Madadayo (1993)

87% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(3,066 ratings)

Akira Kurosawa's swansong is a delicate, sentimental portrait of his long avowed hero, educator and literary figure Hyakken Uchida. At the film's opening, Uchida -- a professor of German literature at a military school where he is beloved for his wisdom and his impish humor -- is delivering his… More Akira Kurosawa's swansong is a delicate, sentimental portrait of his long avowed hero, educator and literary figure Hyakken Uchida. At the film's opening, Uchida -- a professor of German literature at a military school where he is beloved for his wisdom and his impish humor -- is delivering his final lecture to his adoring students. Near the end of the speech, one student in the back rises up and declares, without guile or irony, that their teacher is "pure gold, gold without any impurities." He retires to his small Tokyo home to concentrate on his writing and to be with his wife (Kyoko Kagawa). In spite of his emeritus status, the bond between him and his students remains strong. Two students (Hisashi Igawa and George Tokoro) decide to tease their teacher by breaking into his house to steal his bowler. Uchida responds by placing a sign reading "Burglar's Entrance" over his garden door. In spite of an Allies raid on Tokyo, which levels his house, forcing he and his wife to move to an even more modest abode, Uchida's wit remains sharp and spirits remain high. The loss of his cat, Nora, proves to be a much more heartbreaking affair. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 14 min.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Apr 7, 2001
Studio: Winstar Cinema

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
A lifetime of moviemaking -- Kurosawa was 83 when he made it -- seems to have pared down his technique to its essentials.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
It's not one of Kurosawa's great films; the compass of feeling is, in the end, too narrow, the scope of human reference too restricted. But it is, within its own proportions, nearly perfect.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is the kind of film we would all like to make, if we were very old and very serene. There were times when I felt uncannily as if Kurosawa were filming his own graceful decline into the night.
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
This warm, celebratory and very public film is punctuated by sudden and luminous private visualizations.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Kurosawa's swan song is a personal and overly sentimental story of a real-life retired university professor and literary figure.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
The movie is a study in quiet revelations.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
The giant who walked among us is no more. We are fortunate to have the cinematic legacy he left.
Rachel Gordon, Filmcritic.com
A sweetly overlong portrayal of an interconnected community whose center is a beloved professor.
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine
Sad and agonizing, it nonetheless allows Kurosawa to demonstrate his uniquely optimistic view of the world.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
The film is warm, whimsical, tender, and genuinely heartfelt.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Beautiful and funny.
Kevin Lally, Film Journal International
A masterly work, with Kurosawa, then 83, still capable of surprising an audience and creating indelible images.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

danny d

the farewell address from the greatest director in history. while this film is nowhere near one of kurosawas best, it is still very good. just watching kurosawa direct a film with modern developments in cinematography was a treat. the diologue was as profound as usual in kurosawas… More
the farewell address from the greatest director in history. while this film is nowhere near one of kurosawas best, it is still very good. just watching kurosawa direct a film with modern developments in cinematography was a treat. the diologue was as profound as usual in kurosawas scripts, and the broad sense of the story was intriguing. the only thing holding this film back was a 40 minute span of the film that seemed like a titanic waste of time where the professor and his students mourn feverishly over a lost cat. i actually cried for a week when my cat died so i actually kind of get it, but pausing an otherwise genius story for 40 minutes for this cat story felt misplaced, purposeless, and made for bad movie watching. really, its the only wasted section of any kurosawa film that he ever made. despite this, the film is profound and worth watching.
Gevvy S

The perfect last film for Kurosawa to make in my mind. The professor never seems to shrink away from living his life despite his age and not really having any solid goals to fulfill in retirement. The main character is absolutely endearing because he never runs out of funny things to… More
The perfect last film for Kurosawa to make in my mind. The professor never seems to shrink away from living his life despite his age and not really having any solid goals to fulfill in retirement. The main character is absolutely endearing because he never runs out of funny things to say and is amiably eccentric. The film suffers from being a bit overlong, a little too much group singing to transition to different points, and is somewhat sentimentalized at points. These faults that would've made another directors film unbearable are but mere blemishes on this film. The 60th birthday party for the professor is a terrific and fun sequence which shows such great camaraderie between all the students and the professor. The missing cat subplot was hard to get into because it was difficult to relate to the importance of the cat despite the film's attempts to explain the significance of the cat to the professor. The film did succeed in showing that the professor was indeed deeply invested in the cat emotionally. This film is great because it illustrated for me the pleasure in friendship and the importance of allowing yourself to enjoy life without trying to force anything.
Anthony V

Sometimes amusing, often touching story of a retired Japanese professor during WWII, who inspires devotion from his former students. A great metaphor for Kurosawa himself, fittingly his last film as director. Beautifully shot, and the characters feel very real.