Always: Sunset on Third Street

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Movie: Always: Sunset on Third Street
Romaji: Always san-chome no yuhi
Japanese: ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Writer: Ryohei Saigan (manga), Takashi Yamazaki, Ryota Kosawa
Producer: Shuji Abe, Chikahiro Ando, Keiichiro Moriya, Seiji Okuda, Nozomu Takahashi
Cinematography: Kozo Shibasaki
Release Date: November 5, 2005
Runtime: 133 Min.
Genre: Best Film-Movie of the Year / Award Winning-Drama / Award Winning-Family / Award Winning-Period-1950 / Award Winning-Based on a Comic
Distributor: Toho
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan

Plot

In 1958, with the impending completion of Tokyo's TV broadcasting tower as a symbol of Japan's escalating post-war economic recovery, rural schoolgirl Mutsuko (Maki Horikita) arrives from the provinces to begin her first job with Suzuki Auto. Initially impressed by meeting company "president" Norifumi Suzuki (Shinichi Tsutsumi), Mutsuko is shocked to discover her workplace is actually a shabby auto repair shop in Tokyo's down-at-heel Yuhi district.

Suzuki is a bad-tempered employer but Mutsuko is welcomed by his wife, Tomoe (Hiroko Yakushimaru), and their impish 5-year-old son, Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu). One of Ippei's favorite haunts is a five-and-dime store managed by struggling serial writer Ryunosuke Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka). Regarding now-successful writers like Nobel-prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, as overrated, Chagawa wants to be more than a hack churning out sci-fi yarns and selling cheap toys on the side.

When alluring newcomer Hiromi (Koyuki) opens a sake bar in the area, she gathers clientele quickly -- in dramatically compressed manga style -- but also finds herself lumbered with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga) the orphaned offspring of the bar's previous tenant. Drunk, and smitten by Hiromi, Chogawa accepts custodianship of the boy.

Notes

"Always: Sunset on Third Street" is based on Ryohei Saigan’s manga, "San-chome no Yuhi" (serially published in Big Comic Original by Shogakukan).
Movie went on to win 13 of Japan's 14 Academy Awards (including "Best Picture," "Best Director," "Best Screenplay," and "Best Actor").
Film was shot on Toho's soundstages and it uses digital wizardry to resurrect 1950's Tokyo.
Related titles:
1. Always: Sunset on Third Street | Always san-chome no yuhi (2005)
2. Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Always zoku san-chome no yuhi (2007)
3. Always: Sunset on Third Street 3 | Always San-Chome no Yuhi '64 (2012)

Cast

Maki Horikita - Mutsuko Hoshino
Hidetaka Yoshioka - Ryunosuke Chagawa
Shinichi Tsutsumi - Norifumi Suzuki
Koyuki - Hiromi Ishizaki
Hiroko Yakushimaru - Tomoe Suzuki
Kazuki Koshimizu - Ippei Suzuki
Kenta Suga - Junnosuke Furuyuki
Masaya Takahashi - Saburo
Kaga Mochimaru - Yuichiro
Toru Masuoka - The Theatre Manager
Takashi Matsuo - The Realtor
Hiroshi Kamido - The Postman
Hiroshi Kanbe - The Postman
Magii - The Butcher
Yoichi Nukumizu - The Bicycle Shopkeeper
Pierre Taki - The Ice Seller
Kisuke Iida - The Policeman
Motosuke Iida - The Policeman
Yuichi Kimura - The Electrician
Masako Motai - Kin Ota
Tomokazu Miura - Shiro "Akuma" Takuma
Kuniko Asagi - Takuma's Wife
Airu Shigemoto - Takuma's Daughter
Kaoru Okunuki - Kazuko Furuyuki
Kenjiro Ishimaru - Shizuo Fujio
Shigemitsu Ogi - The Secretary
Fumiyo Kohinata - Yasunari Kawabuchi
Erina Moribayashi - Hatsuko Ishibashi
Hajime Okayama
Kosuke Suzuki
Eru Shigemoto
Taro Iwate
Hiroshi Kanbe - telegraph clerk
Shinichi Hatori - passerby

Trailer

Image Gallery

Film Festivals

2006 (1st) Kinotayo Film Festival - November 21-November 25 - Feature Films
2008 (7th) New York Asian Film Festival - June 20th - July 6th - New York Premiere

Awards

2005 (30th) Hochi Film Awards - December, 2005
- "Best Picture"
- "Best Supporting Actor" (Shinichi Tsutsumi)
- "Best Supporting Actress" (Hiroko Yakushimaru)
2005 (48th) Blue Ribbon Awards - February 7, 2006
- "Best Supporting Actor" (Shinichi Tsutsumi)
- "Best Supporting Actress" (Hiroko Yakushimaru)
2006 (29th) Japan Academy Prize - March 3, 2006
- "Picture of the Year"
- "Director of the Year"
- "Screenplay of the Year"
- "Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" (Hidetaka Yoshioka)
- "Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role" (Shinichi Tsutsumi)
- "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role" (Hiroko Yakushimaru)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Music" (Naoki Sato)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography" (Kozo Shibasak)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction" (Kenichi Mizuno)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" (Anri Jojo)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording" (Hitoshi Tsurumaki)
- "Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing" (Ryuji Miyajima)
- "Rookie of the Year" (Maki Horikita)

Comments

Syi Jun 04 2016 10:15 pm Came here from Best Film-Movie of the Year genre, also for Horikita Maki. Wept a few times, deeply touched by a lot the scenes (spoiler: including ice/refrigerator scene even), left with a warm light-hearted feeling by the end of the movie. Moving indeed! (- mostly moved by Chagawa-san)

Just prepare yourself for some waterworks. (Especially if you enjoy slow-paced, back-in-time movies)

One word: Quality.

ios 8 update Jan 20 2015 3:29 pm I've read a few just right stuff here. Certainly value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much effort you set to create the sort of great informative website.

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