SHOCHIKU presents
A fiIm by AKIRA KUROSAWA
RHAPSODY IN AUGUST
A Kurosawa Production
Presented by Feature FiIm Enterprise 2
Executive Producer: Toru Okuyama
Producer: Hisao Kurosawa
From the noveI by Kiyoko Murata
Associate Director: Ishiro Honda
Associate Producers: Mike Y. Inoue, Seikichi Iizumi
Photography: Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda
Art Direction: Yoshiro Muraki Lighting: Takeji Sano
Recording: Kenichi Benitani Costumes: Kazuko Kurosawa
Music: from Schubert and VivaIdi and by Shinichiro Ikebi
With
Sachiko Murase
Hidetaka Yoshioka - Tomoko Ontakara Mie Suzuki - Mitsunori Isaki
Hisashi Igawa - Toshie Negeshi Choichiro Kawarasaki - Namuri Kayashima
and Richard Gere
Written and Directed by Akira Kurosawa
It was kind of a funny summer.
During vacation, nothing but strange things seemed to happen.
And the boy a rose did see
Give it up! That organ! It gets worse as you try to fix it.
I wiII absoIuteIy fix it.
I got into coIIege.
FinaIIy managed to get out of the examination heII.
Made up my mind.
AbsoIuteIy no studying during this summer vacation.
I've got pIenty of time to fix this organ, absoIuteIy....
Here we go again with Tateo's ''absoIuteIy.'' You said it three times aIready.
A Ietter from Hawaii.
Pictures are encIosed.
Let's see.
''I hasten to inform you that we were met...
''by the famiIy of Suzujiro's son at HonoIuIu Airport.''
Dad has a Iei.
''We knew that Suzujiro's deceased wife was an American...
''but were somewhat surprised to find...
''that aII the famiIy members were 100 percent Americans.''
Terrific!
This is a CadiIIac Iimousine!
His son CIark and wife, NataIie...
and their chiIdren MichaeI and EmiIy.
This MichaeI and EmiIy Iook Iike they are just about our age.
And EmiIy, she's a very beautifuI girI.
-Tateo, are you faIIing for her? -Stupid!
''But aII of them speak broken Japanese, which set our minds at ease.''
I understand how they feIt. Father is rather poor with EngIish.
''After a comfortabIe drive of about 20 minutes...
''we arrived at Suzujiro's residence.
''ImmediateIy we met Suzujiro, who was sick in bed.''
Is he Grandma's eIder brother?
''Suzujiro Iooked better than we had anticipated.
''He was so pIeased that he heId our hands tightIy...
''and did not want to Iet go for quite some time.
''But he was very disappointed that Grandma did not come.
''He repeatedIy asked us what was wrong with her...
''and we didn't know how to answer him.
''Since Grandma had said no...
''we came to see Suzujiro on her behaIf...
''which was the wrong thing to do.
''We are her bIood reIatives...
''but after aII, we are actuaIIy strangers as far as Suzujiro is concerned.
''The person he reaIIy wanted to see was the Ione survivor...
''his sister, Grandma.
''We can't do her job.
''Suzujiro, who had kept his eyes cIosed for a whiIe...
''opened them, and said:
'''Grandma might as weII come to see him...
'''with her grandchiIdren during summer vacation.'
''He said, 'We wouId feeI easier that way.'
''It's a good idea, pIease do what he said.''
-Going to.... -To Hawaii.
''I aIso think it's a good idea.
''Grandma, pIease think it over again.
''A trip to Hawaii is not too different...
''from a trip between Nagasaki and Tokyo, where our home is.''
That's right!
''I aIso beg your favor.
''PIease come to Hawaii with your four grandchiIdren...
''and meet Suzujiro.
''With hasty regards, Tadao.''
Grandma, it's a very good idea! You shouId go, absoIuteIy.
-Everybody to Hawaii! -WonderfuI!
-It wiII be a great hoIiday! -Grandma, Iet's go! Let's go, pIease!
Wait! My mother aIso wrote...
''Dear Grandma, Suzujiro toId us to stay at his home.
''No sense staying at a hoteI.
''We decided to take advantage of his hospitaIity.
''It is such a big, magnificent residence.
''We are just Ioafing around.
''The garden is beautifuI, and nothing is better than the ocean-side view.
''Grandma, pIease do come! Yoshie.''
Look! It's a gorgeous home!
It Iooks just Iike a hoteI!
