The film tells a story about of a professor, Uehida Hyakken-sama in Gotemba in the forties, He was teaching in a university until an air raid and settled to become a writer and lived in a hut. In addition, his temperament had hardly changed, though the times had greatly transformed; as the years passed by. Every year, his beloved students celebrated his birthday and raised the question, ” Mahda kai?” meaning not yet just to hear him reply Madadayo; in translation,” No, not yet”. This is in reference to a ritual of self- affirmation, as well as the sweetest desire to last forever. Madadayo was a certified Japanese film, which highlighted the country’s customs and traditions and most importantly, the people’s everyday life.
In a pre- war scenario in Tokyo, the professor had decided to retire after thirty years of teaching, Though already retired, his students still kept in touch with the loving mentor. However, a tragic incident happened in 1943. His house was bombed. As a result, he lost particularly everything that he had and settled to live in a gardener’s cottage. After the war, his students had built a house for him around a beautiful lake, wherein every year they held a reunion and conducted a funny ceremony based on a childhood game called “ hide and seek”. Nevertheless, the question of “Are you ready?” was still a part of their friendship and happiness.
This film appeared to be as a ‘light comedy”. Nevertheless, as I watched the film deeply and intently, I had noticed that each of the characters had their very own stories to tell. Moreover, it was quite charming. While I enjoyed watching this, I had felt that I was transported to post war Japan through a time machine, It had given me a golden opportunity to have a glimpse of Japan and her personality through this film. Kurosawa’s brilliance never faded; but it added more luster to his movie making career.
The English subtitles were good enough; but it lacked the ability to explain everything. Most importantly, its title though correctly translated , was oftentimes associated with a child’s game of hide and seek. This seemed to be a poignant part of the movie. As a whole, the message of kindness and generosity moved me to tears up to the very end. This was really an exceptional film.
Overall, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
