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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- unusual capra-esquire film, 21 June 2005 Author: sryder-1 from United States
This film provides an interesting counterpoint to other Kurosawa films. Its portrayal of post-war Japan recalls Stray Dog, but the poverty and sleaziness in this case are used as the background for a romance between two very attractive young people, who have a Sunday date, but only 35 yen to spend. Yet there is not the gloom of Lower Depths. Both have jobs and we see his minimally decent rental room. The title seems throughout the film to be rather ironic, since most of the situations they encounter, such as being cheated at a snack bar, are far from wonderful. However, Kurosawa puts a positive spin at the conclusion. I agree with another reviewer that the device of having the girl speak to the audience, seeking our sympathy for young couples without money, who wish to marry, is a very awkward device that distracts from our interest in the relationship. However, I disagree with another reviewer who describes the ending as corny: we've all heard of Capra-corny. This film does not come up to Capra's level, but it is reminiscent of his human interest. It seemed to me that the closing device of the girl's making a date for the next Sunday works very well. Every film needs closure, and this one does not deal in high drama at any point, so a highly dramatic climax would not be appropriate. The viewer who wants that should go to Ran or Kagemusha. In my view, the early Kurosawa films showed him how to develop human relationships: a gift that later would be present in the samurai films, and would make them much more than action epics.
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- A little-known Kurosawa that's well worth rediscovering, 3 February 2008 Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN
I had said two weeks ago, in a review of Scandal, that Eclipse's new Kurosawa box set could just as easily be called Lesser Kurosawa. That's not fair. I know there are those who champion The Idiot and No Regrets for Our Youth, and even the one film I had previously seen from the set, I Live in Fear, is quite good (though it's hard to argue with it being a lesser film is such an outstanding oeuvre). The truth was, I was hoping very much to find some lesser-known Kurosawa classics. Which brings us to One Wonderful Sunday. Judging solely by IMDb's votes, it's Kurosawa's third least seen movie. And it ranks #26 out of 30 when listed by ratings. Well, I'll be happy to act like I was the first who discovered this hidden gem in Kurosawa's catalogue. This really is a wonderful little film. Influenced very much by Vittorio de Sica, one of Kurosawa's favorite directors, One Wonderful Sunday follows two young lovers, Yuzo and Masako (Isao Numasaki and Chieko Nakakita), spending the titular day together with nothing but ¥35 between them. The two experience sadness and hardship as they go about their date. The structure is episodic, as the lovers experience odd vignettes, meeting various post-war types, like bums and orphans and ticket scalpers. The two try to be happy with each other's company, but Yuzo's poverty makes him feel like less of a man. In one of the strongest sequences in Kurosawa's career, Yuzo decides to act like a cad to drive Masako away. Kurosawa was hardly ever the subtle type, and he is not known for long periods of silence or long takes. This sequence demonstrates a different side of the director. The climax of the film involves an odd breaking of the fourth wall resembling the device in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. As far as I know, this is the only time Kurosawa ever attempted such a thing. That wouldn't be too surprising, though, as film audiences rarely interact with characters on screen. It's just too out there for the medium. But God bless Kurosawa for trying it. It's kind of schmaltzy, but I loved the characters so much that at least I thought about clapping for them. A forgotten near-masterpiece.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- A good film of historical interest, 28 November 2005 Author: mtolhurs from United States
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This is not the most exciting or engaging of Kurosowa's films. The pace is a bit slow and the plot meanders here and there. Even so, I found it very enjoyable. It has a light and hopeful tone to it. Having recently taken a class focusing in great detail on immediate post-war Japan, this film is a good reflection and comment on that time. Everyday hardships, such as black marketeering, inflation, and scarcity are well represented without being overwhelmingly depressing. The tone may often seem a bit maudlin, particularly the scene requesting audience participation near the end, yet this film was released in mid 1947 and life for the intended audience was as bad as or worse than our fictional couple. People could relate to the scenes portrayed. When the girl asks for the audience to clap, it is not just to raise her and her boyfriends spirits, it's to try to bring everyone up. Today, out of context, it seems corny, but back then in 1947, if you had just ducked into a dark movie theatre and spent your 5 or 10 or however many yen for a few hours escape on a Sunday afternoon with your girlfriend, it has a different meaning. All in all, a worthwhile film, particularly for those with an interest in Kurosowa or postwar Japan.
