Madadayo

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A DAIEI PRODUCTION

Produced by DAIEI STUDIOS,

DENTSU and KUROSAWA

PRODUCTIONS:

General Producers - YASUYOSHI

TOKUMA and GOHEI KOGURE

AN AKIRA KUROSAWA FILM

MADADAYO:

He's coming!

All rise.

Bow.

Be seated.

Someone's been smoking.

Smoking is forbidden

in the classroom.

However...

that just makes you want

to do it all the more.

When I'm

in the faculty room...

and I hear the bell

and begin heading to class,

I suddenly

feel the urge to smoke.

I light a cigarette.

Then, despite myself,

I light another, and another.

So I'm always

20 to 30 minutes late.

But Professor,

what happened today?

It's been more than 30 years

since people began

calling me "professor."

During that time,

like water running

from an open faucet

onto a dirt floor

and into a ditch,

students have drifted away

before my eyes, year after year.

It's impossible to remember

each and every face.

However...

there's one among them

that I remember vividly.

That face belongs to a boy

who slept through class

with his eyes open.

Takayama...

that master snoozer

was your father.

By the way, gentlemen...

today's the last day

for me to be called "professor."

As of today...

I am resigning

my professorship.

Somehow...

my writings

have found a market.

I can make a living off them.

That's not to say...

that I dislike teaching.

But as they say, "He who chases

two hares catches neither,"

so I'm quitting teaching.

Professor.

Even if you quit,

you'll still be our professor.

My dad graduated from this school,

and so did his friends.

To this day

they still call you Professor.

They also say you're pure gold.

Pure gold?

A lump of gold

with no impurities.

I guess they mean

you're a true professor.

You're our German professor,

but I feel you've taught us

a lot of other

very valuable lessons.

TOKYO, 1943

From a distant island

Whose name I don't know

A lone coconut

Drifts ashore

You left the shore of your home...

This is the house

our professor moved into

after he quit teaching.

Ma'am, put the professor

away somewhere.

He's in the way.

Dear.

Put that in the front hallway.

I plan to turn the hallway

into my study.

While I work

I'll also be the gatekeeper,

protecting the house

from invasion

by riffraff like you gentlemen.

RECEIVING DAYS:

1ST AND 15TH OF THE MONTH

VISITORS PROHIBITED

ON OTHER DAYS:

I wonder if it'll be all right.

What?

The rent here is cheap

for such a nice house.

I knew something was fishy.

When I went to buy these noodles,

the shop lady told me

that this house

gets broken into a lot.

Nobody lives here for long.

It stood vacant

for quite a while.

Who cares about burglars?

There's nothing

worth stealing here.

Still... I'm a bit frightened.

Don't worry.

Nobody will break in.

I'm certain of it.

I've been afraid of burglars

ever since I was a child,

so I've tried to find ways

to keep them out.

I've devised a sure-fire method.

Really, sir?

Yes, really.

One o'clock.

The dead of night,

when burglars come out.

I'll go over this wall

and open the wicket.

You go in through there.

Wait a minute.

Aren't we acting like burglars?

I thought we were worried

about what his wife said,

so we're here to check

his precautionary measures.

How can we check them

unless we really try to break in?

Look at that.

What a joke!

"Don't worry," he said.

"Just leave it to me," he said.

It's unbelievable.

BURGLAR'S ENTRANCE

BURGLAR'S PASSAGE

BURGLAR'S LOUNGE

BURGLAR'S EXI Score one for him.

I stole this to get even.

Isn't that his hat?

He wore this as an army instructor.

He shouldn't need it anymore.

I'll keep it as a memento.

It'll make a fine family heirloom.

What about the wicket?

What about it?

It's still unlocked.

You have to climb over, lock it,

then climb back.

It's risky leaving it like that.

Really? All right.

Get down!

- What is it?

- Someone's coming.

Oh no! It's a cop!

Is it okay leaving it

open like that?

Sure.

Any burglar who saw those signs

would rush right out.

He's really something.

Yeah, pure gold.

Professor!

We got your invitation,

and we all decided to come.

Come right in.

We can't with you sitting there.

You look like a scribe

or fortune-teller.

What can I say?

I'm a man of letters.

He uses these to beat

visitors away at the door.

Not to mention that

anybody who reads this will run away.

A waka poem by Nampo Ota.

"In this world of ours /

A visitor at your door / Is really a pain

Having said that, however /

That does not apply to you."

By our host:

"In this world of ours /

A visitor at your door / Is a true pleasure.

Having said that, however /

That does not apply to you."

Hello.

Come in.

Hello.

Welcome.

Is it good like that?

There are only five cushions,

so only I will use one.

I think

that's rude to your guests,

but oh well!

What do you mean, "rude"?

You barge into my house

and pull out my sliding doors.

What kind of guests are you?

Professor, today isn't a visiting day.

Why did you invite us?

Today is a special day.

A special day?

The day I finally become

a genuine old geezer.

Today is my 60th birthday.

I've turned 60.

Is that true?

If we'd known,

we'd have thrown a huge party.

No, none of that.

We're at war.

This is no time for birthday parties.

I'd have forgotten

about it myself

if not for some venison

my relatives back home sent me.

I thought it would be

a good idea

to knock back a drink with you

over some venison.

We pitched in

for some beer and sake.

I appreciate that.

By the way,

how many of you are there here?

Sixteen, sir.

I wonder if we have

enough pots and stoves.

If not, we'll go buy some.

Oh, sorry.

Gentlemen.

Happy birthday!

Please make yourselves

comfortable.

I sit this way because

it's most comfortable for me.

Please start cooking

your venison.

Ma'am, please join us.

Don't worry about her.

Actually, she can't.

She's never eaten horse meat.

Horse meat, sir?

Isn't this venison?

We got a whole lot of venison,

more than

the two of us could eat,

so I decided to invite you.

But considering

how big your stomachs are,

I realized it was quite

a meager amount.

Venison stew

is a rare delicacy,

but adding horse to the stew

adds a nice linguistic twist.

The characters for "horse"

and "deer" together mean "stupid."

I get it, sir.

You're calling us stupid.

Don't get me wrong.

Beef, pork, and chicken

are hard to come by now.

I happened to hear

that horse meat was available.

How "dear"

I thought it would be

to garnish the venison stew

with some horse.

I set out for a butcher's

quite far from here

and bought this horse meat.

What a tale of heroism!

For his beloved students,

an aged man whipping

his old bones to buy horse meat.

Just picture it.

Like the graduation song:

"We stand in awe

of our teacher's kind favor."

Gentlemen...

what's more, I found myself

in an awkward situation

at the butcher's.

That horse

was a charger

I had known quite well

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