User reviews

This film provides an interesting counterpoint to other Kurosawa films. Its portrayal of post-war Japan recalls Stray Dog, but the poverty and sleaziness in this case are used as the background for a romance between two very attractive young people, who have a Sunday date, but only 35 yen to spend. Yet there is not the gloom of Lower Depths. Both have jobs and we see his minimally decent rental room. The title seems throughout the film to be rather ironic, since most of the situations they encounter, such as being cheated at a snack bar, are far from wonderful. However, Kurosawa puts a positive spin at the conclusion. I agree with another reviewer that the device of having the girl speak to the audience, seeking our sympathy for young couples without money, who wish to marry, is a very awkward device that distracts from our interest in the relationship. However, I disagree with another reviewer who describes the ending as corny: we've all heard of Capra-corny. This film does not come up to Capra's level, but it is reminiscent of his human interest. It seemed to me that the closing device of the girl's making a date for the next Sunday works very well. Every film needs closure, and this one does not deal in high drama at any point, so a highly dramatic climax would not be appropriate. The viewer who wants that should go to Ran or Kagemusha. In my view, the early Kurosawa films showed him how to develop human relationships: a gift that later would be present in the samurai films, and would make them much more than action epics.

Far from being one of Kurosawa's best films, it is still a powerful and thoughtful one. He had already developed his filmmaking mastery at this point of time, and it can surely be seen by the way some of the scenes are made.

The film concerns a story of love surrounded by poverty and despair; the main characters of the film have the whole Sunday to go out and be together, the only problem being their shortness of money, as they only had 35 yens to go through the day. Being short of money as they were, there were not many things they could do, so they had to spend them wisely. This mainly leads to frustration from both sides, and so the film becomes depressing most of the time, even though they are really in love with each other and are happy to have a day available for them. Throughout the film they will encounter many obstacles and disheartening experiences, which will push them towards feeling impotent, but they always manage to bring happiness out of all that awful moments, and there is where the magic of this film resides.

It might seem like a simple, clichéd love story we have always been familiar with, and it actually could have just been that, if it was not for the Excellency of Kurosawa's filmmaking skills. He brings magic to many of the main scenes of the film, which definitely increases the experience by showcasing everything in detail. The last scene is really outstanding because of the way it is portrayed; you can actually feel both the pain and happiness they are feeling.

In conclusion, this film is definitely overshadowed by other masterpieces from Kurosawa's filmography, and is definitely not the best from him, but this little film is not to be skipped if you really like the director.

My score: 7.7/10

ONE WONDERFUL SUNDAY (1947) has a simple little plot. A young Tokyo couple have almost no money to spend on their only day available for a date. It isn't long until the money is gone, as well as the young man's spirit. The ending is uncomfortably corny, you will squirm in your seat. There is signs of Akira Kurosawa becoming a great director. He makes us pay attention to the decreasing amount of money (much like he made us pay attention to the number of slain bandits in SEVEN SAMURAI, and his stab at Frank Capra style humor is pretty good. A must see for the student of this great director.

