The Shiinomi School (しいのみ学園)

A SHIN TOHO PICTURE

THE SHIINOMI SCHOOL

Produced by Ichiro Nagashima

Story by S. Yamamoto Screenplay by H. Shimizu

Photographed by H. Suzuki Electrician: M. Koyama

Art Director: S. Terizuka Music by I. Saiton

The players

K. Kagawa: Y. Shimazaki

K. Kawarazaki: R. Iwashita

I. Ryuzaki: K. Mizutara S. Date: Y. Ohmori

J. Uno: R. Hanai

Directed by: Hiroshi Shimizu

Thanks

Let me join you later.

You're lame. You can't play.

You said I can join. I can catch a ball.

But you don't have a mitt.

You joined the ball club, didn't you?

Papa, buy me things for baseball.

They say I can play if I have a mitt.

All right. Let's buy what you need.

He kicks it off often.

They're growing up that way.

You bought baseball stuff. Can he play?

Are you sure?

We must let him...

Whatever he wants to do.

When Yudo was born, he weighed 9.9 Ibs.

A midwife urged me to put him in a baby contest.

He was that healthy.

Yudo grew up well.

He could stand at nine months old.

He began to walk holding a bable.

He could walk before his first birthday.

In middle of Spring after the birthday he got sick.

I thought it was a cold.

All of a sudden he got a very high fever.

It didn't go down even after five days.

He got weaker and weaker.

At one time I thought he would die.

But micraculously he recovered.

But he didn't become so healthy as before.

His condition lasted.

The doctor said his illness was so serious

that he'd take a long time to recover.

One month... two months passed.

But he couldn't stand and walk easily.

So we got him examined at a big hospital.

Infantile paralysis.

Yes, it is.

What is it?

It isn't easy to explain.

There's two kinds of infantile paralysis.

Spinal and brain paralysis.

In your child's case it's spinal.

Spinal paralysis?

With spinal paralysis,

the patient gets a high fever.

And it lasts for days.

It seems like pneumonia.

After the fever goes down the patient is left paralyzed.

Mainly it occurs in his both legs.

Then how do you doctors cure the disease?

I don't want to say it, but...

It's too late.

Doctor, what will happen to my boy?

I'm very sorry. It's too late to cure.

Yudo!

Do you say that even modern medicine can't cure it?

There's a way.

Love and training.

Warm affection by his family and friends

can lessen the trouble in his body.

I see.

There's a limit to science, but not to love.

Let me do it.

No, don't worry.

Do you know Segra, the noted Mexican tennis player?

He had infantile paralysis.

I'm afraid I don't know him.

An American girl named Albright

had the same desease.

She started to practice skating,

to train her legs.

She became an expert

and won a championship.

Then if Yudo played baseball,

there'd be an effect.

We must let him do as he wishes.

If he doesn't try, we'll never know what he can do.

The child was abandoned by modern medicine.

They say a drowing man will clutch even a straw.

We jumped at any thing that might be effective.

Manual therapeutics

Some one recommended us

to visit a shrine

which supposedly was miraculous.

All gods and goddesses,

expel the demon of ill health in Yudo!

Stroke the bump

and rub your boy's legs with your hands.

then he'll be able to walk.

If the bump vanishes, I'll make a new one for you.

It was ridiculous.

But at that time I was so desperate

that I wanted to cling to the idea.

You're recalling the bump on your head.

We did many things.

We tried fortune-tellers.

We tested many strange new religions.

But it had no effect.

The other day while I was washing Yudo's back,

he said he'd build a school for lame children

and play with them.

He said that.

A school for lame children. Did Yudo say that?

He thinks things in his own way.

He's upset.

Hold out, boys!

Outfielder!

Won't you play?

They say they'll me in later.

Then play with me.

They're using my mitt.

Boys, if you use Yudo's mitt

let him join you.

I'll be the umpire.

Let Yudo play with you.

Come here, all of you!

Let's stop

Yudo, let's play baseball. You and I.

Yudo, get ready!

Hit this, Teruhiko!

I'm Kayoko Atsumi.

You're in liberal arts.

Yes, sir.

Your sister?

Yes she's paralyzed.

My son's paralyzed, too.

I know.

But your son is lively. I envy you.

He sure is lively.

He wants to play baseball.

My sister was glad to attend school at first.

But they started to bully and make fun at her.

She didn't want to go anymore,

so I withdrew her from school to avoid prejudice.

I'm tutoring her at home.

But I want her to breathe school air.

So I bring her here every Sunday.

I can understand how you feel and worry.

She's more familiar with me than her mother.

So I'm determined to do my best for my sister.

I'll pay anything for her happiness.

She must be delighted having someone like you to love her.

No, professor.

We're sisters, but she's too unfortunate.

If everyone in the world were as warmhearted as you,

these children'd be happy.

Papa, come on! What are you doing?

All right.

Sister, rock me.

That boy's paralized, but he's lively.

You must cheer up. Understand?

Yamamoto didn't you see Nishimura's pass holder?

No, I didn't.

You've been watching our clothes.

Whose coat is this?

Whose coat is this?

It's mine.

Yours? But Nishimura's pass is in it.

I don't know why.

It shouldn't be, if you don't know.

If you stole it, confess.

Who is it?

Here you are, Yudo.

What's up?

What's up?

A classmate said I stole Nishimura's pass.

Did you steal it?

No, I didn't.

He said the pass was in my pocket.

How?

I don't know.

I didn't steal, but it was there.

Can you honestly say you didn't steal it?

I didn't.

Wait, my dear.

Where are you going?

People are apt to see a cripple with bias.

I can endure that.

But I can't overlook Yudo being called a thief.

I'll go to the school and settle this case.

If you settle it as a professor of the college...

Yudo may be bullied more than before.

It'd be even worse.

Yudo, I've brought your bag.

Our teacher checked about the pass

and found Ohyama hid it in fun.

Oh, I see.