Rhapsody in August (1991)

67% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(4,982 ratings)

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… More 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, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa, Kiyoko Murata
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 20, 1991 Wide
On DVD: Jul 1, 2003

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A beautiful reminder from octogenarian Akira Kurosawa that he's still the master.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Mr. Gere gives a good, self-effacing performance in a role that's a little unreal. He speaks his own Japanese dialogue easily and is at the center of one of Mr. Kurosawa's most breathtaking moments.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Plain and simple, Rhapsody is mediocre pap. It's nothing compared with his previous work.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
A delicately nuanced film about remembrance -- so delicate, perhaps, that it's not terribly memorable itself.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It is not one of his great films, but shows him thoughtfully trying to come to peace with the central event of his times.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A touching heartfelt film by the octogenarian legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
Kathleen Maher, Austin Chronicle
Kurosawa's lovely meditation on the nature of American-Japanese relations could not come at a better time.
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
It's proof, as if anyone needed it, that at 82, Kurosawa still possesses all of his artistic filmmaking powers.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

danny d

pretty decent film. a late film for kurosawa made toward the end of his life, its one of my least favorite of his but still a great watch. this is a film about 4 kids spending the summer with their grandma in nagasaki reliving the events of the atomic bomb in 1945. richard gere… More
pretty decent film. a late film for kurosawa made toward the end of his life, its one of my least favorite of his but still a great watch. this is a film about 4 kids spending the summer with their grandma in nagasaki reliving the events of the atomic bomb in 1945. richard gere appears in this film and was a little miscast. gere being in this film is maybe the only decision kurosawa has ever made that i would question, but this was still a solid film. a problem that i had as an american was that the japanese characters were a little condemning about the US dropping the a-bomb, which they have a right to be, but they never mention the fact that we dropped the bomb because they attacked us first. they make it sound like we dropped the a-bomb because we had nothing better to do that day. but it was still great to see the japanese perspective on a horific event in human history.
Dimitris S

Well,it isn't the worst Kurosawa,that's a gravity point.It's pathetic nonetheless.Piety and respect to the fruitful generation in spite of the elders' guidance and alternatively,the cycle continues by giving props to the what occurred in a critical epoch of a land… More
Well,it isn't the worst Kurosawa,that's a gravity point.It's pathetic nonetheless.Piety and respect to the fruitful generation in spite of the elders' guidance and alternatively,the cycle continues by giving props to the what occurred in a critical epoch of a land e.g. the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima/Nagasaki.Props as in mournful homage.All's well that end's well but what's the utter point for all this?Just for Gere commercial?
Anthony V

Not one of Kurosawa's best, bust visually stunning.
Leo L

Fantastic!