I had said two weeks ago, in a review of Scandal, that Eclipse's new Kurosawa box set could just as easily be called Lesser Kurosawa. That's not fair. I know there are those who champion The Idiot and No Regrets for Our Youth, and even the one film I had previously seen from the set, I Live in Fear, is quite good (though it's hard to argue with it being a lesser film is such an outstanding oeuvre). The truth was, I was hoping very much to find some lesser-known Kurosawa classics. Which brings us to One Wonderful Sunday. Judging solely by IMDb's votes, it's Kurosawa's third least seen movie. And it ranks #26 out of 30 when listed by ratings. Well, I'll be happy to act like I was the first who discovered this hidden gem in Kurosawa's catalogue. This really is a wonderful little film. Influenced very much by Vittorio de Sica, one of Kurosawa's favorite directors, One Wonderful Sunday follows two young lovers, Yuzo and Masako (Isao Numasaki and Chieko Nakakita), spending the titular day together with nothing but ¥35 between them. The two experience sadness and hardship as they go about their date. The structure is episodic, as the lovers experience odd vignettes, meeting various post-war types, like bums and orphans and ticket scalpers. The two try to be happy with each other's company, but Yuzo's poverty makes him feel like less of a man. In one of the strongest sequences in Kurosawa's career, Yuzo decides to act like a cad to drive Masako away. Kurosawa was hardly ever the subtle type, and he is not known for long periods of silence or long takes. This sequence demonstrates a different side of the director. The climax of the film involves an odd breaking of the fourth wall resembling the device in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. As far as I know, this is the only time Kurosawa ever attempted such a thing. That wouldn't be too surprising, though, as film audiences rarely interact with characters on screen. It's just too out there for the medium. But God bless Kurosawa for trying it. It's kind of schmaltzy, but I loved the characters so much that at least I thought about clapping for them. A forgotten near-masterpiece.

Yuzo (Isao Numasaki) and his fiancée Masako (Chieko Nakakita) spend their Sunday afternoon together, trying to have a good time on just thirty-five yen. They manage to have many small adventures, especially because Masako's optimism and belief in dreams is able to lift Yuzo from his realistic despair.

Kurosawa really did a fine job working in post-war Japan, capturing the stress and occasional optimism. Some have compared this film to the works of Frank Capra because of its sentimental overtures. That is interesting and quite possibly a valid connection. It certainly stands out as a different sort of Kurosawa.

I do love that he cast no known actors, with the exception of Ichiro Sugai, who would go on to appear in 140 pictures, including Kurosawa's "Stray Dog" (1949) and Ozu's "Early Summer" (1951). Whether this was intentional or just a reflection of the film industry of the time, I do not know.

Shortly after the end of WWII, a young - and pretty broke - couple try to spend their Sunday together. "Yuzo" (Isao Numasaki) comes across more as the half half empty sort of fellow, but his girlfriend "Masako" (Chieko Nakakita) quite the reverse as they realise they have but ¥35 to last them an entire day! This is not a day just for frivolities. The two are determined to find somewhere where they can live together, and their budget (or lack of) sends them into bomb-damaged and less sanitary areas of their city that the they would ever be prepared to consider normally. An encounter with some baseball playing kids; some damaged cakes; a would-be landlord; an ideal new home they could never afford (that looks as if it is made of balsa wood!) and some dancing all work with two really strong and engaging lead performances to create an almost magical illustration of their day together. They fall out, make up, separate; it rains (always seems to in Kurosawa films) and there is a lovely accompaniment from Schubert to help knit the whole thing together. As with so many real relationships, the use of dialogue is sparing and the use of gesture and implied meaning proves especially effective as the love story moves along - at times earnestly, at times humorously. I wouldn't say the characters evolve, nor does their love - it is much the same at the end as it was at the beginning, and that's also quite enjoyable to appreciate. This isn't really a film about anything distinct actually happening, it's an observation of young love that is trying to blossom, but there just isn't quite enough sunlight yet.

