Dora-heita

Dora-heita
Theatrical poster
Directed byKon Ichikawa
Screenplay byKon Ichikawa
Akira Kurosawa
Keisuke Kinoshita
Masaki Kobayashi
Based onDora-heita
by Shūgorō Yamamoto
StarringKōji Yakusho
CinematographyYukio Isohata
Production
company
Distributed byToho[2]
Release date
  • 10 May 2000 (2000-05-10)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Dora-heita (どら平太, English: Alley Cat) is a 2000[3] Japanese film by Director Kon Ichikawa.[4] It was the 74th film made by Ichikawa.[5]

Plot

A new magistrate (played by Kōji Yakusho) in the town of Horisoto—widely reputed to be the most lawless township in Japan, uses guile and his opponents' own misperceptions and prejudices to defeat his enemies and uproot corruption.[6]

Cast

Production

The film was planned and written by the Yonki-no-kai, a group of four of Japan's most notable directors: Kon Ichikawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Keisuke Kinoshita, and Akira Kurosawa in 1969.[9][10] The commercial failure of Dodes'ka-den meant that funds were not available for filming Dora-heita.[11]

Many years later, after the deaths of the other three partners, Ichikawa was able to produce the film.[12][13] The film includes cinematography by Yukio Isohata and a musical score by Kensaku Tanikawa.[2]

The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000[14] and the Japanese Film Festival. [15]

Reception

Variety gave a mixed review and said the film lacks energy and muscularity of samurai classics of the 1950s and 60s but noted the solid production, efficient camerawork, and striking musical score.[2] The Times Online called it "a witty, mellow period film".[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "DORA-HEITA" (PDF). Berlin International Film Festival. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Stratton, David (5 March 2000). "Reviews - Dora-Heita". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ^ John Berra (2012). Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2. Intellect Books. pp. 146–. ISBN 978-1-84150-551-0.
  4. ^ Dora-Heita : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video
  5. ^ John Pym (2010). Time Out Film Guide. Time Out Guides Limited. pp. 286–. ISBN 978-1-84670-208-2.
  6. ^ David Carter (4 November 2010). East Asian Cinema. Oldcastle Books, Limited. pp. 82–. ISBN 978-1-84243-380-5.
  7. ^ "Kon Ichikawa, Japanese Film Director, Dies at 92". New York Times
  8. ^ 13 Assassins | East Bay Express
  9. ^ Stuart Galbraith IV (16 May 2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. pp. 415–. ISBN 978-1-4616-7374-3.
  10. ^ Mark Schilling (1999). Contemporary Japanese Film. Weatherhill. ISBN 978-0-8348-0415-9.
  11. ^ "Dora-Heeita - overview". New York Times.
  12. ^ "dora-heita". Coffee, coffee and more coffee. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  13. ^ Midnight Eye review: Carmen Comes Home (Karumen Kyo ni Kaeru, 1951, Keisuke KINOSHITA)
  14. ^ Obituary: Kon Ichikawa | Film | The Guardian
  15. ^ cinema.com.my: Features - 10 movies lined up for Japanese Film Festival 2008
  16. ^ "Obituaries - Kon Ichikawa". The Times Online. 11 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2024.