Stray Dog (film)
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| 野良犬 Stray Dog |
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| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Produced by | Sojiro Motoki |
| Written by | Akira Kurosawa Ryuzo Kikushima |
| Starring | Toshirô Mifune Takashi Shimura |
| Music by | Fumio Hayasaka |
| Cinematography | Asakazu Nakai |
| Editing by | Toshio Goto Yoshi Sugihara |
| Distributed by | Toho |
| Release date(s) |  Oct 17, 1949 |
| Running time | 122 min |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| IMDb profile | |
- For the 1991 film by Mamoru Oshii, see Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops.
Stray Dog (野良犬 Nora inu?) is a 1949 film noir police procedural directed by Akira Kurosawa.
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[edit] Plot
Rookie homicide detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) frantically seeks his stolen Colt pistol , which to his intense shame had been pickpocketed on a bus. The manhunt soon gains focus when the first victim is found and an older and wiser detective, Sato (Takashi Shimura) takes Murakami under his wing. The action throughout takes place during a brutal heatwave in a still partially bombed-out post-war Tokyo.
Quote: "A stray dog sees only what it chases." --Detective Sato
[edit] Commentary
Stray Dog is a commentary on the desperate social conditions of post-war Japan. Kurosawa emphasizes mood (post-war) and atmosphere (heat), and at points even uses very stylized "internationalist" collages to portray Murakami's initially inchoate search for his police pistol.
"Stray Dog is, I think, Kurosawa’s first masterpiece. And that’s the excitement you feel when you watch the movie today: it’s the thrill of seeing a great filmmaker come of age." --Terrence Rafferty
[edit] Influence
The film was twice remade as Nora inu (1973) and Too Much Sleep (1997).
[edit] Awards
At the 1950 Mainichi Film Concours it won awards for Best Actor (Takashi Shimura), Best Film Score (Fumio Hayasaka), Best Cinematography (Asakazu Nakai) and Best Art Direction (So Matsuyama).
[edit] Partial cast
- Toshirô Mifune as Det. Murakami
- Takashi Shimura as Det. Sato
- Keiko Awaji as Harumi Namiki, showgirl
- Eiko Miyoshi as Harumi's mother
- Fumiko Honma as Wooden Tub Shop woman
- Isao Kimura as Yusa
- Minoru Chiaki as Girlie Show director
- Ichirô Sugai as Yayoi Hotel owner
- Gen Shimizu as Police Inspector Nakajima
- Noriko Sengoku
- Teruko Kishi
- Eijirô Tono
[edit] Technical information
black-and-white - 4:3 - 35 mm - Mono
[edit] External links
- Stray Dog at the Internet Movie Database
- Criterion Collection essay by Terrence Rafferty
- Criterion Collection essay by Chris Fujiwara
- Dvd review by Gary Morris
| Japanese Cinema |  |
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| Films directed by Akira Kurosawa | ||
| 1940s | Sanshiro Sugata | The Most Beautiful | Sanshiro Sugata Part II | The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail | Those Who Make Tomorrow | No Regrets for Our Youth | One Wonderful Sunday | Drunken Angel | The Quiet Duel | Stray Dog | |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | Scandal | Rashomon | The Idiot | Ikiru | Seven Samurai | I Live in Fear | Throne of Blood | The Lower Depths | The Hidden Fortress | |
| 1960s | The Bad Sleep Well | Yojimbo | Sanjuro | High and Low | Red Beard | |
| 1970s | Dodesukaden | Dersu Uzala | |
| 1980s | Kagemusha | Ran | |
| 1990s | Dreams | Rhapsody in August | Madadayo | |
