Stray Dog (1949)

Akira Kurosawa’s film Nora Inu also known as Stray Dog begins with the image of a panting dog. The first sound that is heard is that of the panting dog, until some dramatic music interrupts it. The film has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, came out in 1949, and is set in postwar Japan. The first thing the audience learns is that a pistol has been pick-pocketed from a young detective, and that there are seven bullets in it. At this point there is a flash back of everything that happened to that young officer, to the point when he has realized that his gun was taken. Interestingly, this flashback is narrated by an unknown voice, which describes the occurrences of events in a detailed fashion, as though he is a detective himself. However very soon after this the audience is taken straight back to the present, where Murakami is apologizing for losing his pistol and beginning his search for the person who pick-pocketed it from him.

At first glance Stray Dog appears to be a crime movie about a young detective, Murakami, who has lost his pistol and will do whatever necessary to get it back. He partners up with a seasoned detective, Sato, and they set out to find the man who has committed several crimes with Murakami’s pistol. However there are many other features to Stray Dog. Murakami feels incredibly guilty about losing his gun, which is expected to an extent, but is still a bit surprising to so of the other detectives. As the film progresses and more crimes are committed with Murakami’s pistol, he begins to feel more and more guilt, and even attempts to resign. At one point another detective tells Murakami that his pistol getting stolen was just bad luck, and that “bad luck either makes a man or destroys him”. This idea is a major theme throughout Stray Dog.

Throughout the film, the audience hears about the poorer living conditions during postwar Japan, from the rations, to the crime. One can also see the western influence in Japan throughout the film. When Murakami ID’s the woman who pickpocket-ed him, the audience is shown a picture of a woman in a kimono, and is told that she is known for wearing kimono’s.

 However Murakami declares, correctly, that Odin was wearing a dress, and the other detective comments that the times have really changed. Odin also says “bye-bye” as a stylish goodbye. This film even has a long baseball scene in it, and the team’s name is the Giants, a very western name, for a western sport. Although the western influence is not a main theme in Stray Dog it is depicted throughout the film, and emphasizes the feeling of postwar Japan, and the feeling of the times changing, or in other words the separation between generations.

Throughout the movie, it is also clear that the heat in Japan is sweltering, and that everyone is a bit on edge because of it. Heat plays a big role in the film. It is possible this was not completely intentional since the film came out during a time without much air conditioning. However, there are images of fans, both electronic and handheld, cloths to wipe off sweat, hats, sweat stains that depict just how hot it is. The sweltering heat is important to Stray Dog because it is an aspect of nature that cannot be controlled, yet effects how people act. This idea goes along with the major theme of the movie, which is that people are placed into situations, and they do not always have control over the way their life turns out. The war is another aspect in this film, although only the aftermath of the war can be seen, that depicts how people are thrown into situations that change their nature. In the scene after Murakami has followed Odin around all day, and Odin ends up going to get a drink, the shop owner tells her that a young man is waiting outside to talk to her, and when Odin asks why the owner why Murakami does not come in he says that Murakami said he is not drinking so he would stay outside. The shop owner comments that it is rare for a young man these days to not come in for a drink. This is one of the many depictions of the after effects of the war on the soldiers.

There is a long scene where Murakami goes undercover, thanks to Odin’s advice, and the audience is given a tour of the ramen shops, night bars, and other parts of life in Japan. This scene includes many fades, and depicts a slow and somewhat painful way of life. Odin told Murakami, that if he wanted to find his gun he had to look like he was desperate for a gun, and that is exactly what this scene shows. It illustrates not only Murakami’s growing frustrations, and desperation for his own gun, but it also shows how those who are desperate live. In other words, it illustrates how stray dogs live, if fact that man who approaches Murakami at the fountain about giving him a gun treats him as a stray dog. He throws rocks, in order to splash water on Murakami, and aggravate him. He then kicks him and proceeds to offer him a gun, when Murakami gets up quickly he backs off quickly, but then tells Murakami to drop the cool act and proceeds to throw a stone at him as he leaves.

This scene emphasizes that anyone can become a stray dog at anytime. The audience has seen Murakami as a well-dressed detective, who has turned into a desperate and dirty man. Of course, Murakami goes back to being a well-dressed detective again, but others notice that he has thinned out from “pounding the pavement”.