4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- He gave us coffee with milk !!!, 1 December 2006 Author: Vishal Agrawal from United States
A poor couple spend a Sunday together. They desperately try to have a good time but their pockets are just too empty to think of anything else.This is one unbelievable film. Genre is Neo-realism but the style is poetic. I think this is Kurusowa's best. Of course it lacks the complexity of 'Rashomon', grandeur of 'Ran', brilliance of 'kagemusha' or even novelty of 'Seven Samurai' but this film is no doubt a fantastic depiction of human misery by the genius himself. There are so many scenes where you are so much into the scene that you don't realize that the camera has not moved in a long time. For example when girl leaves the room and Yuzo walks around frustrated the camera doesn't move. It gives a very theatrical feel. Every single track is a master piece. I loved the scene where Yuzo goes inside a hotel to meet his friend and he see people in changing rooms and staff rooms. Its brilliant. Its out of the world. How the hell he thinks about about such fantastic locations. Baseball , Ticket line, Yuzo's home, Opera, hotel. Its just fantastic. Parallel allusion drawn with sunshine and rain was phenomenal. Significance of the cigarette bud was sheer genius. Clap, coffee, home. Its unbelievable.I have no idea why people call it Kurosawa's transitional film. Great director make all kinds of films. which one is Spielberg's, Kubrick's or kiarostami's transitional film? I think if a person doesn't like this film then he has no idea what poverty is. 10/10.
5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Signs of a budding genius director, 26 November 2001 Author: Glenn Andreiev (gandreiev@aol.com) from Huntington, NY
ONE WONDERFUL SUNDAY (1947) has a simple little plot. A young Tokyo couple have almost no money to spend on their only day available for a date. It isn't long until the money is gone, as well as the young man's spirit. The ending is uncomfortably corny, you will squirm in your seat. There is signs of Akira Kurosawa becoming a great director. He makes us pay attention to the decreasing amount of money (much like he made us pay attention to the number of slain bandits in SEVEN SAMURAI, and his stab at Frank Capra style humor is pretty good. A must see for the student of this great director.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- Yuzo and Masako-Enough Said, 3 May 2009 Author: crossbow0106 from United States
This is almost like a play and it is a deceptively simple story. Its about a poor couple who get together on Sundays for a date. Essentially, this film is about one of the dates. Nothing earthshattering happens, pretty much life happens. I was at first not convinced by it, but as the film progressed I began to listen to the characters more, meaning the story took on a deeper meaning. The two lead actors are superb, and one thing I do like is that especially Masako is played by a lady who is not beautiful but sweet and just attractive (if this film was remade in America tomorrow, Beyonce would be the star). Actually, its a shame this film wasn't re-made in the United States about 25 years ago. I could see Meryl Streep really flexing her always considerable acting muscles on a role like this. So, it is a film about a date, but its a film about hopes, disappointments and dreams. It gets better as it goes along. I recommend it, its worth your time.
1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Brilliant In Its Simplicity, 30 July 2008 Author: jzappa from United States
With this warm and uplifting film, the effect Kurosawa achieves is in the simplicity. The story is threadbare. Two lovebirds try to spend a Sunday together in post-war Tokyo and enjoy themselves with only 35 yen in their pockets. Kurosawa never ceases to amaze me because of his incredibly acute comprehension of the visual effects of a story. The simpler the story is, the more it becomes simply a day in their lives. The more it becomes a day in the life, the more upsetting we find the challenges facing them because of the Occupation and the crumbling economy at the time.It's almost like a lightweight version of The Lost Weekend. There are no debilitating problems like alcoholism or writer's block. There are just obstructions and inconveniences with which the characters can either roll or stew around.One Wonderful Sunday is a beautiful slice of life from a time that could be many different times in many different places. It's a peaceful movie about the peace that is always there for a given person, their journey being to find it. I have rarely seen a sequence so beautifully crafted on film as the two lovers in the empty, decaying concrete exterior auditorium, where one resolves to create the music they have been struggling to hear. There is hardly a handful of filmmakers living today that would think of such a thing. Kurosawa may have had the clearest, purest understanding of cinema out of any filmmaker.
