rural home on Kyūshū one summer while their parents visit Kane's brother in Hawaii. The grandchildren have been charged with the task by their parents of convincing their grandmother to visit her brother in Hawaii. The grandchildren take a day off to visit the urban environment of Nagasaki. While in Nagasaki the children visit the spot where their grandfather was killed in 1945 and become aware, at a personal level, of some of the emotional consequences of the atomic bombing for the first time in their lives. They slowly come to have more respect for their grandmother and also grow to question the morality of the United States for deciding to use atomic weapons against Japan.
In the meantime they receive a telegram from their American cousins, who turn out to be rich and offer their parents a job managing their pineapple fields in Hawaii. Matters are complicated when Kane writes to Hawaii telling her American relatives about the death of her husband at Nagasaki. Her own two children, who have now returned from Hawaii to visit her, feel that this action will be viewed by their now Americanized relatives in Hawaii as hostile and a source of friction. Clark, who is Kane's nephew, then travels to Japan to be with Kane for the memorial service of her husband's death at Nagasaki. Kane reconciles with Clark over the bombing.
Clark is much moved by the events he sees in the Nagasaki community at the time of the memorial events surrounding the deaths which are annually remembered following the bombing of Nagasaki. Especially significant to Clark is the viewing of a Buddhist ceremony where the local community of Nagasaki meets to remember those who had died when the bomb was dropped. Suddenly, Clark receives a telegram telling him that his father, Kane's brother, has died in Hawaii and he is forced to return there for his father's funeral.
Kane's mental health and memory begin to falter. Her recollections of her lost spouse have never been fully reconciled within her own memory of her lost loved one. She begins to show signs of odd behavior in laying out her husband's old clothing as if her husband might suddenly reappear and need them to put on. When a storm is brewing, her mental health seems to confuse the storm for an air raid warning of another atomic bomb attack and she seeks to protect her visiting grandchildren by employing folk remedies, which confuse her children and especially her grandchildren. As the storm later intensifies again, Kane becomes more disoriented and mistakenly confuses the storm for the atmospheric disturbance caused by the bombing of Nagasaki which she witnessed visually from a safe distance when her husband was killed many years ago. In her disoriented state, Kane decides that she must save her husband, still alive in her memory, from the impending atomic blast. With all her remaining strength, she takes her small umbrella to battle the storm on foot on the way to warn her husband in Nagasaki of the mortal threat still fresh in her mind of the atomic blast which she cannot forget.
Cast
As a practicing Buddhist, Gere played the role of Clark in Kurosawa's 1991 film. Gere in Italy in October 2007.
Rhapsody in August received mixed reviews on its release in 1991.
Some critics made much of the fact that the film centered on the film's depiction of the atomic bombing as a war crime while omitting details of Japanese war crimes in the Pacific War. When Rhapsody premiered at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival,[6] one journalist even cried out at a press conference, "Why was the bomb dropped in the first place?" At the Tokyo Film Festival, critics of Japanese militarism said Kurosawa had ignored the historical facts leading up to the bomb. Japanese cultural critic Inuhiko Yomota commented:
"Many critics, myself included, thought Kurosawa chauvinistic in his portrayal of the Japanese as victims of the war, while ignoring the brutal actions of the Japanese and whitewashing them with cheap humanist sentiment."[7]
Kurosawa's response was that wars are between governments, not people, and denied any anti-American agenda.[8]
Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum praised the film as "a beautiful reminder from octogenarian Akira Kurosawa that he's still the master...The pastoral mood and performances of this film are both reminiscent of late John Ford, and Kurosawa's mise en scene and editing have seldom been more poetically apt."[9]
About the Japanese title
The Japanese title (八月の狂詩曲 Hachigatsu no rapusodī) is also known as Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku.[10] "八月" means August, and "狂詩曲" means rhapsody. Both are Japanese kanji words. "狂詩曲" is usually pronounced "kyōshikyoku." When this film released in Japan, 1991, Kurosawa added furigana "ラプソディー rapusodī" to the word "狂詩曲" contrary to the standard usage of Japanese.[11][12][13] So the correct romanization of the official Japanese title is Hachigatsu no rapusodī. But, often, the Japanese title has been cited without the furigana in various media. This is the reason why the misreading Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku has become more widely known than the correct pronunciation.
^"Focus Japan". Focus Japan. Japan External Trade Organization: 4. 1992. Retrieved 19 March 2022. In 1991 the industry's top overseas earner, at $9 million, was "Rhapsody in August" the 29th feature film by 82-year-old Akira Kurosawa.
