Japan KL Foundation Movies (Feb)

When the Rain Lifts (Ame Agaru)
Color/Vista/92 min.
Director:Takashi KOIZUMI
Setting: Tokyo in the 1990s

Date: 18 February 2006 Saturday at 4:30pm
Venue: Malaysia Tourism Centre (MTC)
Admission: Free

Story: With the river in flood after heavy rains, a group of travelers is stranded at a small country inn. Among them are Ihei Misawa, a poor ronin, or masterless samurai, and his wife, Tayo.
As the rain continues tensions rise among the guests at the inn, and Ihei takes it upon himself to cheer everyone up by arranging for a splendid feast. He has no money, however, and to pay for it goes into the local castle town and bets again the masters of the fencing dojos there. This “prize-fighting” is something at which he excels, although he tends to be somewhat clumsy in his human relations, but it is also something far beneath the dignity of a man of the samurai class.
The following day he steps in to prevent a duel between two young samurai, members of the house of Shigeaki, the lord of the domain. Shigeaki is impressed with Ihei’s skill, invites him back to the castle, and offer to make him fencing master to the fief.
Ihei, who has had bad luck in his employment at other fief, is delighted, but the fencing masters of the castle town are not : they feel the position should go to one of them.
Ifei demonstrates his fencing abilities before the assembled members of Shigeaki’s fief, but concludes by inadvertently knocking Shigeaki into his own garden pond. Shigeaki storms off in a rage.
Shigeaki’s advisors learn of Ihei’s prize-fighting, and Ihei is told he is not suitable for the position. Tayo tells Shigeaki’s chief retainer that it is more important why a man does something than what that man actually does, and the couple sets out on their interrupted journey.
Shigeaki hears of this conversation, orders his horse made ready, and leads a group of his closest retainers after Ihei and his wife…
NOTES: Script based on a Shugoro Yamamoto short story written by Akira Kurosaw




The Twilight Samurai

(Colour / 2002 / 129 min)
Director:Yoji YAMADA (山田 洋次)

Date: 18 February 2006 Saturday at 7pm
Venue: Malaysia Tourism Centre (MTC)
Admission: Free

Synopsis
A low-ranking samurai, Seibei IGUCHI, is a widower, barely supporting his two young children and old senile mother on his meager salary. Every evening at twilight, he goes home directly after work, refusing all offers to drink and eat with fellow samurai. His coworkers call him “Twilight Seibei” behind his back.
Taking notice of his swordsmanship, the superiors of his clan order him to assassinate a certain samurai.

Director
Yoji Yamada was born in Osaka in 1931. He started his career as film director in 1961. Among his 76 films he directed, a series of film “Tora-san” with 48 episodes, which has been produced over the last 26 years, is one of the reasons that made him one of the most famous and popular directors in Japan.

Note
This film was highly praised at Japan Academy Awards, invited to the 53rd Berlin Film Festival, and nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards.