Cinema
Stray Dog
野良犬
Akira Kurosawa · 1949
Synopsis
Tokyo, after the war, during a summer heatwave. Murakami, a young detective and former soldier, has his pistol stolen on a crowded tram, according to Turner Classic Movies. His superior refuses his resignation and orders him to find the thief, according to AlloCiné. Disguised as a homeless demobilised soldier, he sinks into the poor districts and the black market in weapons. The gun is soon used in crimes, and a veteran detective, Satō, takes him under his wing.
Context
The director wrote the screenplay with Kikushima Ryūzō, from a case noted at the Tokyo police, that of a young policeman who had lost his weapon, according to an American classic-film channel. His chief assistant, who would himself become a director, shot the hero's long wanderings through the streets as second unit; the author credited him with a good part of the film's atmosphere. Co-produced by Shintōhō and the Film Art Association and distributed by Tōhō, the film was released on 17 October 1949. Its author at first judged it “too technical”.
Who it is for
Two hours in black and white in a Tokyo of ruins and markets, at the pace of a field investigation.
Prizes and reception
Third in the Kinema Junpō ranking for 1949, it was remade for the cinema in 1973 and for television in 2013.
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