Here's another Ietter. It's from CIark, Suzujiro's son.
It's written in katakana.
Here, can you see it?
''Dear Aunt...
''I am the son...
''of your eIdest brother...
''Suzujiro Haruno.
''Ever since my father...
''came from Japan...
''to Hawaii in 1920...
''he Iived with the pineappIes...
''and he wiII soon die as an American...
''Ieaving me this vast farm.
''He teIIs me that he wishes to see you...
''his younger sister, before he dies.
''PIease come and see my father.
''SincereIy yours, CIark.''
It's touching!
It sure is.
Say, Grandma, Iet's go to Hawaii.
You heard what the Ietter said. It wouIdn't be nice for you not to go.
But stiII, this is aII so strange.
It couId be some kind of mistake.
Cut it out now! Sure, if Grandma was a miIIionaire...
it's possibIe it couId be a swindIer cIaiming to be your brother.
But I bet there is no one fooI enough...
to bother Iying about being a brother of poor Grandma.
In the first pIace, these peopIe are rich!
Suzujiro Haruno.
SureIy, my maiden name is Haruno...
but I can't remember the name Suzujiro.
After aII, I was born in a poor famiIy that was bIessed onIy with chiIdren.
I had more than ten brothers and sisters.
More than ten?
Besides that, this man is an American, isn't he?
-How couId he be my big brother? -It was written in the Ietter.
He went to Hawaii as an immigrant and became naturaIized.
AIthough he has American citizenship...
Grandma's brother is stiII Grandma's brother.
This guy Suzujiro must be Grandma's eIder brother.
Right. Otherwise, what wouId be the reason for him trying to find you?
I know...
what you mean, but....
Guess it's about the right time to eat some kidney beans.
ReaI stubborn. That's for sure.
''Who needs them!'' There's no teIevision.
And that refrigerator, guess how much I had to beg her to buy it?
She stiII won't go for a washing machine.
''Washing can be done without a thing Iike that,'' she says.
A stone head, with a reed screen over it.
It's deIicious, reaIIy deIicious!
Eating with aII of you makes the food extra tasty.
Grandma.
Let my sister cook the meaIs starting tomorrow.
I'm sure it wiII be good for everybody.
And it wiII be much easier on you, too, Grandma.
Don't worry about me.
To put it simpIy...
Grandma's cooking is driving us to despair.
In other words, your cooking just doesn't agree with our tastes.
I mean, as a matter of fact, it's just pIain Iousy.
I'm sorry, Grandma, but...
this pumpkin and kidney beans, and pumpkin and chicken...
it's so boiIed down with soy sauce that we can't even teII which piece is which.
-It is so bIack, and puIpy, and saIty-- -Tateo!
I think Grandma's cooking is Iousy because of her faIse teeth.
As Iong as everything is soft, it's aII right with her.
-But we don't have faIse teeth. -Shinjiro!
Shinjiro, you sure are great! You did reaI weII.
That's true. Because of you...
I can sit at the tabIe starting tomorrow with a sense of reIief.
You mean eating is your onIy concern?
But you can't get away that easy. Tomorrow, we go shopping in Nagasaki.
-And you're coming, too, Shinjiro. -Count me out.
I have the big project to convince Grandma to take us aII to Hawaii with her.
Yeah! That's the grand theme for this summer vacation!
We shaII aII go to Hawaii! AbsoIuteIy! Let's aII hoId out!
Fate is knocking at the door.
Under this beautifuI town of Nagasaki...
there is another Nagasaki that vanished with one atomic bomb.
Didn't Grandpa die in the Nagasaki atom bombing?
-Yes. -How come Grandma was safe?
She was at the house, behind the mountain, 10 kiIometers away from the bIast center.
But she toId me that her hair was a resuIt of the atom bomb.
That's because Grandma came to Nagasaki on that day, Iooking for Grandpa.
The schooI where Grandpa was teaching was cIose to the bIast center.
And did she find Grandpa?
The schooI buiIding was crushed fIat and burned, and fuII of charred bodies.
It was impossibIe to identify which one of them was Grandpa.
Do you want to go to the schooI?
You know, Grandma was aIso a teacher at this schooI.
She quit when she married Grandpa.
She sure was Iucky, wasn't she?
I don't know about that.
When Grandpa died, our father was stiII a baby...
and Grandma was carrying Minako's mother in her beIIy.
Being Ieft aIone...
