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One Wonderful Sunday PG rating

Kurosawa’s bitter-sweet story of young love set in the devastation of post-war Tokyo.

Drama 1947 109 mins

Director: Akira Kurosawa

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Overview

Akira Kurosawa strikes an unfamiliar tone for this bitter-sweet story of young love set in the devastation of post-war Tokyo, reminiscent of Frank Capra’s social realist comedies.

Much as Richard Linklater would adopt nearly fifty years later with Before Sunrise, this is a date story told entirely over on evening. Yuzo and his fiancée, Masako, spend a Sunday jaunting around Tokyo with only 35 cents to their names, but still manage to have a great time despite their adversities. The message for struggling Japanese post-war audiences is plain to see, which is why the film resembles Depression-era Hollywood in its outlook of tainted optimism. Look out for an innovative instance of breaking the fourth wall in the final act.

Director
Akira Kurosawa
Featuring
Isao NumasakiChieko NakakitaIchiro Sugai
Genres
Drama
Certificate
PGContains mild language
Released
1947
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese with English subtitles