One Wonderful Sunday

1947 1h 48m JA

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 98

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two broke sweethearts wander war-scarred Tokyo on a single Sunday, stretching 35 yen as they chase housing, small pleasures, and a little hope.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Isao Numasaki
Yuzo
Chieko Nakakita
Masako
Atsushi Watanabe
Yamamoto
Zeko Nakamura
Dessert Shop Owner
Toppa Utsumi
Street Photographer
Ichiro Namiki
Street Photographer
Ichirō Sugai
Black-marketeer
Masao Shimizu
Dance Hall Manager

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Keinosuke Uekusa
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

79 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Isao Numasaki and Chieko Nakakita and Atsushi Watanabe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0039871 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 98 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Asakazu Nakai behind the camera. Tadashi Hattori scores. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

179 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Asakazu Nakai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Tadashi Hattori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Isao Numasaki and Chieko Nakakita and Atsushi Watanabe carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0039871 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 98 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Asakazu Nakai
Original score: Tadashi Hattori
Production design: Kazuo Kubo
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): U
IMDB: One Wonderful Sunday (1947)

Also by

Akira Kurosawa

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-02-12
★ 7/10
Shortly after the end of WWII, a young - and pretty broke - couple try to spend their Sunday together. "Yuzo" (Isao Numasaki) comes across more as the half half empty sort of fellow, but his girlfriend "Masako" (Chieko Nakakita) quite the reverse as they realise they have but ¥35 to last them an entire day! This is not a day just for frivolities. The two are determined to find somewhere where they can live together, and their budget (or lack of) sends them into bomb-damaged and less sanitary areas of their city that the they would ever be prepared to consider normally. An encounter with some baseball playing kids; some damaged cakes; a would-be landlord; an ideal new home they could never afford (that looks as if it is made of balsa wood!) and some dancing all work with two really strong and engaging lead performances to create an almost magical illustration of their day together. They fall out, make up, separate; it rains (always seems to in Kurosawa films) and there is a lovely accompaniment from Schubert to help knit the whole thing together. As with so many real relationships, the use of dialogue is sparing and the use of gesture and implied meaning proves especially effective as the love story moves along - at times earnestly, at times humorously. I wouldn't say the characters evolve, nor does their love - it is much the same at the end as it was at the beginning, and that's also quite enjoyable to appreciate. This isn't really a film about anything distinct actually happening, it's an observation of young love that is trying to blossom, but there just isn't quite enough sunlight yet.

Production companies