poe-48833 Within the past week or so, we've seen a video (which went "viral," as they say) showing cops in Los Angeles snatching blankets off of homeless people on a frigid winter night. We're told that there are currently 120, 000 homeless people living (if you can call it "living") on the streets of L.A. (There are approximately two Million shipping containers scattered across America, discarded by shipping companies once their cargo has been offloaded. I've worked in the belly of cargo ships, myself, and I've seen these containers up close. They would make GREAT homes for people who can't afford housing. They're cheap- between $500 and $2,000- and could be outfitted at little cost, then rented on a case by case basis to people who need shelter.) In DODESKADEN, Kurosawa gives us a collection of Free Poor struggling simply to survive to see the coming day. One of my favorites is the old man who is "robbed." Wise enough to understand what's going on, he GIVES the thief what he's come to steal and then promises to save up what he can for the thief's next visit; the thief leaves bowing thankfully. Another character was one I could relate to: the Beggar's son. Been there, done that, although I didn't end up the way the kid does. If you're one of those who tire of the endless s--- being cranked out by the Military Entertainment Complex and want to find something that deals with HUMAN characters caught up in Real Life Circumstances, check out DODESKADEN.

afreimann This is a wonderful film by the late, great Kurosawa. His ability to intimately portray human nature at it's worse and at it's best is almost unnerving in its accuracy. This film is a series of vignettes, following various residents of what looks like a landfill shanty town. The title is named for a young man who is obsessed with being a bus driver. The film is in Japanese, I believe subtitles are available. The stories are so well done, though, that it is easy to forget that you're watching a film in Japanese. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has not yet seen any of Kurosawa's works as it is my favorite and believe this film showcases his talents as a screenwriter and director brilliantly. Expect to laugh, cry, and basically ride the entire gamut of human emotion through the watching of this film.

gerold-firl Dodes'ka-den is the monotonous sound of the trolley clickety-clacking down the rails; the mindless drone of a brain damaged or retarded "trolley freak" acting out his repetitive fantasy in the Tokyo city dump where he lives with his long-suffering mother; and, a cinematic masterpiece from Kurosawa.The film doesn't have a traditional plot, it's a snapshot of the lives of a strange ensemble of characters who live in the dump. (In much of the third world today, municipal dumps are inhabited by poor people who scavenge trash to make their living. It wasn't that long ago that the same was true in the US, by the way. In the late 1800's the NYC dump was home to a population of desperate scavengers too.) Kurosawa does his usual brilliant job of creating a full spectrum of characters, except that here most of them are damaged and dysfunctional. Kurosawa is loved for his portrayals of honor, courage, and heroism. Some find it more difficult to appreciate his unblinking examination of loss, failure, wickedness and despair. This film lays bare some of the dark corners of the human heart, and presents the full spectrum of human reality, warts and all - but with an emphasis on the warts.It's not a dark film nonetheless. These tragic blighted lives are shown with zen clarity and humor. We see a cross-section of human psychology, both good and bad, and the genius of Kurosawa makes it clear that each of us share the feelings and foibles of these Tokyo dregs.

wiggly94568 I first saw this movie as a pre-teen, about the age when kids start to think through their identity. I was greatly affected by the scene of the man and the children who he raises as his own. The eldest boy has been taunted that his mother is a prostitute and none of his siblings have the same biological father (which Kurosawa makes obvious by having children who look nothing like each other). The man still persuades tho boy that he is their father by the only definition that counts. The man is acclaimed to be father by all of the children but one, who still prefers her brother.Each of the vignettes are likewise compelling for their own stories and conclusions.It's a great film, even if it is not the greatest Kurosawa film.