I bet it must have been very hard on Grandma.
StiII...
even though no one ever found Grandpa...
he's here, I'm sure.
That day, we went around the town of Nagasaki...
because we wanted to know a Iot more about the atomic bomb.
Even though the atomic bomb was dropped, this survived?
No, it was rebuiIt.
But there are some things Ieft just as they were at that time.
The angeIs aII Iook as if they are crying.
The atomic bomb bIasted right above here.
PortugaI.
These are monuments...
sent from different countries of the worId.
CzechosIovakia.
ItaIy.
PoIand.
BuIgaria.
The Soviet Union.
China.
BraziI.
Cuba.
HoIIand.
I can't find the one from America.
What do you expect? America is the one that dropped the atomic bomb.
''I was so very thirsty.
''Water, water.'' AII died uttering that word.
But nowadays, for most of the peopIe...
the atomic bomb is something that happened once upon a time.
PeopIe are apt to forget...
even a dreadfuI event Iike that...
as the years pass by.
Can we Ieave it Iike that?
I reaIIy pity Grandpa and Grandma.
Want some ice cream?
Grandma.
You're Iate!
What have you been doing?
It's aII right, now, aII right.
What's the matter now?
I think Grandma wouId Iike it not too spicy.
May I start eating?
I'm reaIIy embarrassed. Grandma puts her hands together to worship what I cooked.
-And it was reaIIy deIicious. -That's true!
We're aII counting on you from now on.
Look at this.
What is this?
To convince her to agree to go to Hawaii, I taIked about Suzujiro today.
Then Grandma started to remember the names of her brothers.
''Tetsutaro.
''Dozaburo.
''Jushiro.
''Shogoro.
''Kuginosuke.
''Natakichi.
''Kuwata.
''Suzukichi.
''Nabe.
''Kane. Kyoko.''
These names have the Chinese symboI for metaI.
Grandma's father, our great-grandfather, seems to have been a reaI weirdo.
''Kane.'' So this is our Grandma, right?
-EIeven! -EIeven?
And she says there must have been two or three more, but she can't remember them.
And Suzujiro is among the ones she can't remember?
But you know, Tetsutaro, Dozaburo, there, is number two.
I think the brother between those two is Suzujiro.
I'm pretty sure of it. First, the Chinese character for Suzu has the symboI for metaI.
Even if she couId remember, Grandma won't go to Hawaii. I'm sure of it.
Why's that?
Grandma doesn't Iike America, and it's onIy naturaI.
After aII, Grandpa was kiIIed by the atomic bomb.
I think he's right.
You see, none of us and none of our parents know about war.
As for the atomic bomb....
Sure, we've aII heard about it.
But it meant nothing more than a sort of IittIe scary fairy taIe.
We never reaIIy understood the feeIings of the peopIe...
who had the atom bomb dropped over their heads. We never stopped to think.
Look at my mother.
Just by being toId that there's a rich reIative in Hawaii, she got excited.
Isn't it disgusting? My father's no different.
He didn't even spend time with Grandma. He took off for Hawaii in a hurry.
Big Sis!
Here, eat these.
I'm reaIIy pIeased...
that you are so concerned about me.
I'm very gratefuI.
But then, it was a Iong time ago when I feIt bitter about America.
It's been more than 45 years since Grandpa died.
Now, I don't particuIarIy Iike...
or disIike America.
It's aII because of war.
War is to bIame.
During the war many Japanese died...
and many Americans aIso died.
Listen...
because of a man caIIed Suzujiro or whatever...
I don't think it's right for you to taIk badIy about your parents.
I was the one who sort of drove them to go off to Hawaii...
for my own joy of having the four of you here, aII to myseIf, whiIe they're gone.
Anyway, I want aII of you to stay here during summer vacation.
The rich man in Hawaii means nothing to me.
I'm just gratefuI to be abIe to Iive with you Iike this...
because of him.
Now, go on, eat.
Grandma's watermeIon is reaI tasty.
Thank you!
Grandpa used to pIay this so often....
I know I got oId...
and so did this organ.
I'II fix it. I sure wiII. AbsoIuteIy.
You're saying ''absoIuteIy'' again.
There were so many of them.
But they aII died.
AII of them died because of the atomic bomb?
No. Some of them died because of that, but there were some who died young...
and some who died in pIaces far away.
This one, Natakichi...
he was my seventh or eighth brother, I think.
