Movielogr
Dotanba (1956)
Directed by Ryûzô Kikushima
Overview
Based on a 1956 television feature on Japan’s national network, NHK, this is one of Uchida’s rarest films. A socially conscious drama with a contemporary backdrop, Dotanba focuses on the attempts to rescue a group of trapped miners. The title is a figure of speech — (essentially “last minute” or “eleventh hour”) — that refers to a situation of peril. The film boasts a script co-written by Uchida and Akira Kurosawa’s frequent screenwriter, Shinobu Hashimoto, and stars Kurosawa’s frequent star Takashi Shimura.
Length 97 minutes
Actors
Rentarô Mikuni | Kô Nishimura | Daisuke Katô | Taiji Tonoyama | Jun Tatara | Keiko Tsushima | Chôko Iida | Murasaki Fujima | Akitake Kôno | Noriko Sengoku | Masao Oda | Yasumi Hara | Kyosuke Aihara | Fumiya Takahata | Kenzô Tabu | Akira Nagoya | Kanta Mori | Yūnosuke Itō | Keiko Amaji | Masakazu Kuwayama