Not one of my favourites from Akira Kurosawa- hard because he is one of cinema's greatest directors with a lot of great films- but when talking about his most underrated films One Wonderful Sunday would be a strong contender. A few scenes go on for a little too long, other than that there was not really anything that came across as wrong. Admittedly the ending is an odd one but also amusing and affecting, one of those endings that wasn't a problem for me but one also that will work for some and not so much for others. While not the most audacious visually of Kurosawa's films One Wonderful Sunday is still beautifully shot, going for the simple (but not simplistic) approach rather than one that, considering the tone of the film, could fall into overblown-style territory. Kurosawa's direction for so early on in his career directs more than capably, One Wonderful Sunday is different in a way for him- one of his most simple films for sure- but there is clear evidence of knowing how to direct with style and he seems to be very comfortable with it. The music when used fits very well and will please any listener. The writing is amusing and uplifting while also peaceful and poignant, and with the story there is a playful tone in places, a dream-like one in others and then there are a lot of scenes where it is endearingly sweet and has a lot of emotional impact. There is poverty as a theme but it's not used heavy-handedly at all. The acting is very good if not among the greatest performances of a Kurosawa film. Then again, you shouldn't expect that, and that is the same with the film too, even if it isn't one of Kurosawa's finest it does deserve to be judged on its own merits of which One Wonderful Sunday has a great many. Coming back to the acting, Chieko Nakakita is captivating right from her appearance to how she grabs the attention of the viewer even in the simplest of things. Overall, a beautiful film and deserves to be better known and seen much more than it is at the moment. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of director Akira Kurosawa's earlier films and like most of my favorite films of his, this one is about people and is set in contemporary Japan. Many love his medieval epics, but for me, I almost always prefer the "people films" like IKARU, THE BAD SLEEP WELL and SCANDAL. However, despite this being a people film, it does not, unfortunately, rank up among the director's best. Now I am not saying it's a bad film--it just doesn't measure up among his better films. Why? Well, mostly because the plot is perhaps too simple. This story about two poor lovers really doesn't have a whole lot to it. They are very poor, their lives stink and they long to marry and be together more than just one day a week. Now the journey from start to finish is well made and reasonably engaging, but that really is about all there is to it. A very good director at the beginning of his career, two very good actors and a backdrop of a post-war country that is still mostly in rubble make for a good film--but one that just seems to need a bit more.

Akira Kurosawa's movies have a whole range of themes, be they set in contemporary or in historical eras. To name a few: the chasm between the rich and the poor, between the strong and the weak, between the courageous and the cowards, between the powerful and their foot folk, between the honest and the deceitful, between the clever and the idiots, between the sincere and the dishonest, and also, importantly, between war (destruction and loss) and peace (happiness).

In this movie, made just after WW II, he depicts the struggle for life of 'poor lovers', whose dreams were shattered by the war. Japan is in dire straits: no jobs, and, if you have a job, bad salaries; high rents for decent shelters and huge inflation. 'Free markets' are controlled by 'black' merchants and their thugs. There is still an upper class, which looks with contempt on those without money, their former foot folk. The girl remains optimistic, but her lover is deeply depressed.

Akira Kurosawa made some very risky shots on the music of F. Schubert's unfinished symphony. But, he had the mastery to create the perfect mood. Not to be missed and certainly not by A. Kurosawa fans.

In terms of production, recalling Roberto Rossellini's war trilogy immediately after the end of the Second World War in Italy, Akira Kurosawa told a sweetly sad little tale of people who have nothing. Set in the final days of the Japanese involvement in the war (presumably because the war is barely mentioned and there's no American presence), it's a film of an engaged couple finding a way to spend their day off of work with a grand thirty-five yen between them. Using real locations and some non-professional actors to fill out the edges of the cast, Kurosawa put a single toe in a sort of neo-realism. It's still got a certain narrative messiness, but much like No Regrets for Our Youth, it pulls so much together by the end.

Masako (Chieko Nakakita) and Yuzo (Isao Numasaki) live apart, Masako in her sister's house and Yuzo has a roommate in a single room apartment, and they meet up in the center of Tokyo for a date. He has fifteen yen, and he feels shame for accepting the twenty yen Masako has with her, but they need to find a way to spend their one day a week together with such little money. Their first stop on the bright and sunny morning is a model home of a traditional Japanese home for 100,000 yen, and it's here where we find out the main difference between the two. Masako is a dreamer, imagining a life in this house, while Yuzo can just think of the fact that they only have thirty-five yen between them. He's prone to despair, and she cannot give into it.