As the film develops, the idea of a stray dog is revealed more and more as are Murakami’s inner thoughts. A new character named Yusa is introduced. He is a criminal, who has used Murakami’s pistol to commit a robbery. Murakami and Sato go to investigate, and ask Yusa's older sister some questions. This leads to the detectives learning that Yusa was a soldier who’s knapsack was stolen from him when he was returning home, which as his sister says “turned him very bitter”. It is also learned that he has become friends with the yakuza, which is believed to be a bad influence. She also tells them that the last time she saw him, he was crying with his head in his face, and that it kind of scared her. The detectives find a note that further illustrates that Yusa is not completely right in the head.

                                               (The it referred to in the note is a stray cat.)

 

Finally, the sister also shows the detectives where Yusa sleeps, and Sato comments that it is not fit for human habitation. After a hard day of work, Sato brings Murakami to his home for a rationed bear, and they have an incredibly important conversation. 

Murakami is a young man, who had fought in the war, and felt as though he could have also easily became a criminal. This point becomes incredibly clear during the above conversation that Murakami and Sato have. After having some beer and eating, Murakami mentions the idea that there are no bad people in the world, only people in bad situations. However, Sato tells him that he cannot think like that if he wants to be a cop. Instead, Sato believes that the bad guys are bad people, simple as that. Murakami and Sato soon go into a conversation about the difference between their generations. Murakami then reveals how similar his and Yusa's backgrounds are. Both of them served as soldiers in the war, and both of them had their knapsacks stolen from them on their way back from the war. Muramaki admits that in that moment he was so angry that he could have robbed someone. However he also realized that he was at a dangerous crossroads, and he made the conscious decision to become a cop, rather than to sink into his rage.

Soon after this scene, it is learned that Yusa has now committed a robbery that ended in a woman’s death. At this point Sato tells Murakami that Yusa is no longer just a stray dog, but a mad dog who can only see straight. Which means they know exactly what Yusa is going to do next, but also means that he is more dangerous than ever.

Interestingly at the end of this scene, the audience sees the train tracks, which are going in a straight direction. Train tracks cannot be swayed, it is as if Kurosawa is depicting that Sato and Murakami are also on a path that they cannot step off of.

After this conversation, Murakami and Sato split up. Sato finds Yusa, and is shot by him and left in the hospital. Murakami goes after Yusa without Sato, and there is one final chase scene. Murakami chases Yusa into the woods, where there is one house with a woman playing piano inside, and Yusa, like a scared dog, shoots Murakami in the arm, he then continues to miss the rest of his shots until he’s out of bullets. The entire time Yusa is shooting, his hands are shaking and his face looks incredibly scared. Murakami does not stand down, and once the bullets are gone he attacks Yusa and the chase continues for a bit. As they are tackling one another, it seems similar to seeing two dogs fight. At the end of the chase Yusa collapses, and Murakami cuffs him before collapsing himself, however he makes sure he has his pistol before he relaxes. The two men begin to pant, similarily to the dog in the opening credits, and the audience sees two men with similar pasts, who chose to react differently to their bad luck.

The film ends in the hospital with Sato congratulating Muramaki on his first citation. He also tells Murakami that soon he will forget about Yasu, as it is only natural. Yasu will become one of the many bad guys that Murakami takes care of, however one wonders if Sato is right. Although Sato and Murakami get along quite well, and they are both good cops, they have varying opinions. Sato believes that one must see people as bad or good, whereas Murakami believes that those people who are considered bad are to be pitied in some cases. Mostly due to the fact that many bad people become bad due to a situation out of their control. In the end, the question is how does one become a stray dog and what happens to a stray dog? Does it become bad due to it’s situation, or does it become stronger due to it’s bad luck? Stray Dog explores how criminals are created, and how easy it it for someone to fall into the wrong path, if they do not make the conscious decision to not become a stray dog.

Seven Samurai Film Scene Analysis

Shot 1: A long shot of a girl kneeling in a room that is made of wood. There are many wooden bars throughout the room, but the door way is open. The floor looks like stone. 

 

Shot 2: An eye level shot of a woman kneeling in a structure of some sort. It is assumed to be a room where one washes hair and clothing. There are wooden buckets lying around, the walls are wood with wooden barred windows containing no glass. There are a few flowers, and some sort of bag hanging up. The kneeling woman is in the center, and is the focus of the shot. All that can be seen are her bare feet, her bottom with a bow tied on the patterned skirt, or kimono (sorry I’m not sure what her clothing is called exactly). Her bare back is somewhat visible and her arms are seen washing something, which will later be revealed to be her hair.