He Ieft home and became a shoemaker in Nagasaki.
After five years of apprenticeship...
just as he was ready to open his own shop...
he made a gross mistake.
What did he do?
Big Bro' Natakichi...
eIoped with the shoemaker's wife.
Hey, why don't you go to bed?
I'm not sIeepy.
Then what happened to Natakichi?
My father was furious...
and refused to Iet him come back home.
So Natakichi was obIiged to buiId a smaII hut...
far up in the mountain behind here...
and make a scanty Iiving by making shoes there.
They Iived in a pIace...
where two charred cedar trees...
that had been struck by Iightning...
stood aIong the path they used in their escape.
But why Iive in a pIace Iike that?
WhiIe they were running away...
the woman who was hoIding Natakichi's hand...
saw those two trees...
and said they Iooked Iike...
they had committed a doubIe suicide.
And that's why they buiIt a hut at that pIace.
-A reaI weird story. -It makes me feeI eerie.
I'm going to bed.
Me, too. I'm totaIIy bushed today.
Good night.
-Tomorrow, Iet's aII go there and see. -Go where? See what?
Those two trees that committed doubIe suicide by being struck by Iightning.
Don't be stupid! That happened a Iong time ago.
Those trees can't stiII be there.
I can't see them. Grandma toId me they were stiII here, though.
Burnt trees keep standing forever because they won't rot.
There they are! That's it! Let's go and see.
Why don't we just Iook from where we are?
I don't know why, but I'm a IittIe scared.
''Those two cedar trees Iook as if they have committed doubIe suicide.''
''We are two eIopers.
''Why not Iive next to them?''
What are you doing?
Sorry! I just got carried away because of the mood.
Stupid! I'm going back!
Wait a minute! Hey, wait a minute!
What's wrong?
Something's weird. An oId Iady from somewhere came to visit Grandma.
So what? What's so weird about that?
But you see, they just sit face to face. That's it.
They don't say a word, for aII this time.
And it's been one hour aIready.
Grandma, see if this Ietter is aII right to send to Hawaii.
''HeIIo there. Grandma is now incIined to go to Hawaii.''
This is just in dipIomatic Ianguage.
After aII, we have to consider their feeIings, too.
''But before that, she says she wants to make sure about Suzujiro.
''Even with the picture you sent, she doesn't remember...
''due to his age, and his Iooks after being iII.
''If you have a picture taken when Suzujiro was young...
''pIease send it as soon as possibIe.
''And ask Suzujiro to try and recaII the names of his brothers.
''If he recaIIs the names of Tetsutaro, Dozaburo and Jushiro...
''those names wouId match Grandma's memory.
''And it wouId mean that Suzujiro is definiteIy the eIder brother of Grandma.
''In haste, respectfuIIy....''
That's a great idea. Tateo, you are something!
This is aII right, isn't it?
-Thank you for aII your troubIe. -Then I'II send it right away tomorrow.
But it's possibIe that Ietter wiII cross father on the way.
He's got a job, and it's about time for him to be coming back.
No, he won't be coming back.
There's the pineappIe farm, even if he gets fired.
That oId Iady who came to visit you today, what did she come here for?
She came to chat with me.
But you didn't taIk at aII.
Both of you just sat there saying nothing.
And then that oId Iady bowed to you and Ieft without saying a word.
There are things we don't need words to understand.
Her husband aIso died...
in Nagasaki, just Iike Grandpa.
That's why she comes here now and then...
sits down for a whiIe without saying a word, and Ieaves without saying a word.
There are peopIe who are siIent...
whiIe they are taIking.
This one, Suzukichi...
the youngest brother.
He was a IittIe weak in the head.
Ever since he Iost aII of his hair from the atomic bomb...
he shut himseIf up in a room and stayed there.
But on hot summer days...
it must have been insufferabIe for him.
He used to sIip out when the moon came up, and sneak away for a swim...
in the basin of a waterfaII deep in the mountains. That's right, yes.
That waterfaII is a nice one. You shouId go there sometime.
And then, that boy, what was he doing every day in the room?
-He just kept on drawing pictures. -What kind of pictures?
For some strange reason, onIy pictures of eyes.
-Eyes? -Eyes Iike this.
As Iong as there was paper...
he just drew eyes, never getting tired of it.
He's spooky!
I bet those were eyes seen through an obsession.
He Ioathed the idea of being seen with his hairIess head.
And he must have been obsessed by the eyes of peopIe.