^Thomas, Kevin (December 23, 1991). "MOVIE REVIEW: War, Reconciliation in Kurosawa's 'Rhapsody'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
^Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
^Conrad, David A. (2022). Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan. McFarland & Co.
^"Festival de Cannes: Rhapsody in August". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
rhapsody, august, 八月の狂詩曲, hachigatsu, rapusodī, hachigatsu, kyōshikyoku, 1991, japanese, film, akira, kurosawa, based, novel, nabe, naka, kiyoko, murata, story, centers, elderly, hibakusha, lost, husband, 1945, atomic, bombing, nagasaki, caring, four, grandchi. Rhapsody in August 八月の狂詩曲 Hachigatsu no rapusodi Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku is a 1991 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa based on the novel Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata 3 The story centers on an elderly hibakusha who lost her husband in the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki caring for her four grandchildren over the summer She learns of a long lost brother Suzujiro living in Hawaii who wants her to visit him before he dies American film star Richard Gere appears as Suzujiro s son Clark The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee 4 Rhapsody in AugustDirected byAkira KurosawaScreenplay byAkira KurosawaBased onNabe no nakaby Kiyoko MurataProduced byHisao KurosawaStarringSachiko Murase Hidetaka Yoshioka Richard GereMusic byShin ichirō IkebeProductioncompanyShochiku Films Ltd Distributed byShochiku Films Ltd Release date25 May 1991 1991 05 25 Running time98 minutesCountryJapanLanguagesJapanese and EnglishBox office 820 million Japan rentals 1 9 million overseas 2 Rhapsody in August is one of only three sole directed Kurosawa movies to feature a female lead and the first in nearly half a century The others are The Most Beautiful 1944 and No Regrets for Our Youth 1946 However Kurosawa also directed most of the female led Uma 1941 on which he was credited as assistant director 5 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 About the Japanese title 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksPlot EditRhapsody in August is a tale of three generations in a post war Japanese family and their responses to the atomic bombing of Japan Kane is an elderly woman now suffering the consequences of older age and diminishing memory whose husband was killed in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki Kane has two children who are both married and both of whom grew up in postwar Japan She also has a brother now living in Hawaii whose son Clark played by Richard Gere has grown up in America Finally there are Kane s four grandchildren who were born after the Japanese economic miracle who have come to visit her at the family country home near Nagasaki in Kyushu Kane s grandchildren are visiting her at her rural home on Kyushu one summer while their parents visit Kane s brother in Hawaii The grandchildren have been charged with the task by their parents of convincing their grandmother to visit her brother in Hawaii The grandchildren take a day off to visit the urban environment of Nagasaki While in Nagasaki the children visit the spot where their grandfather was killed in 1945 and become aware at a personal level of some of the emotional consequences of the atomic bombing for the first time in their lives They slowly come to have more respect for their grandmother and also grow to question the morality of the United States for deciding to use atomic weapons against Japan In the meantime they receive a telegram from their American cousins who turn out to be rich and offer their parents a job managing their pineapple fields in Hawaii Matters are complicated when Kane writes to Hawaii telling her American relatives about the death of her husband at Nagasaki Her own two children who have now returned from Hawaii to visit her feel that this action will be viewed by their now Americanized relatives in Hawaii as hostile and a source of friction Clark who is Kane s nephew then travels to Japan to be with Kane for the memorial service of her husband s death at Nagasaki Kane reconciles with Clark over the bombing Clark is much moved by the events he sees in the Nagasaki community at the time of the memorial events surrounding the deaths which are annually remembered following the bombing of Nagasaki Especially significant to Clark is the viewing of a Buddhist ceremony where the local community of Nagasaki meets to remember those who had died when the bomb was dropped Suddenly Clark receives a telegram telling him that his father Kane s brother has died in Hawaii and he is forced to return there for his father s funeral Kane s mental health and memory begin to falter Her recollections of her lost spouse have never been fully reconciled within her own memory of her lost loved one She begins to show signs of odd behavior in laying out her husband s old clothing as if her husband might suddenly reappear and need them to put on When a storm is brewing her mental health seems