Après la pluie

About Japanese director Koizumi Takashi, it can be said that his life has come to a complete standstill on two different occasions. Firstly, there was absolute shock for him in store when his mentor, Akira Kurosawa died after having written the screenplay of "After the Rain". It was therefore a tough challenge for Koizumi to direct the film exactly in the same manner as Kurosawa Sensei had wished. Secondly, the quiet manner in which his film flows makes all viewers wonder about the complete lack of movement in his film. It is as if stillness pervades the entire film even in those scenes where there is drama and violence. As a film, After the rain is a highly philosophical tale about a samurai who finds his true worth when he becomes a key witness to some of life's harshest hardships. Despite tackling a tough subject, it remains a highly accessible film due to its focus on entertainment and humor.As a minor theme, Koizumi Takashi deftly explores the importance of a woman who is absolutely dependent on her husband for her survival. There is no sign of weakness in the feminine gaze as the female protagonist has been shown as a worthy partner of a man in distress. If acting is something which might interest enthusiastic viewers then they must give due respect to brilliant acting performances by Japanese actors Terao Akira and Miyazaki Yoshiko who are impressive in their roles as Monsieur Le Samurai and Madame La Samurai.

It's been raining for a while. No one can cross the river, the travelers at the inn are short-tempered and grouchy. Ronin Akira Terao comes back with a feast for everyone. He apologizes to his wife, Yoshiko Miyazaki. He fought some duels for money for the feast, and promises never to do it again. She forgives him with the loving, resigned air of the mother of a good child who gets into scrapes. When the rain stops, it will be some time before the river is passable. Terao goes for a walk and encounters half a dozen local samurai about to fight a duel. He chides them gently and disarms them. The local lord, Shiro Mifune rides up, calls them idiots, and thanks Terao. Then Mifune sends for Terao, to offer him the job of fencing master. This riles up the locals, who think the job should go to one of them.

Akira Kurosawa had written the script and finished pre-production just before he died. His heirs made the film under the direction of Takashi Koizumi, Kurosawa's regular assistant director since 1980. With its rough and kindly good humor and natural beauty, this doesn't look like any movie of Kurosawa's -- although his Capra-esque ONE WONDERFUL SUNDAY, more than half a century earlier, is cut from the same cloth. I think that after years of epics and fantasies, Kurosawa wanted to make a simple comedy about good people who smile and make jokes and laugh. I doubt it would have looked like this, but I think he would have been pleased with the result.

The only way I can describe this movie is Sweet.

It is such a lovely movie in its simplicity. There are no evil schemes and plots. No subplots within subplots with twist and suspense building. No massive production with a cast of thousands. No nasty characters that you hate. It is just a sweet simple story telling about an unemployed man (ronin) and his wife.

This movie made me smile as especially the wives. The wife of the Samurai, Tayo, is incredibly sweet. Same with the wife of the lord. Both play the "character" of the Asian wife...quietly supportive while leading the man to understanding with words of wisdom.

Great minimalistic acting. A Samurai Feel Good movie.

A drama by Takashi Koizumi from a scenario written by "Akira Kurosawa" shortly before his death and made as a tribute to him, No where near as good as it would have been with Kurosawa behind it but fine nonetheless, especially the cinematography which was gorgeous. Any fan of Akira Kurosawa will want to see this. The mixture of calm cinematographic techniques and a few more dynamic elements is perfectly balanced. It was a roller-coaster of emotion, but still left me feeling happy despite some of the more dramatic events. It's the ultimate underdog story of tragedy, triumph, and even a few laughs and there are too many shots worth recalling, too many details worth recalling. If you want a peaceful and beautiful samurai film, do yourself and your immortal soul a favour; this movie is for you, would really recommend it, this one is a lesser known Japanese gem.

excellent Japanese period piece, co-written by Akira Kurosawa. an out-of-work samurai(a ronin) & his wife are stranded during a flood. as they are unable to cross a swollen river, they stay at an inn with many other stuck traveler's(mostly lower class). to earn some extra money(to to buy "comforts" for the other guests; namely food & wine), our protagonist gambles his fencing skills against the local instructors. they are no match for his superior skills and seek vengeance to restore their honor... not an action movie so much as a human drama, with many colorful & interesting characters. the fighting scenes are realistic & not prolonged & add a disturbing, violent balance to an otherwise slow paced, beautifully shot film. there's a great iai sequence shot in very serene surroundings(for those bu-do aficionados). a must see for those fans of Kurosawa's samurai flicks!!