In this lesser known Akira Kurosawa film, a group of people who live in a Tokyo slum are dreaming their fantasies.
The film is an anthology of overlapping vignettes exploring the lives of various characters living in suburban shantytown atop a rubbish dump.
Based on a book by Shūgorō Yamamoto, it was Kurosawa’s first film in color.
The film title “Dodeska-den” are the playacting “words” uttered by the boy character to mimick the sound of his imaginary tram (trolley car) in motion.
It is not a commonly used onomatopoeic word in the Japanese vocabulary, but was invented by author Shūgorō Yamamoto in Kisetsu no nai machi [ja] (A Town Without Seasons).
The first to be introduced is the boy Roku-chan, who lives in a fantasy world in which he is a tram (trolley) driver. In his fantasy world, he drives his tram along a set route and schedule through the dump, reciting the refrain “Dodeska-den,” “clickety-clack,” mimicking the sound of his vehicle.
Dedicated to the fantasy,. Roku-chan is called “trolley fool” (densha baka) by locals and by children. His mother is concerned that Roku-chan is mentally-challenged.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Foreign Language Film
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winner was Italian Vittorio`-9 De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.