There Was a Father (父ありき)

Shochiku films I td

there was a father

original screenplay by tadao lkeda, takao yanai & yasuijiro ozu

art direction by tatsuo hamada

Original music by kyoichi saiki

cast:

Chishu ryu as Mr. horikawa shuji sano as ryohei horikawa

haruhiko tsuda as young ryonhei shin saburi as yasutaro kurokawa

takeshi sakamoto as makoto hirata mitsuko mito as fumiko

masayoshi otsuka as seiichi shinichi himori as minoru uchida

We've run out of shoe Polish

have we? I'll buy some today

my shoes are worn out. I'll never get them to shine

they'll do for now

but they're split

you can still wear them

you haven't forgotten anything, have you?

Right, then. You've left nothing?

Ethics, mathematics, history, reading, craft

- oh, I forgot my abacus - You see?

Smarten yourself up

- the area of a circle? - The square of its radius x 3.14

a cone's volume?

The square of its radius x 3.14 x the height

and divided by 3 - good

All right, the quadrangle aedc is inscribed in a circle

And the angles aec and abc are equal to this angle and this angle

- all right. Kato? - Above the line ac

yes, the angles formed above line ac are equal

the triangle adc is an isosceles triangle

therefore, this angle and that angle are equal

that means aec and def are also equal, right?

Understand?

Any questions?

Right, that's all for today. Now, about the school excursion...

Quieten down, quieten down

this class will be going to Tokyo

first we'll visit the imperial palace in Tokyo

then we'll visit meiji shrine and yasukuni shrine

finally, on to kamakura, enoshima and hakone

Ready? Everybody look this way

here we go

Hakone fass, the steepest in all of Japan

even the kankoku barrier doesn't compare

the highest mountains and the deepest valleys

tower before us and hold us up from behind

mountains circled by clouas, valleys cloaked in mist

the rows of ceoars

are gark even auring the aay

the winding path

[s soff with moss

if fakes only one man

[0 protect it from an army

stalwart warriors travelling the land

swords at their hips and clogs on their feet

stomping along

elght miles of boulders

such were the warriors of old

It's a stalemate with that move

- your blisters are huge - Do they hurt?

- Want me to burst them? - No

come on - I said no!

How are the blisters, Yamada?

All right, sir

- can you walk? - I'll be fine, sir

- try rubbing soap on your socks - Yes, sir

Aren't they our students?

They can't be. I warned them not to go on the lake

did anybody go out on the lake?

Do you know anybody out in the boats?

No, sir

- kinoshita? - I don't know, sir

- what about you, sato? - I don't know, sir

right?

- How much? - 50 sen

50 sen? Not bad. I wish I'd bought one

- you can have it for 80 sen - 80 sen? No way!

- Sir! - Mr. horikawa!

- What is it? - Yoshida's boat has capsized!

Yoshida's in a boat?

A telegram for you, sir

His family are coming on the night train

I understand how you feel. But I'd like you to reconsider

will you?

I understand that you consider yourself responsible...

Out you did your best as a leader

the boy's family knows that

I warned them it was dangerous...

But if I'd been more strict with them, they wouldn't have got in the boats

they would've obeyed me

I've had these children for 3 years but I became careless

yoshida wasn't a disobedient kid. But I've failed in my duty as a teacher

I was negligent

I think you're taking too much responsibility

I thank you for your concern...

Obut I've thought it over and made my decision

I realise that, but...

I've tendered my resignation to the headmaster

- you can rescind it - Listen, hirata...

Let me do it this way

the responsibility of taking care of other people's children frightens me

I'll never forget yoshida's parents

I have a son, I can imagine how they feel

it's unbearable suddenly losing a child you've raised for so long

he leaves on a fun trip and returns cold as stone

it's an unendurable sorrow, one beyond mere tears

he'd even bought his mother a souvenir from the trip to hakone

I'd despise such a teacher...

And never again leave him in charge of children

this job scares me now

it frightens me

I'm not suited for it

And what will you do about your own son, ryohei?

I'm thinking of returning to my home town

I have an old friend there

I'll stay there and think things over

I'm home!

Hello, sir

Is it far to ueda, father?

Another 40 minutes. Are you tired?

No. Is ueda a big town?

Of course, it's a city

what's the population?

Around 35,000

it's famous for its orchid market and its silk industry school, isn't it?

That's right

you forgot to cut your nails?

You should keep your nails cut and clean at all times

Were you born in that house?

- Is it still yours? - No, not any more

remember we visited your grandfather's grave and your mother's grave?

Your grandfather sold that house to put me through school

was grandfather a kimono dealer?

No. He was a teacher of the Chinese classics. He worked at the castle each day

The house used to have a big persimmon tree at the back

let's go later on to see the castle

yes, let's do that

chew it well

Ueda is quite a small town, isn't it?

I imagined it'd be bigger

well, kanazawa's much bigger. It's the largest on the sea of Japan coast

- don't you like this town? - Why?

I'm thinking of settling here

you mean we'll move here?

Will you teach here?

No, I'm not teaching any more

I've been trying to tell you...

I'll never teach again

- what will you do, then? - 1 don't know

I have this priest friend here, I'll live in his temple

- will you become a priest? - No, priests are much more virtuous

don't be upset

you'll have to attend school here

all right?

Be brave

schools are all the same, you'll soon make new friends

okay?

It'll be fine

you were nicknamed 'badger, weren't you?

I was always 'little badger". I hated it

- the people here don't know that - No, they don't

- How's work going at the town hall? - Fine, thanks

for such a small place, they have big families

- I registered three births yesterday - Really?

And the infant mortality rate is low

I should have been a midwife

Where's ryohei?

He went catching dragonflies with a friend

so he's making friends?

- No, he prefers killing creatures - Well, children should be active

It's a beautiful Sunday

You finished?

Then you can't go to the river tomorrow

it's the same as the problem last night

you're still stuck

it's proportional division. I explained it last night

a, b and c set out

a will take 12 days, b will take 15

oh, right

wrong again

just settle down and focus

you'll never get into a good school that way

you're not focused enough

you'll never amount to anything if you don't get into high school

study hard and I'll send you not only to a good school...

But to a school of your choice

just relax and concentrate

done it!

It's easy if you concentrate, right?

That's good. Easy, wasn't it?

Get the fishing tackle

Check the line for any tangles

- is this all right? - Yes

we'll get some worms early tomorrow

- there are loads under the fig tree - Really?

I hope you both catch plenty of fish tomorrow

I gave them their last rites a long time ago...

Obut the fish in these parts can be quite crafty

You must be happy now your exams are over

- what about that other lad? - Who?