0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- A decent film, though it's completely unlike other Kurosawa films, 17 June 2009 Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida
This is one of director Akira Kurosawa's earlier films and like most of my favorite films of his, this one is about people and is set in contemporary Japan. Many love his medieval epics, but for me, I almost always prefer the "people films" like IKARU, THE BAD SLEEP WELL and SCANDAL. However, despite this being a people film, it does not, unfortunately, rank up among the director's best. Now I am not saying it's a bad film--it just doesn't measure up among his better films. Why? Well, mostly because the plot is perhaps too simple. This story about two poor lovers really doesn't have a whole lot to it. They are very poor, their lives stink and they long to marry and be together more than just one day a week. Now the journey from start to finish is well made and reasonably engaging, but that really is about all there is to it. A very good director at the beginning of his career, two very good actors and a backdrop of a post-war country that is still mostly in rubble make for a good film--but one that just seems to need a bit more.
0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- My thoughts are mixed., 9 December 2008 Author: tossser3 from United States
My thoughts are mixed. This one shows, perhaps even better than No Regrets for Our Youth, that Kurosawa was, even in his early years, a talented director. He clearly has a good sense of what to put in the frame, and what to keep out. More or less: it all looks 'right'. However, I think my problem lies with the script. The film is about a young couple trying to have fun (on Sunday!) with 35 yen. And while there's no problem with that premise in itself, I don't like how the scenes vary so quickly from having light fun - directly to lamentations on poverty and whatnot - and back to fun again. It feels uneven, and as a result, unconvincing.MILD SPOILERS (not really a movie with spoilers, if you know what I mean...)On that note, I have to talk about the ending. At the end, the female character talks directly to the screen, imploring us to cheer them on: there are so many young couples like them in the world, left at the wind of fortunes, all needing to dreams their dreams, etc. At this point, I felt like the film was wallowing in its own self pity. In other words, it was undeserving. As I said above, it felt unconvincing in its constant waffling between light enjoyment of life and bemoaning it, so to suddenly switch into this plea for pity didn't sit right with me.The film ends with a scene of the man conducting an imaginary orchestra, which is probably a symbol for his mastery of his surroundings and life - though of course, it's just a dream, as alluded to a few times previously in the film - both in the woman's speech and before. After all, young and struggling couples need that...right? Once again, however, it felt undeserved, for the same reasons mentioned previously.Add a more consistent and convincing opening ninety minutes, and I probably would have liked it a lot more.
2 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Often dull, Kurosawa in transition, 12 April 1999 Author: (k.kanazawa@lancaster.ac.uk) from Lancaster, UK
Probably those who respect Kurosawa's samurai movies can hardly recognize this film as his. Far from these samurai plays it lacks dramatic tension. Easygoing atmosphere dominates the whole story (some shots are pleasant, for example, playing sandlot baseball or visiting a show room). Of course Kurosawa doesn't intend to make fairy tale. Hero and heroine are miserably poor, spot the undernourished child and resent the ticket scalpers. All are the reflections of the then Japanese society. None the less they don't effectively function and often make dull situations (especially the scene of the couples in their room). Near the end heroine cries out towards audiences watching this film but I couldn't catch the spurt of her emotion. Supposedly because Japan became by far economically richer and this film lost its conviction in present Japan. However, next to this movie Kurosawa made a breathtaking "Yoidore Tenshi", whose scene is also laid in late 1940's poor Japan. From this point "Subarashiki Nichiyobi" can be regarded as a Kurosawa's transitional film.
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