Dodes'ka-den

1970 2h 20m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 163

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On a Tokyo dump’s shantytown edge, interwoven vignettes follow residents scraping by: a boy who “drives” an imaginary trolley, a homeless father and son designing a dream house, a young woman brutalized at home, drunks, schemers, and saints of small kindnesses. Kurosawa crafts a ragged mosaic of hardship, fantasy, and flickers of grace that keep people moving forward.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Yoshitaka Zushi
Roku-Chan
Kin Sugai
Okuni
Toshiyuki Tonomura
Taro Sawagami
Shinsuke Minami
Ryotaro Sawagami
Yūko Kusunoki
Misao Sawagami
Junzaburō Ban
Yukichi Shima
Kiyoko Tange
Mrs. Shima
Michio Hino
Mr. Ikawa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Takao Saitō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tōru Takemitsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Reiko Kaneko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Yoshitaka Zushi and Kin Sugai and Toshiyuki Tonomura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065649 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Takao Saitō behind the camera. Tōru Takemitsu scores. Reiko Kaneko cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Takao Saitō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Tōru Takemitsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Reiko Kaneko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Yoshitaka Zushi and Kin Sugai and Toshiyuki Tonomura carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0065649 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.