They go over to a desolate little area of town where they find some children playing baseball (did the Japanese still love baseball during WWII before the American occupation? I don't know. Probably), and they spend ten yen on some pastries that Yuzo accidentally hits with the baseball when he gets to bat. Masako notices a business card drop from his pocket, a card to a former army friend of Yuzo's who owns a nightclub. It sounds like a fun idea, and potentially free if Yuzo can find his friend, so they head on over. There's something weird about the place, though. Yuzo goes in alone, drops the name of the owner, and the staff act peculiar, directing him to the area behind the scenes, plopping him down, and offering him food. It seems as though this army friend is now a gangster, and this friend has a policy of just feeding those who know him without even meeting them. It is important because Yuzo and Masako have real, legal jobs, without any connection to the black market, and they are actually quite proud of that despite their take home pay being so low that they can't even afford a single room to rent together.

The day is not going well, and the weather turns to rain. Dejected, Yuzo proposes that they just go home to meet again in a week, but Masako notices a poster for a performance of Schubert's unfinished symphony with tickets for ten yen each, which they can afford. They head over, but scalpers pick up the last of the tickets and start selling them for fifteen each. They can't even get into a music performance for the masses, and it breaks Yuzo. They retreat to his empty apartment, and he tries to convince Masako to simply leave him. Not just for the day, but completely. He has no hope for the future. This sequence is quiet and goes on for about twenty minutes, most of it with Yuzo alone in his room, and it's a very slow realization that without Masako he literally has nothing. When she comes back to him, having forgotten her purse, they reconnect and go out for coffee with dreams of starting their own shop. When they accidentally order café au lait instead of just plain coffee, they don't have enough money to cover the cost and Yuzo must leave his overcoat behind as collateral.

The final half an hour of the film is Yuzo trying to be the kind of dreamer that Masako is, finding something to get him through the hard times of wartime life. First is the dream of their coffee shop, brought to an end in embarrassment when some children witness the two playacting. And then they find an empty amphitheater. Yuzo is desperate to find that magic and to lighten Masako's mood, so he pretends to be a conductor to an empty stage, and he struggles with the fiction. The sound of the wind blocks out his attempts to dream, and Masako even pleads directly to the audience to clap in support.

There's something interesting about this whole series of events. The opening feels a little cluttered, the middle section in Yuzo's apartment feels drawn out, but the ending is special. The ending has a subtle emotional power beyond the more obvious and direct appeal to the audience. Yuzo finding something to believe in while living in the bombed out shell of a city that was Tokyo is really very nice.

It's a movie about two people, and it almost exclusively stars only two people. Isao Numasaki is on screen for almost the whole movie while Chieko Nakakita disappears when Yuzo goes into the nightclub and when she leaves Yuzo's apartment. They're both fine actors playing simple people looking for meaning in a world trying to chew them up and spit them out.

It's a nice little film that finds humanity and hope in harsh landscape, a way towards a brighter future no matter the challenges of the day. It's sweet.

Based on the cover you'd think that One Wonderful Sunday was a heartwarming piece of Japanese cinema, let me assure you that it is not.

Toho's early films are bleak, dark and depressing and this is no exception. It tells the story of a couple out together in a war ravaged Tokyo. With minimal money they set about making the most of their time together.

She is optimistic and a happy girl while he is negative and truly miserable. It could be argued that the core theme behind the movie is depression, if it's not it perhaps should have been.

Though it has some sweet moments and some of the content you'd have expected based on the cover the majority is harrowing.

The film despite being by Kurosawa was poorly recieved almost globally as folks seemingly didn't like the finale. I don't personally think it was terrible but it certainly should have been better. Since this is a Toho film ultimately it could have been a lot worse for our characters as others have ended in murder and double suicides.

One Wonderful Sunday is sugar and salt shaken together, it will lift your spirits before kicking you into a bout of depression.

The Good:

Some sweet moments

Very well made

The Bad:

Very depressing in places

Inconsistent tones

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Stupidly wealthy people still look at grotty dirty rooms to rent because.....reasons

I'm not sure I'd want to live in a world where a single rice ball costs ten times as much as a ticket to the zoo

That girl has a loud clap!!!

