Stray Dog

L.O to understand the different ways it represents society.

• Rookie homicide detective Murakami frantically seeks his stolen Colt pistol which, to his shame, has been pickpocketed on a bus. A manhunt begins when the stolen gun is used in a murder. The older and wiser detective, Sato, takes Murakami under his wing. The evolving relationship between the two men gives the film depth. The action throughout takes place during a heatwave in a bombed-out post-war Tokyo.

• Quote: "A stray dog sees only what it chases." --Detective Sato

• There’s the epic sweep, in which a very personal story focusing on a troubled individual(s) is told against a grand background, in this case the panorama of a defeated and humiliated occupied Japan. Dostoyevskian themes and motifs — humanism, class conflict, masculine pain and guilt

Murakami

Murakami

• The lead detective dressed in white and would signify the innocence of youth.

• Is representative of the new Japan he shows his emotion. However he also still shows the traditional values of honour and tradition in the police precinct.

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• He could be seen as kurasowas idea of what Japan need to be after the war.

• He is a man not afraid to show his emotion and shows guilt and remorse as well as anger and frustration.

• The traditions of the samurai have been moved to the police detective.

• Learns from the old detective representative of new Japan looking and learning from its past.

Detective Sato

Detective Sato

• The older and wiser detective he is a representation of the old Japan. He is very rigid in his ideas.

• “Gut feelings are useless here, only cold hard facts matter.”

• Relates to the idea of not showing emotion

• He has a traditional home that is set in the country.

• The family keep the traditional roles. The home is still also traditional in its layout and sitting on the floor.

• This could be representative of the need for the remains of tradition. Aspects of Japan and its society need to change however the family ideas should remain the same.

• He is shot and it shows that elements of the old culture cannot survive. But the best aspects can be passed on to a new generation.

Females of Stray dog

Females of Stray dog

• Female pickpocket shows that the women of modern Japan are involved in violence and crime.

• Are manipulative of the men and are not to be trusted.

• Far more powerful then in traditional Japan

• They are influenced by the west the females are portrayed more sexually. (show girls scene)

• The older women are still kept in a traditional roles and garments.

Settings

Settings of stray dog

• The City is shown as dirty and dilapidated. A place where there is crime and violence.

• All of the crimes take place within the western settings of the city. However the traditional and rural Japan is shown as safe.

• The railway scene shows the clash between the old and the new as the train tracks represent the modern and industrial modern Japan. And the traditional village it passes through shows that the old and new are coming together.

Home Study

• “How do Yojimbo and Stray dog represent Japanese society?”

• 1000 words comparison of the two films