 

Shot 3: A low angle shot allows the viewer to see what the girl is seeing, a man who has walked in behind her. The man is bald with hair thinning hair on the sides of his head, and is wearing casual clothing. He is looking at the girl. Although the front of the girl is now visible, her long soaked hair hides her face. The entrance of the room can be seen and a bare tree is outside. In the background there is the sound of running water. 

 

Shot 4: A medium shot of the girl looking over her shoulder, this is the first time her face is seen, but it is only the top half of her face. She is still in a kneeling position. The faucet that the water comes out of can be seen. She then goes back to washing her hair, but when she looks over her shoulder again the shot changes. 

 

Shot 5: A medium shot of the man in front of a doorway that has bars on the top portion of it, it seems that natural light is illuminating the man. He has his hand in his yukata (again sorry if it’s not a yukata). His mouth is slightly open. He takes a step forward. 

 

Shot 6: The camera returns to a eye level, medium shot of the girl glancing over her shoulder at the man. Her hands are in her hair. She stands up, and the camera moves in an upward direction with her.

Shot 7: A medium shot of the girl with her full face in view for the first time. She is slightly crouched, but it is barely noticeable. Her body is angled slightly towards the audience, but is hidden by her arm. Both of her hands are holding her soaked hair, which appears to go at least as far as her waist.

 

Shot 8: A long shot of the girl and the man. We can see them through the bars of the window. The girls back is seen, and the man can be seen behind the girl. The window’s bars are made of wood. In the room, the wooden buckets can be seen again and some wooden sticks and hats are up against the wall. As are some other tools. The girl is in the center of the shot and her hair is the focus, still held by her. The man’s hand is still in his yukata and he takes another step closer. The flowing water can still be heard in the background. 

 

Shot 9: A medium shot of the man with the barred window behind him once again. He is slightly off center. His left shoulder is higher than his right shoulder. He has taken his hand out of his yukata and revealed a razor of some sort.

 

Shot 10: A medium shot of the girl again. One hand is holding her hair, the other I wiping her hair from her face. Her mouth is slightly opened, and her eyes are wide open. She also has barred windows behind her. 

 

Shot 11: A medium shot of the man, same as shot 9. The razor is in the center of the shot.

Shot 12: A medium shot of the girl, she is holding her hair and looking at it while it covers her face. She then takes a hold of her hair and uncovers her face so that she can speak again. 

 

Shot 13: A medium shot of the man, still very similar to shots 9 and 11, but he is now shouting. Tension can be seen in his throat. He comes takes a forceful step forward. 

Shot 14: A long shot reveals dry plants, possibly a type of grass outside the building. The wooden bars of the building are what we see the man and the girl through. The man is still holding the razor, and the girl is still holding her hair. It becomes blurry as the man chases the girl, the camera follows while staying outside of the room. There are slight pauses, and the man shouts at the girl. The girl lets go of her hair. 

Shot 15: The girl and man are running. They have left the building. Wooden fences, and other buildings and plants can be seen as the girl runs from the man. 

Shot 16: The girl falls on the ground face first. Dust is all around her, and her hair is covering her face. The man’s hand and leg can be seen entering from the left. As the girl gets up the man grabs her, and she tries to push him away. The man holds onto the girl with one hand and onto the razor with another hand. He keeps the razor far away from the girl. Other people approach and stare at the man and the girl. The man drags the girl away as she screams. 

Shot 17: The other people, all men are left staring in the direction that the man dragged the girl.

When we first watched Seven Samurai, this scene between Shino and her father really stuck out to me. Seven Samurai focuses a lot on class differences and on how fear effects our actions. The villagers need samurais in order to protect them from the bigger threat of the robbers. Of course they still fear the Samurai to an extent, especially Shino’s father. He is incredibly worried that on of the Samurai’s will take advantage of his daughter, so worried that he decides that she must pretend to be a boy. Shino’s father’s fear of the samurai made him become someone that his daughter feared. Shino’s father could have sat down with her calmly and explained his fear to his daughter, but instead he took a hasty, and unkind approach. He gives Shino no choice, and forces her to cut her hair, going as far as chasing her with a razor around the village while she is screaming. I believe this scene is one of the best illustrations of how fear can negatively affect people. If Shino's father had not let his fear scare effect him so much, then he would not have frightened Shino. Shino could have also acted more calmly and tried to talk to her father, but it did seem that Shino's father wasn't in the best state of mind when he was chasing her. Although this scene illustrates how fear can effect people negatively, their are several scenes in the movie that depict people who do not let fear control them, which I think is one of the most important aspects of this film. The lesson that one should not be controlled by fear, whether it's fear of people who are different from you, or of losing something you love.