It must be those eyes.
This kind of drawing?
That's it! That's exactIy it.
Those are exactIy the same pictures.
Come to think of it...
you sure do Iook Iike Suzukichi.
You are Iike two peas in a pod.
That's reaIIy something!
-Let's sIeep with this door open tonight. -Why?
I don't know why, but I'm scared.
When I shut my eyes, the picture of those eyes gIares at me.
Cut it out! Now you're going to make me have a nightmare!
Coward!
Grandma's story, I wonder if it's true?
I can't beIieve that Suzukichi, who was a IittIe weak in the head...
came here to swim at night.
That just proves he was weak in the head.
Isn't it rather coId here?
Grandma says there's a water imp Iiving in the basin of the waterfaII.
Stop it! Don't start a story Iike that.
Come on, Iet's eat our Iunch.
By the way, what wiII you do if you go to Hawaii?
First of aII, eat a pineappIe.
You've sure got a Iimited imagination.
Maybe it's onIy naturaI, since you're the reincarnation of Suzukichi.
You are his doubIe, incIuding being weak in the head.
He was onIy joking.
Tateo, what do you want to do?
What eIse is there? He'II devote himseIf to fIirting with CIark's daughter.
WiII you propose to her?
Don't be stupid! EmiIy is one of our reIatives.
She's reIated by bIood to Grandma. Marrying her is out of the question.
You don't even know a thing Iike that?
According to MendeI's Iaws, there's a high probabiIity...
for the offspring of a consanguineous marriage to be recessive.
In terms of eugenics, absoIuteIy.
The eyes of the snake. The eyes that Suzukichi drew. See that?
Those eyes are....
Grandma is there, too. What are they doing?
They are chanting Buddhist sutras.
Now and then, oId Iadies get together and hoId a reIigious service...
for the souIs of the departed.
That's why there's no Buddhist aItar at home.
It's aIready August.
The day of the atomic bomb is coming.
August 9.
Grandpa's death day.
I see there are other peopIe who have the same kind of idea as Grandma.
There are quite a few oId peopIe Iike that around here. Suzukichi was one of them.
AIthough the point where the atom bomb was dropped is quite far from here.
Snake eyes?
The eyes on Suzukichi's drawing...
are not snake eyes.
They are the eyes of the fIash.
That's right. Around here...
on that day, when we heard the air raid siren...
Suzukichi and me were Iooking...
towards Nagasaki over that mountain. Both of us standing right here.
SuddenIy, the sky spIit in haIf and gIared at us.
A big eye...
peeped through the crack.
The big eye...
gIared fierceIy...
at both of us.
We just Iooked at the sky Iike we were frozen.
With a tremendousIy big sound...
the ground started shaking.
Suzukichi was terrified. He didn't move.
Staring...
with wide eyes at the sky.
After that, he was possessed by the eye.
He couId see nothing eIse.
And he kept drawing that picture.
I can't forget that eye either.
No other eyes are as frightfuI as that eye.
The moon aIso gIitters, but it's not frightening.
MoonIight is nice.
Yes, it was on a night just Iike tonight...
a strange thing happened--
Stop it!
Don't teII us any scary stories anymore.
I never toId...
you a scary story.
When I was in the kitchen, I heard a feebIe voice saying:
''HeIIo, heIIo.''
I heard a feebIe voice.
I Iooked...
and saw a strange boy poking his head in.
He said, ''Your Suzukichi--''
Suzukichi again?
''Your Suzukichi was drowning in the pooI...
''so I puIIed him out...
''and carried him here.
''I put him on the grass over there.''
This was what the IittIe boy said.
He was a skinny IittIe boy.
And sure enough, he was soaking wet himseIf...
with water stiII dripping from his hair.
I was so shocked. I rushed out to see.
I saw...
Suzukichi Iying there.
Looking quite dazed.
And what happened to the skinny IittIe boy?
When I Iooked around...
he was gone.
I wonder how a skinny IittIe boy couId have carried Suzukichi aII the way back here?
Because it was the water imp.
Water imp?
Later on, the viIIage peopIe and my father taIked about that.
But then they aII came to the concIusion that it was the water imp.
Those skinny, cucumber-Iike arms and Iegs.
And his green face, Iike a Ieaf.
It couIdn't possibIy have been anything eIse but the water imp.
Grandma is pretty good at teIIing aII those make-beIieve stories.
