| Rhapsody in August | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Screenplay by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Based on | Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata |
| Produced by | Hisao Kurosawa |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
|
| Music by | Shin’ichirō Ikebe |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Languages | Japanese and English |
| Box office | ¥820 million (Japan rentals)[1] $9 million (overseas)[2] |
Rhapsody in August (八月の狂詩曲, Hachigatsu no rapusodī or Hachigatsu no kyōshikyoku)[a] is a 1991 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa based on the novel Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata.[6] The story centers on an elderly hibakusha, who lost her husband in the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, caring for her four grandchildren over the summer. She learns of a long-lost brother, Suzujiro, living in Hawaii who wants her to visit him before he dies. American film star Richard Gere appears as Suzujiro's son Clark. The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[7]
Rhapsody in August is one of only three sole-directed Kurosawa movies to feature a female lead, and the first in nearly half a century. The others are The Most Beautiful (1944) and No Regrets for Our Youth (1946). However, Kurosawa also directed most of the female-led Uma (1941), on which he was credited as assistant director.[8]
- ^ "1991年邦画作品配給収入". Kinema Junpo (1992年（平成4年）2月下旬号). Kinema Junposha: 144. 1992.
- ^ "Focus Japan". Focus Japan. Japan External Trade Organization: 4. 1992. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
In 1991 the industry's top overseas earner, at $9 million, was "Rhapsody in August" the 29th feature film by 82-year-old Akira Kurosawa.
- ^ Shochiku official web site (Japanese) Archived 2007-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Akira Kurosawa, Masato Harada. (1995). Akira Kurosawa Talks (黒澤明語る Kurosawa Akira kataru). Benesse Corporation (Japanese)
- ^ Kazuko Kurosawa. (2004). Papa, Akira Kurosawa (パパ、黒澤明 Papa, Kurosawa Akira), page 306. Bungei Shunjū. (Japanese)
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (December 23, 1991). "MOVIE REVIEW: War, Reconciliation in Kurosawa's 'Rhapsody'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ Conrad, David A. (2022). Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan. McFarland & Co.
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