In post-war Japan, a young couple try to enjoy their Sunday together, but struggle with their limited means and his feelings of depression. They scrimp to get by and can't afford to rent even a seedy room together, and all around them they see dishonesty. They lament the callousness of the wealthy and those who turn to the black market to survive, face a street gang blatantly running a ticket scalping operation, and even get ripped off by a café owner who runs a little scam. We don't see any occupying Americans but feel their presence in a few signs in English, and it's clear that the man, an ex-soldier beaten in the war, now feels beaten in its aftermath, thinking of himself as a "stray dog."

The film thus has strong emotions going for it, and it's touching how it signals the need to hold on tight to one another and keep their dreams alive. There is such life to the film at times, and we see it reflected in the camera work, as it runs alongside children chasing a baseball, staggers just as the drunken hostess of a cabaret does, and scurries along with the couple as they dash through the rain to try to see a concert. Unfortunately there are other times when the film lags, particularly when the man grows despondent. Kurosawa may have been trying to amplify the feelings of sadness and anger at the world, but it would have been more powerful had he trimmed a few scenes down a bit, at least all these years later and from my perspective.

I have a feeling audience members at the time had a much different feeling, one that was intensely personal. There is a sense of the man trying to regain his traditional manhood - his ability to provide, his ability to stand up a young hoodlum, and his ability to take this woman passionately - all of which are threatened here. Near the end he conducts a rousing (though imaginary) orchestra in an amphitheater with nothing but leaves rustling in the wind, after getting encouragement from her. She also breaks the fourth wall to exhort the audience to applaud for "poor young lovers everywhere" who are "freezing in the cold winds of this world" to "help us dream beautiful dreams." The film shifts in this moment from its feeling of grim neorealism to something Capraesque, and yet somehow it works, and beautifully, in doing so. A near miss for a higher rating.

This is almost like a play and it is a deceptively simple story. Its about a poor couple who get together on Sundays for a date. Essentially, this film is about one of the dates. Nothing earthshattering happens, pretty much life happens. I was at first not convinced by it, but as the film progressed I began to listen to the characters more, meaning the story took on a deeper meaning. The two lead actors are superb, and one thing I do like is that especially Masako is played by a lady who is not beautiful but sweet and just attractive (if this film was remade in America tomorrow, Beyonce would be the star). Actually, its a shame this film wasn't re-made in the United States about 25 years ago. I could see Meryl Streep really flexing her always considerable acting muscles on a role like this. So, it is a film about a date, but its a film about hopes, disappointments and dreams. It gets better as it goes along. I recommend it, its worth your time.

You won't hear about this film too much. But as many before me write, it is one of the best from Kurosawa. Such a powerful but simple story of life and hope portrayed in such poetic manner is really unparalleled. The actors were brilliant and they carried the whole movie on their shoulder. I would recommend all Kurosawa fans to see this masterpiece

One Wonderful Sunday feels like a movie just made for the audiences of its time. For a country and people with absolutely nothing left in the ruins of world war 2 comes a feel good film made by the same director who just a couple years before was making propaganda films to boost morale in the Japanese Imperialistic war effort. I guess you can say he got with the times.

Like those ww2 era films, One Wonderful Sunday feels like a product of its time and as such a bit dated. It tries to resonate with an audience aibeit with a much more sincere note then in its previous films. Unlike the plain Propaganda, looking back at this is a lot less awkward as one might expect. After all, the Japanese war effort is not remembered very favourably to say the least...

Also, what I did appreciate was the manner of acting the two main actors used, to remain hopeful when everything seems to work against you. Amid the extreme poverty that Japan experienced in the first years after the war, the people most affected were the regular folk. Their struggle is in a sense a very universal one.

And yet the movie's response to this struggle is nothing more then simple optimism, something solely reserved for cinema, instead of some other deeper conclusion. While not unsurprising, this does make it an only mildly interesting watch.

