RHAPSODY IN AUGUST (DVD/16X9/WS/1.85:1/JAPANESE/ENG-FR-SP-SUB/1991/ORIG THE DVD

Rhapsody in August
Master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa follows up on his phantasmorgic Dreams with this delicate tale about war and memory. The film centers on Kane (Sachiko Murase) a grandmother who lives on her traditional farm in the hills near Nagasaki. Her husband and a number of siblings died in the 1945 atomic bombing of the city and memories of that event are never far from her mind. She learns that her elder brother, who went to Hawaii to seek his fortune in pineapples, is on his deathbed and would very much like to see his sister one last time. Her half-American nephew Clark (played by none other than Richard Gere) is venturing to Nagasaki to escort her to Hawaii. Though the prospect of meeting a real live American excites Kane's four grandchildren who are staying with her for the summer and who often sport American college T-shirts, Kane remains ambivalent both about the prospects of going to the States, and about the dark memories Clark's presence dredges up. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Cast Richard Gere as Clark-Kane's Nephew Sachiko Murase as Kane - the Grandmother Mitsunori Isaki as Shinjiro - Tadao's Son Hidetaka Yoshioka as Tateo - Yoshie's Son Mie Suzuki as Minako - Yoshie's Daughter

Crew Yoshiro Muraki - Art Director Ishiro Honda - First Assistant Director Akira Kurosawa - Director Shinichiro Ikebe - Composer (Music Score) Masaharu Ueda - Cinematographer Takao Saito - Cinematographer Toru Okuyaman - Producer Hisao Kurosawa - Producer Yoshio Inoue - Producer Seikichi Iizumi - Producer Akira Kurosawa - Screenwriter Kiyoko Murata - Book Author

Rhapsody in August
(not reviewed)
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: Japanese Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DDS2.0: Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels of sound from a 2-channel stereo mix. Additional Features: cc Original theatrical trailer Original Japanese: stereo surround English, French and Spanish language subtitles DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 98 min Part of Series: MGM World Films   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Main Title [1:51] 2. A Letter From Hawaii [10:03] 3. Grandma's Lousy Cooking [2:29] 4. The Nagasaki Underneath [3:09] 5. Tour of a Crying Town [5:43] 6. Eleven Distant Names [8:27] 7. The Suicide Trees [2:42] 8. Silently Speaking [4:07] 9. Forever Drawing Eyes [4:52] 10. The Eye of the Flash [4:37] 11. Skinny Little Water Imp [4:36] 12. Dead Silent About Grandpa [3:04] 13. Financial Concerns [1:19] 14. A Necessary Reminder [4:16] 15. Clark's True Intentions [2:30] 16. "Very, Very Happy" [10:30] 17. Pictures of Uncle [2:32] 18. A Resting Place [3:24] 19. Back in Time [5:30] 20. End Credits [8:48]