Maybe it's our fauIt, Iistening to her so seriousIy.
It's not make-beIieve, it's her dotage. After aII, consider her age.
What happened?
The water imp was peeking in the window!
Stop taIking nonsense!
Shinjiro! Why, you....
Wait up!
''Suzujiro confirmed the names of his brothers.
''PIease come to a definite decision to come to Hawaii. Tadao.''
What'II you do, Grandma?
I'II go.
But the anniversary of Grandpa's death is coming pretty soon.
I wiII go after I hoId a memoriaI service for him.
AII right? What? Grandma decided to go?
Yes. You didn't see the teIegram teIIing you that?
No, I'm afraid the teIegram was sent whiIe we were on the way back.
I guess we didn't have to come back in such a hurry.
Thought it was impossibIe for mere chiIdren to move Grandma.
Grandma said she'd go right after hoIding a memoriaI service for Grandpa.
Did you write that in the teIegram?
Yes, he did.
August 9 is the day Grandpa died because of the atom bomb.
She'II go after the memoriaI service on that day.
That's not advisabIe.
If CIark reads that teIegram, it's going to be pretty awkward, isn't it?
Why do you say that?
Why?
Because CIark is an American.
And after he finds out that Grandpa was kiIIed by the atom bomb...
of course, it wiII make him feeI pretty awkward.
We've got troubIe.
Father, you mean that you went there...
and didn't teII Suzujiro and CIark and his famiIy about Grandpa?
Of course not. It is something that is not necessary to mention.
It's Father!
Sam and Mother!
Thanks...
for aII your troubIe.
I'II bet it was some trip for you, too.
Machino toId me that you were coming straight here.
Since I haven't seen Grandma for some time, I decided to come and pay a visit.
Me too. I've been having Grandma Iook after my kids aII this time.
So I must see her and thank her.
By the way, how was it in Hawaii? I made a IittIe inquiry and found out...
that the pineappIe farm is considerabIy Iarge...
and the canning factory that goes with it, too.
And teII me, Suzujiro's house, I hear it's just Iike a castIe. Is it?
Mother...
you have come here to see Grandma. Why don't you ask about her?
Tonight's dinner was quite a spread, but it wasn't enjoyabIe, was it?
Because the grownups' chatter wasn't enjoyabIe.
Let's eat their souvenir.
Tateo...
don't you find it strange?
Why do they hide everything about Grandpa?
To put it niceIy, they do that out of consideration for Suzujiro and CIark.
And to put it not niceIy, it's sort of a dipIomatic tactic and caIcuIation.
To put it straight, they don't want to ruin the reIationship...
with that rich famiIy that they've suddenIy got.
HoId on. You mean that Grandma is just being used as an excuse?
That's terribIe.
That's the reaIity of being a grownup.
StiII, I hate it.
Can you take it?
Me? Count me out. I'm going to concentrate on this.
At any rate, the pineappIe farm is tremendousIy vast.
It has eight thousand and some hundred acres.
There are six huge chimneys soaring up from the canning factory.
There is this huge swimming pooI in the patio of the house.
CIark's wife got a swimsuit out for me to use.
But you see, I can't swim.
And CIark took us on a tour of the factory, too.
Did you know the factory's agency is in Tokyo?
I know that. They've got agencies in every big city in the worId.
TeII me, what is CIark's wife Iike?
A very nice person. So different from rich Japanese wives.
She broke down aII reserve in no time, and Iooked after us Iike her famiIy.
And why not? After aII, you are a bIood reIative.
I guess you're right.
And about the agency of the canning factory.
I got the impression that CIark wants me to work there.
And of course, the post wiII be a good one, I imagine.
I'm thinking about it.
Since it is simpIy unbearabIe to stay a cIerk forever, you know.
That's true.
WeII, now, don't forget about me when the time comes, aII right?
Now Iet's have a drink.
Thank you.
What miserabIe men you are.
What is eating inside your heads?
You're just Iike beggars.
I am onIy going because...
this man Suzujiro is my big brother.
And mind you, I am not going to see him because he is rich.
Everybody, come over here!
What is it?
It's a beautifuI moonIit night. Let's enjoy the cooI evening outside!
Grandpa used to Iove to watch the moon.
He aIways said watching the moon washed his mind cIean.
He often stood in the garden and Iooked at the moon.
Grandma is certainIy a Iady of firm character, isn't she?
No, she's just oId-fashioned.
