Customer Reviews

Rhapsody in August

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An elderly woman (Kane) played by Sachiko Murase lives in Nagasaki Japan. One memorable summer she takes care of her four grandchildren who inadvertently awaken in her the memory of the day that the atomic bomb fell in 1945, and how it deprived her of her husband.

With the arrival of her American-Asian nephew from the US, played surprisingly well by Richard Gere who manages to speak Japanese without fluffing it too much, Kane is forced to re-evaluate how the dropping of the bomb has shaped her life and beliefs.

Haunted by the fact that she could not save her husband, and reliving the memories of that terrible day Kane strives to protect her family, and this culminates in her fleeing her house in a storm, clutching an umbrella as if this will protect her against the wrath of nature.

The scenery is breath taking, the acting brilliant and with a haunting sound track, this slow moving Japanese with English subtitles will make you look at the dropping of the atomic bomb with new and horrified eyes. An intelligent and thought provoking film for those people who like a movie with class and brains.

I saw this film on the big screen and, as usual of most Akira Kurosawa's films, it left a lasting impression.

Made in Kurosawa's twilight years, the film is aptly mellow and contemplative, reflecting as it is on one of the horrors of humankind - the Second World War culminating in the release of the atomic bomb.

When this film was first released in US, it generated some controversy when US critics questioned Kurosawa's motivation in two comments in the film relating to the bombing. The critics should not have been concerned, the film's theme indeed is one of reconciliation and bridge-building, laying no blame on the US but the evils of war.

The film is skilful in the way it draws the viewer into the children's discovery and realisation of the horror of the bombing as experienced by their grandmother. The viewer could feel the same anticipation and mystery as the children in their attempt to fathom the old lady.

The film is also delightful in its quiet satire on the middle generation.

Indeed, Rhapsody is a very good film that is every bit an enjoyment of Kurosawa's mastery of story-telling. It has a pace and richness that flow with the excitement of a child's adventure of discovery. And I must say the film contains one of the most indelible images of the film medium when the viewer finally sees what the grandmother and her brother saw on that fateful day in August.

Rhapsody is indeed a fitting completion to the huge and beautiful spectrum of great films from this great, great director.

This may be a minor film by Kurosawa, but anyone else would be thrilled to have made something so beautiful and thought-provoking. The film follows four children (the oldest is about to start college) who are visiting their grandmother in Nagasaki for the summer. They learn that their grandfather was killed (forty-five summers before) in the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, and try to understand what that means for them now. Slowly, they come to understand both their grandmother and themselves better. This is a thoughtful treatment of the use of the atomic bomb, in large part because it manages to be profoundly anti-war without being hostile toward America. You will never forget the grandmother.

This movie shows you several points of view about Nagasaki, that is, the use of the atomic bomb. These points of view are as of 1990, at 45 years from that day.

It starts with children's feelings and thoughts about that day. These children are grandsons of a teacher dead by the bomb, and live in Nagasaki.

The parents' attitude follows. They try to live better and not to suffer, even more, not to remember or make people remember that day.

Next is the story of the survivors of the bomb. The grandmother, who lost her husband, and the classmates of children killed by the bomb.

Finally, the mind and heart of the Nikkei (descendant of Japanese). This is a double situation: He is not only a descendant of Japanese, but also of USA nationality.

The story is directed well. The characters are defined clearly.
However, please note that this is not a documentary film. You could make your opinion about Nagasaki and the bomb based on the arguments (most of them true) of the movie, but it wouldn't be enough.

Also because this is a movie, you'll enjoy some funny or artistic parts it offers to you. Besides, you would learn about some Japanese costumes and tales.

A final note: If you try to study Japanese watching this work, beware: The grandmother talks with namari (local accent).

To those hollywood goers not used to seeing masterpieces by directors who go for intellectual and emotional punch over visual punch, this movie would be "slow" and "minor." Kurosawa did a magnificent job of conveying the emotional, socio-polotical and historical impacts of the WWII bombings in Japan. In an industry often saturated with directors who appeal to those who crave visual candy (Jurassic Park, for example), this movie is a standout of what directors CAN achieve using few special effects, other than their heart, their soul, their mastery of the camera and dialogue. A beautiful film which portrays an intricate interweaving of new and old that so characterises modern-day Japanese society, even in a universally tragic topic such as war. Not a typical Kurosawa "epic film," as in Seven Samurai, but definately huge, and important, in many other ways.

Four grandchildren are to spend the summer with their grandmother in Nagasaki as their parents are spending the summer vacationing in Hawaii. In Hawaii the parents are to meet their grandma's older brother, but she does not remember this brother as she had 11 or more siblings while growing up. In a letter the grandmother is invited to Hawaii, which excites the kids as they want to go to Hawaii. However, the grandmother is hesitant to leave, since the remembrance of her dead husband is coming up on August 9th. The kids learn through their stay in Nagasaki how their grandfather died from the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. This knowledge brings the kids closer to their grandmother as she begin to share her stories about her brothers, which offers the children some excitement. Rhapsody in August is a melancholic cinematic experience as Kurosawa tells the tragedy of a family that is divided between those who remember the war and those who have only heard of it. In addition, Kurosawa demonstrates his message with subtle clarity that the agony of the war is being forgotten as family values change toward wealth and prestige where love and care for one another takes a backseat. In the end, Rhapsody in August is a tragic film that is well balanced as it displays hope through love and affection, which offers a terrific cinematic experience.