to confuse the storm for an air raid warning of another atomic bomb attack and she seeks to protect her visiting grandchildren by employing folk remedies which confuse her children and especially her grandchildren As the storm later intensifies again Kane becomes more disoriented and mistakenly confuses the storm for the atmospheric disturbance caused by the bombing of Nagasaki which she witnessed visually from a safe distance when her husband was killed many years ago In her disoriented state Kane decides that she must save her husband still alive in her memory from the impending atomic blast With all her remaining strength she takes her small umbrella to battle the storm on foot on the way to warn her husband in Nagasaki of the mortal threat still fresh in her mind of the atomic blast which she cannot forget Cast Edit As a practicing Buddhist Gere played the role of Clark in Kurosawa s 1991 film Gere in Italy in October 2007 Sachiko Murase as Kane The Grandmother Hisashi Igawa as Tadao Kane s Son Narumi Kayashima as Machiko Tadao s Wife Tomoko Otakara as Tami Tadao s Daughter Mitsunori Isaki as Shinjiro Tadao s Son Toshie Negishi as Yoshie Kane s Daughter Hidetaka Yoshioka as Tateo Yoshie s Son Choichiro Kawarazaki as Noboru Yoshie s Husband Mieko Suzuki as Minako Yoshie s Daughter Richard Gere as Clark Kane s Nephew Reception EditRhapsody in August received mixed reviews on its release in 1991 Some critics made much of the fact that the film centered on the film s depiction of the atomic bombing as a war crime while omitting details of Japanese war crimes in the Pacific War When Rhapsody premiered at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival 6 one journalist even cried out at a press conference Why was the bomb dropped in the first place At the Tokyo Film Festival critics of Japanese militarism said Kurosawa had ignored the historical facts leading up to the bomb Japanese cultural critic Inuhiko Yomota commented Many critics myself included thought Kurosawa chauvinistic in his portrayal of the Japanese as victims of the war while ignoring the brutal actions of the Japanese and whitewashing them with cheap humanist sentiment 7 Kurosawa s response was that wars are between governments not people and denied any anti American agenda 8 Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum praised the film as a beautiful reminder from octogenarian Akira Kurosawa that he s still the master The pastoral mood and performances of this film are both reminiscent of late John Ford and Kurosawa s mise en scene and editing have seldom been more poetically apt 9 About the Japanese title EditThe Japanese title 八月の狂詩曲 Hachigatsu no rapusodi is also known as Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku 10 八月 means August and 狂詩曲 means rhapsody Both are Japanese kanji words 狂詩曲 is usually pronounced kyōshikyoku When this film released in Japan 1991 Kurosawa added furigana ラプソディー rapusodi to the word 狂詩曲 contrary to the standard usage of Japanese 11 12 13 So the correct romanization of the official Japanese title is Hachigatsu no rapusodi But often the Japanese title has been cited without the furigana in various media This is the reason why the misreading Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku has become more widely known than the correct pronunciation See also EditAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Hibakusha Japanese American List of submissions to the 64th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmReferences Edit 1991年邦画作品配給収入 Kinema Junpo Kinema Junposha 1992年 平成4年 2月下旬号 144 1992 Focus Japan Focus Japan Japan External Trade Organization 4 1992 Retrieved 19 March 2022 In 1991 the industry s top overseas earner at 9 million was Rhapsody in August the 29th feature film by 82 year old Akira Kurosawa Thomas Kevin December 23 1991 MOVIE REVIEW War Reconciliation in Kurosawa s Rhapsody Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 29 2018 Margaret Herrick Library Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Conrad David A 2022 Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan McFarland amp Co Festival de Cannes Rhapsody in August festival cannes com Retrieved 2009 08 12 Hibakusha Cinema Intro Archived 2002 07 25 at the Wayback Machine Rhapsody In August Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on 2012 07 16 Retrieved 2005 10 27 Chicago Reader Rhapsody in August chicagoreader com 26 October 1985 Retrieved 2020 03 27 The Internet Movie Database Shochiku official web site Japanese Archived 2007 10 31 at the Wayback Machine Akira Kurosawa Masato Harada 1995 Akira Kurosawa Talks 黒澤明語る Kurosawa Akira kataru Benesse Corporation Japanese Kazuko Kurosawa 2004 Papa Akira Kurosawa パパ 黒澤明 Papa Kurosawa Akira page 306 Bungei Shunju Japanese External links EditRhapsody in August at IMDb Rhapsody in August at Rotten Tomatoes Rhapsody in August at Box Office Mojo Rhapsody in August in Japanese at the Japanese Movie Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rhapsody in August amp oldid 1116480116, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