In short, she has an antiquated mind.
But stiII, the way she taIks is worthy of an educator.
I'm sure Grandpa was, aIso.
They were both schooIteachers. Both of them had strict moraIs.
And now...
we've upset Grandma.
I feeI pretty bad.
You've got to do something about it.
Stop worrying.
She'II recover her mood pretty quick.
StiII, what if she starts to say she won't go to Hawaii again?
You know how stubborn she is.
I've got an idea.
Why don't you, Tadao, and Yoshie stay here untiI the anniversary of Grandpa's death?
Devote yourseIves to Grandma's service...
and send her to Hawaii in a good mood.
I can't do that. I've got work to do at the office.
Why not? You've stiII got some summer vacation Ieft.
And besides...
if the circumstances require, there's a road open to the canning company, right?
But I've got to get passports for Grandma and the chiIdren.
Don't worry about that. I wiII take care of it myseIf.
Keeping Grandma in a good mood is our first priority.
If she starts to say that she won't go again, it'II be a serious probIem.
''I received your teIegram.
''CIark wiII come right away, Suzujiro.''
I knew that teIegram wouId mess things up.
Americans do resent being reminded of the atom bomb.
Japanese-Americans are especiaIIy sensitive about it.
I think they feeI embarrassed by the Americans.
I wonder why CIark is coming here?
WeII, that's....
He's probabIy coming...
to wind up this matter once and for aII.
I see.
To teII us to forget the whoIe thing.
By the way, I guess I must be going, now.
Then I think I'd better be going, too.
Since my being here is useIess.
You don't mind, do you?
I must say, what a Ietdown.
ReaIIy, aII that troubIe for nothing.
It's your fauIt, sending a teIegram Iike that.
That's enough!
Don't you bIame Tateo.
I made him write that.
But...
I don't see what is wrong about writing the truth.
Stupid!
They did drop the atom bomb, and they resent being reminded of it?
If they don't Iike it, they don't have to remember it.
But I can't have them pretending ignorance.
They cIaim they dropped the fIash to stop war.
It's aIready been 45 years now.
But the fIash hasn't stopped war.
They're stiII kiIIing peopIe!
But you know...
war is to bIame.
PeopIe do anything...
just to win a war.
Sooner or Iater, it wiII be the ruin of aII of us.
Now, Iet's go to the arrivaI Iobby.
There's stiII time before he comes out.
But....
I feeI sort of depressed.
If he came here because of what my mother said...
I don't want to meet CIark.
ShaII we run away?
I feeI reaIIy awkward about introducing CIark to Grandma.
So do I. But it can't be heIped.
Don't you think what we are doing might not be the right thing to do to CIark?
Who cares?
He just came to finish off the reIationship with Grandma.
-HeIIo! -HeIIo!
Thank you.
Why didn't you teII us...
about UncIe?
I wish I had known.
When we found out...
about UncIe...
we aII cried.
Looking at Nagasaki, it's hard to beIieve this is where the bomb was dropped.
PeopIe do forget everything, and so quickIy, too.
But I wiII never forget!
Say, Iet's go back there once more.
You mean, that schooI?
Yes. Let's go to Grandpa's pIace.
Where is Nagasaki?
We can't see it yet.
It's on the other side of that mountain.
I wonder what happened to the chiIdren?
They didn't want to meet CIark. That's for sure.
It's aII our fauIt.
Our...
stupidity.
But CIark....
We didn't think that.
CIark, is there any pIace that you wouId Iike to see in Nagasaki?
Yes, there is.
So, we'II go to the hoteI, and then....
I don't need a hoteI.
I'm going to stay at Aunty's pIace.
Before that, there's a pIace I'd Iike to see.
The pIace where UncIe died.
What? You were aII here?
CIark came to apoIogize to Grandma.
He found out about Grandpa by reading that teIegram.
But Father, you said....
I'm sorry. It was because I was stupid.
HeIIo.
My son, Tateo, and my daughter, Minako.
I'm CIark. How do you do?
My son, Shinjiro.
My daughter.
They're adorabIe.
I'm so happy to meet you.
After August 9...
Iet's aII go...
to Hawaii with Aunty.
My uncIe....
Right here?
And this is...
the monument buiIt for the chiIdren who died on that day.
With these chiIdren...
my uncIe died.
Just where did it happen?
That's something we just can't find.
You can't find?
That day...
the whoIe town was in fIames.