RHAPSODY IN AUGUST is an Akira Kurosawa film approached from three different angles, all couched around the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The film's central character, Kane, is visited by her grandchildren in Nagasaki; Kane's husband was killed by the bomb. The generational gap between her and the children is achingly apparent. The bombing will forever be a part of her psyche, but the kids are initially unaffected by the history. They're thoroughly modern down to their clothes with American logos. In effect, the film's theme is about keeping the memory and indeed, the warning of Nagasaki alive.

Later on, we hear of a rich Japanese-American son-in-law from Hawaii, played by Richard Gere (speaking in Japanese!), whose purpose inadvertently points out that American and Japanese perceptions of the atomic bombings may never be reconciled. By using Gere's character as somehow an apologist for the Nagasaki anniversary, I think Kurosawa makes a mistake by seeking simple answers for the bombing and the war, when there are none.

The story threads have enormous potential, but never reach a real emotional impact. The film feels restless, and never achieves the kind of sensitivity and patience it really requires to let the theme resonate.

One of the dichotomies of the film is that the theme is largely approached from the children's perspective, which makes a lot of sense, although it never allows us close enough to their grandmother's story to carry enough weight.

I was also disappointed by the fact that Kane, who begins the story with a great deal of dignity, becomes increasingly delusional over the course of the film and comes to resemble a Kurosawa character from a decade earlier. The film ends with that unfortunate image of her, and it undermines the very message of the film itself.

There are two signature Kurosawa moments which make the film worth seeing by themselves. One is a symbolic shot as Gere's attention diverts to watch a trail of ants climbing a lovely rose. The second shot is of the children as they look in a window at their grandmother and her friend as they sit completely silent, highlighting the distance between the generations.

I will not attempt to justify this film as greater than it is just because of the master's cinematic history. This is far from a five-star film, and it easily ranks in the lower third of Kurosawa's portfolio. It is an interesting movie, with a few memorable scenes, but no one should mistake this for any of his classics. Two-and-a-half stars.

The best of intentions certainly infuse Akira Kurosawa's penultimate film released in 1991, but unfortunately it really doesn't move me despite the worthy subject of dealing with the years-later aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped in Japan. Much of the problem is the glacial pacing and the stilted emphasis on the children's perspective which prevents the film from gaining any subtlety or emotional resonance. Set forty-five years after the end of WWII, the plot centers on four Japanese children who visit their grandmother Kane in Nagasaki for the summer. As the anniversary of the atomic attack draws near, they learn about the bomb's deadly legacy. Their grandfather died in the blast, and as we learn, Kane has never really resolved her quiet resentment. Every August, she pays tribute to her dead husband at a religious shrine. Unfortunately, Kurosawa paints the children in such broad, sitcom-level strokes that make it nearly impossible to empathize with their inquisitive concern about their grandmother.

On the other hand, 86-year old Sachiko Murase is exquisite as the wizened Kane as she exhibits the inner conflict within her character when she realizes she may have to face the prospect of meeting Japanese-American relatives in Hawaii, including an older brother she cannot recall knowing among ten siblings. The brother, who has become a naturalized American citizen and married a Caucasian, is ailing and wants to see Kane before he dies. Desperate to visit Hawaii, one of the children writes a letter to the brother, which prompts the brother's son to visit to apologize for the bombing. The weight of a national conscience seems overemphasized here, especially as embodied by Richard Gere in an extended cameo as the brother's half-Japanese son, Clark. Gere's appearance, despite his good intentions in light of his pacifist position, is distracting to say the least, especially since he does not look the least bit Japanese. While his accent is decent enough, his cadence when speaking is halting to the point of sounding rather Berlitz-trained. It's actually not a bad performance but certainly not a necessary one given the number of Japanese-American actors who could have played the part with greater ease.

The film ends on a rather surreal note as Kane fights a rainstorm that has clouds that remind her of the bomb's immediate aftermath. This sequence is fraught with symbolism but seems emotionally vague as it goes on endlessly. There are random moments when the Kurosawa touch is evident, for example the composed shots of the old women in prayer or the use of a gnarled jungle gym as a symbol of the bomb (and perhaps as a tribute to the playground built in his classic film, "Ikiru"). He also effectively uses Vivaldi's "Stabat Mater" as background music during key scenes. At the same time, as a Japanese-American, I was hoping that Kurosawa would have delved into the complexities of the decisions behind the atomic bomb and how the Japanese have attempted to reconcile the act with their own culpability during the war. Instead, the movie becomes a highly simplified anti-war polemic under the guise of a family film.

Nothing minor about this film. Slow and talky in Hollywood-speak, this is a leisurely, intelligent exploration of the impact of war on one family fifty years later. And that leisurely pace leads up to one of the most stunning and unforgettable conclusions in the history of film.

Take the time to view this film, you won't be sorry