Nora inu (1949)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Ryûzô Kikushima (writer)
Akira Kurosawa (writer)

Release Date:

31 August 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Plot:

During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Police | Dress | Negative Atmosphere | Police Surveillance

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Det. Murakami
Takashi Shimura	...	Det. Sato
Keiko Awaji	...	Harumi Namaki, showgirl
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Harumi's mother
Noriko Sengoku	...	Girl
Noriko Honma	...	Wooden Tub Shop woman (as Fumiko Honma)
Reikichi Kawamura
Eijirô Tôno
Yasushi Nagata		(as Kiyoshi Nagata)
Katsuhei Matsumoto
Isao Kimura	...	Yusa
Minoru Chiaki	...	Girlie Show director
Teruko Kishi
Ichirô Sugai	...	Yayoi Hotel owner
Gen Shimizu	...	Police Inspector Nakajima
Hiroshi Yanagiya	...	Police Officer
Hajime Izu	...	Criminal Identification Officer
Masao Shimizu	...	Nakamura
Kokuten Kodo	...	Old Landlord
Yûnosuke Itô	...	Bluebird Theatre manager
Akira Ubukata	...	Police Doctor
Fujio Nagahama	...	Sakura Hotel manager
Isao Ikukaka	...	Sei-san, bellhop
Shiro Mizutani	...	Punkster
Eizo Tanaka	...	Old Doctor
Kazuko Ihonbashi	...	Sato's wife
Haruko Togo	...	Azuma Hotel madame
Haruko Toyama	...	Kintaro geisha
Aso Mie	...	Pinball Parlor woman
Rikie Sanjo	...	Manager's wife
Chôko Iida	...	Kogetsu Hotel manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ishirô Honda	...	Fleeing Villain
Haruo Nakajima	...	Man in Bar Fight (scenes deleted)
Hajime Taniguchi	...	Man in Bar Fight (scenes deleted)
Reisaburô Yamamoto	...	Hondo

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ryûzô Kikushima		writer
Akira Kurosawa		writer

Produced by
Akira Kurosawa	....	associate producer
Sôjirô Motoki	....	producer
Senkichi Taniguchi	....	associate producer
Kajirô Yamamoto	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Film Editing by
Toshio Gotô
Yoshi Sugihara

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Production Management
Seinosuke Hirai	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ishirô Honda	....	chief assistant director
Zenshu Koizumi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yoshirô Muraki	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Choshiro Ishii	....	lighting technician
Issei Tanaka	....	still photographer
Kazuo Yamada	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Toshio Gotô	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Yoji Ken	....	choreographer
Hachiko Toi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Film Art Association
• Shintoho Company
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toei Company (1949) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Toho Company (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (????) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

Stray Dog (USA)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Film Art Association

Trivia:

During the opening credits, there is footage of a panting dog. However, when American censors saw the footage, they assumed that the dog had been harmed. This run-in with American censors caused Kurosawa to remark that this was the only time he wished Japan had not lost WWII.

Quotes:

Det. Sato: A stray dog becomes a mad dog.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sun taam (2007)

Soundtrack:

Sonatine in C Major, Op.20-1

Akira Kurosawa...That is all that needs to be said.

*-Catch it on TV **-Worth a Rental ***-Buy it Used/On Sale ****-Buy it New/Top Dollar *****-Worthy of a Blind Buy

Until early May of 2004 I was, for lack of a better label, an Akira Kurosawa virgin. I had never had the privilege of watching one of his masterpieces and every time I had the opportunity something got in the way. In May I found myself with a hundred dollars (a small fortune to a high school student with no job) and staring at Kurosawa's Four Samurai Classics dvd collection at Best Buy. The box set included the Criterion editions of Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro priced at $82.99. I saw this as a bargain since Criterion edition dvds usually run around $40 a pop, so I bought it without hesitation. After viewing all four films over a weekend I craved more Kurosawa and spent what money I had left on Rashomon, thus beginning my foray into Kurosawa's art.

I have been extremely satisfied with the five Kurosawa films I have seen and was pleased to receive Stray Dog in the mail today from Netflix. I began watching it within about 20 minutes of getting it and from the beginning I was hooked. The film stars Toshiro Mifune as rookie detective Murakami in 1940's Tokyo. Murakami's pistol has been stolen from him while riding a crowded bus on a hot day. Disgraced at himself for having lost such an important item he sets out to find the culprit and enlists the help of veteran detective Sato (played by Takashi Shimura). Together the two detectives hunt down the man responsible. However, things get worse and their investigation intensifies as they learn that the weapon is used in an armed robbery. Sato becomes a mentor to Murakami and takes him under his wing as they get closer and closer to their perpetrator.

Toshiro Mifune's performance is magnificent. He is not the over confident Kikuchiyo from Seven Samurai, or the calm and cool ronin from both Yojimbo and Sanjuro; instead he is a rookie detective in 1940's Tokyo. Mifune portrays a Murakami filled with tension and self-loathing. As his gun is used in more acts of violence, Murakami sinks deeper and deeper emotionally by placing the blame entirely on himself. Takashi Shimura is equally impressive as the veteran Sato. These two actors play very well off of eachother. Their chemistry alone is enough to make you want to see the film, luckily it is not the only reason. Akira Kurosawa tells the story with amazing pacing that seems slow but never boring. The use of forshadowing had little to do with subtilty and added to the tension of the film as the detectives closed in on their suspect until the tense climax, which I will not spoil for you.

All in all Stray Dog was two hours of intelligent storytelling combined by skillful acting. I would be tempted to give it a ***** rating solely because it is Kurosawa, however he gave me enough reasons to do so in the film itself.