3/5 Stars.

I loved this film for all the reasons already advanced on this board. A story about two lovers who have only each other in a devastated, corrupted, and occupied society is universal in every sense.

I think Kurosawa's postwar films are especially interesting from a political point of view. All of his films had to pass U.S. censors, and so his political comments are shrouded in symbolism and cinematic sleight of hand. American occupation authorities doubtlessly viewed this film as a simple tale of struggling lovers. But a closer look reveals much more.

"Yuzo" is a war veteran down on his luck. Millions of Japanese war veterans returned home to a society ashamed of their service and anxious to forget their failure. "Masako" is his lover but their future together is rendered difficult by their mutual poverty.

Kurosawa gives us glimpses of pathetic war orphans, destitute women forced into prostitution, and a new economic oligarchy made wealthy by black markets. The ruins of Tokyo are presented only on distant horizons or as incidental background, but the damage inflicted by the 20th U.S. Air Force is clearly implied. None of these elements would ever pass U.S. censorship had they been essential to the story.

Postwar Japanese audiences. however, doubtlessly recognized these subtle references to their occupied and devastated country. That Kurosawa could express these matters without provoking American censorship is itself a testament to his artistic skills.

After watching the likes of Kagemusha, Ran, and the Seven Samurai, linking this to Kurosawa seems a stretch, but for every big budget film, there are these quiet human ones. This is post war Japan and we get to see that life can go on. It's a nice little film.

With this warm and uplifting film, the effect Kurosawa achieves is in the simplicity. The story is threadbare. Two lovebirds try to spend a Sunday together in post-war Tokyo and enjoy themselves with only 35 yen in their pockets. Kurosawa never ceases to amaze me because of his incredibly acute comprehension of the visual effects of a story. The simpler the story is, the more it becomes simply a day in their lives. The more it becomes a day in the life, the more upsetting we find the challenges facing them because of the Occupation and the crumbling economy at the time.

It's almost like a lightweight version of The Lost Weekend. There are no debilitating problems like alcoholism or writer's block. There are just obstructions and inconveniences with which the characters can either roll or stew around.

One Wonderful Sunday is a beautiful slice of life from a time that could be many different times in many different places. It's a peaceful movie about the peace that is always there for a given person, their journey being to find it. I have rarely seen a sequence so beautifully crafted on film as the two lovers in the empty, decaying concrete exterior auditorium, where one resolves to create the music they have been struggling to hear. There is hardly a handful of filmmakers living today that would think of such a thing. Kurosawa may have had the clearest, purest understanding of cinema out of any filmmaker.

(1947) One Wonderful Sunday/ Subarashiki nichiyôb (In Japanese with English subtitles) DRAMA

Co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa a movie that revolves around Yuzo (Isao Numazaki) and Masako (Chieko Nakakita) a couple who are down on their luck. Attempting to make the most of what little money they have throughout the day of Sunday- hence the title. There's a reason why Kurosawa is one of the most inspirational directors of all time, for this gimmick of a single day has been used.

Recovering the after effects from post-war Japan portraying a couple attempting to adapt to normalcy as well as the impact within, one is pessimistic while the other is optimistic. It's shown in the most subtlest way.

One is never too old to learn. I am discovering Kurosawa's pre-Rashomon films on TCM while I am approaching old age. This film has shown me that Kurosawa has tried and excelled in positively every genre imaginable while preceding others in each field. "One Wonderful Sunday" has probably taught a few things to Fellini while totally preempting the French New Wave. Compared to this opus, all of Godard's and Truffaut's pretentious, meaningless essays fall short in both the story-telling department and the ability to convey a useful message. They didn't bring anything new and made our world a little poorer in the process. Kurosawa, on the other hand, was a courageous inventor who was capable of improvising as he went along - without losing track of his goal, a brilliant technician and director of actors as well as a poet.