Dotanba (1956)
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.
Cast
Rentaro Mikuni
Kō Nishimura
Daisuke Katō
Taiji Tonoyama
Jun Tatara
Keiko Tsushima
Chōko Iida
Murasaki Fujima
Akitake Kōno
Noriko Sengoku
Masao Oda
Yasumi Hara
Kenzō Tabu
Akira Nagoya
Yūnosuke Itō
Keiko Amaji
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