Rhapsody In August

Starring: Hisashi Igawa, Sachiko Murase Director: Akira Kurosawa Original UK Premiere: 1993 Dvd Release: 1st September, 2001 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Subtitled, Region 2 Encoding Subtitled In: English

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Rhapsody in August is a 1991 film by Akira Kurosawa. 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 Suzujiros son Clark. // At its heart Rhapsody in August is a tale of three generations & their responses to the atomic bombing of Japan. The main character is Kane, an elderly woman whose husband was killed in the bombing of Nagasaki. Next, though they only play supporting roles, come her two children & their spouses, all of whom grew up in postwar Japan, as well as their Nisei cousin Clark who grew up in America. Finally, there are Kanes four grandchildren, who were born after the Japanese economic miracle & provide most of the dialogue in the film. The plot is relatively simple. Kanes grandchildren come to visit her at her rural home on Kyushu one summer while their parents visit a man who may or may not be Kanes brother in Hawaii.

Kurosawa was a master metteur-en-scene, whose fine visual compositions have elicited the admiration of filmgoers the world over for decades. The people at Digital Entertainment are not bothered by such artsy-fartsy niceties, however. Not only are the colours on this release washed-out & the subtitles burnt into the image, but the sides of the frame have been lopped off to fit your TV. Who does Digital Entertainment think buys this sort of stuff? Bottom line: this fine film deserves a much better edition, so lets wait until someone who cares get the rights.

Akira Kurosawa was a prominent Japanese director, producer & screenwriter of movies. To Western audiences, Kurosawa is perhaps Japans best-known filmmaker. His films have greatly influenced a whole generation of filmmakers worldwide. His first film was released in 1943 ; his last in 1999. During his lifetime he saw Japan change from an undeveloped country with military ambitions to a peaceful economic power. Few filmmakers have had a career so long or so acclaimed. Kurosawa was born March 23, 1910, in Omori, Tokyo the youngest of seven children .He trained as a painter & began work in the film industry as an assistant director in 1936. He made his directorial debut in 1943 with Sugata Sanshiro. He became internationally famous with his 1950 film Rashomon which won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival. Although he is most remembered for his films of the 1950s & 1960s, he continued to direct & write films until his death. Kurosawa is most well-known for his period pieces like Seven Samurai & Ran but many of his films dealt with contemporary Japan. Posters Of Kagemusha

Editors Choice: Rhapsody In August, Ran, Kagemusha, Red Beard, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, Throne Of Blood, View DVDology

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