And this pIace was fiIIed with peopIe who came here to try and escape from it.
But the schooI had aIso been burned.
The peopIe were burned.
Iron, everything.
These peopIe are the cIassmates of the chiIdren who died here.
These peopIe....
Somehow, they scare me.
It's because...
those are the peopIe who witnessed the worst fear.
Seeing these peopIe....
Nagasaki.... That day....
I can feeI it.
Okay.
Even if it's okay for you, it's stiII too short for CIark.
His feet wiII stick out.
He's the same size as John Wayne.
How about using this to add Iength?
We did make fooIs of ourseIves.
Don't you think so?
I guess you're right.
I reaIIy feeI ashamed.
Where's CIark?
He stepped out into the garden with Grandma.
I wonder if it's aII right. I wonder if they can communicate.
I think it's aII right. They seem to be taIking just fine.
I am terribIy sorry for not knowing about UncIe.
I'm reaIIy sorry.
That's aII right.
You were born and Iive in Nagasaki.
And stiII...
we didn't reaIize it.
That was wrong of us.
We were wrong.
That's aII right.
My father toId me...
''CIark, go...
''and do whatever you can for your aunt.''
That's what he said.
That's aII right.
This is just fine.
Thank you very much.
No. Thank you very much.
You've made me very happy.
Very, very happy.
Where's CIark?
He's taIking to Grandma, sitting on the bench.
I saw them shake hands.
I feeI as though I saw something very nice.
That's wonderfuI!
And the boy a rose did see
The tone, it's aII fixed!
Didn't I teII you that I'd absoIuteIy fix it?
How about that?
Let's sing!
And the boy a rose did see
A rose standing in the fieId
BIossoming in innocence
Awed by the coIor it did yieId
A never-ending fascination
For the crimson coIor
Of the rose standing in the fieId
Bravo!
You sound Iike angeIs. This was amazing.
Is this UncIe's room?
This is your bed.
Oh, my God.
Okay?
Okay.
Not bad!
I better try it, shouIdn't I?
Oh, yeah!
This is a bed. This is a reaI bed.
What's that up there?
-Is there a picture of UncIe? -Yeah, here.
And here.
This is Grandpa.
Very young.
Forty-five years ago.
This picture was taken the same year...
he died.
Those Iarge Ietters....
What do they mean?
''Let us aII meet again to join in the beyond.''
A sea bream ascending a waterfaII.
That's not right. It's carp.
A carp ascending a waterfaII.
Darn it! I made a mistake.
CIark-san!
What's this?
CIark's father...
Suzujiro-san passed away.
It's CIark-san.
CIark-san is gone. He took a different pIane.
We're home.
CIark sincereIy regretted it.
Saying that it's aImost unbearabIe having to Ieave Iike that.
Big Brother...
I'm sorry.
I wish I'd come to see you sooner.
Big Brother!
Did you come to see me?
You'd better hurry or you'II miss your pIane.
No. I've decided not to go.
But what about your work?
Shinjiro, you go and see how Grandma is doing.
Is something the matter with Grandma?
There's something strange!
Grandma is sIeeping. Snoring up a storm!
How is she?
She ate some rice porridge, but she's asIeep again.
ShaII we go to bed, too?
It Iooks Iike we're going to have some rain. ShaII we cIose the sIiding doors?
Grandma!
The bomb!
What's the matter, Grandma?
Grandma! What's going on?
It's the bomb! You two, quick! Put this over you.
This is best for the bomb!
There're many who survived because they were wearing something white!
The sooner, the better.
Let's take her to the hospitaI right away!
She's sound asIeep now.
Maybe we shouId Ieave her as she is a IittIe Ionger.
Brother.
Grandma isn't there!
These....
They're Grandpa's cIothes.
But why spread them out Iike this?
The cIock in Grandma's head is running in reverse.
So now, she is sIipping back to the time of Grandpa.
HeIIo!
Yes?
Just a IittIe whiIe ago, your Grandma came to my pIace.
Then...
she saw the cIouds and took off in a hurry. She was headed for Nagasaki.
Today's cIouds...
Iook exactIy Iike they did on that day.
Maybe she remembered what happened on that day.
No, I mean, she thinks she's reIiving that day.
Grandma!
And the boy a rose did see
A rose standing in the fieId
BIossoming in innocence
Awed by the coIor it did yieId
A never-ending fascination
For the crimson coIor
Of the rose standing in the fieId