The Poor
An essay by Colin Paterson
Based on 'Dodesukaden' a.k.a. ‘Clickity-clack’Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Based on the book of short stories 'The Town Without Season' by Shugoro Yamamoto
Additional reading: 'The Films of Akira Kurosawa'  by D. Richie

I found Dodesukaden to be a very interesting film, it showed a side of society that is usually not seen in movies. The poor people are also usually not acknowledge by the rest of society, although they are often mentioned, they are forgotten about. This film has a number of aspects that I think helped me to enjoy it. The general mood of the film, with the bright paint, and being well lite seemed to make the situation seem a little happier. There was also the occasional joke or humorous section that lightened the mood. Many people disliked the way the film had no conclusion and that it jumped around, I found the jumping around hard to follow, but after reading the synopsis of the film, and having the separate stories relayed, I had a much better understanding of the film. Since Dodesukaden is about the poor and their lifestyle and this is a disturbing subject for many, they would not like the film. I don't I think many societies would receive this film well partially due to subject, the lack of conclusion, little action and the way the story, although fluid is chopped into pieces. Dodesukaden is not a Hollywood style, nor a standard Drama or documentary film. Due to its content being relayed from real sources it may fit a docu-drama category. The Film would probably fare much better in the art houses and some intellectual circuits. Dodesukaden for me was a nice change from the standard movie, and what many will have found unenjoyable, I found thought provoking and different. This is why I liked it, it is not a film I would want to see every day but once a year would be okay.  As a cultural item it provides a slice of life, from the point of view of an often unheard portion of society. It's relevance to Japanese culture would be of a greater significance however still relevant to many cultures as most have a poor or outcast sub-culture within them.

The reading, The Films of Akira Kurosawa (1970), seems to imply that Kurosawa can in some ways relate to the poor, but that their mental illnesses is somehow linked to their poverty. Dodesukaden shows that the poor, maintain a relatively normal society or sub-culture. This group has all the makings of any society. It may be small and the buildings are cobbled together with whatever is around, but each member of the community has a role. The roles we were presented with are not rolls exclusive to the poor, rather they are stereo types of people that can be found at any level of society. There was the whore, a grocer, an artist, a business man, a leader and gossiping woman at the water supply. All these people have their own stories, and we don't know how all of them become poor. Kurosawa also showed us a few people who's life could have been different if circumstances were different. The girls, who's step father drank, seemed as if he could have afforded better if it wasn't for his drink, and lack of wanting to work himself. All the children in the film are poor by circumstance and although one family does have some pain, due to the children's illegitimacy. The father, who probably is not, takes responsibility for his children. After all he is raising them, and he considers them his. The flower girl is almost a slave and the beggar boy has to beg for his and his fathers food. Both these characters have lost their innocence and childhood to their poverty. They are the most unfortunate of the poor as it is not their fault, they can not change their circumstance. The children seem more in tune with their situation, it was the children who confronted their father about if they were his children, it was the flower girl who would lash out and try to take her life, and the beggar boy died, he seemed to know that his father lived in a dream.

Kurosawaseems to see the poor as a forgotten or lost  people, each with some quirk that makes them outcasts to normal society. The business man has what seems to be a nervous twitch and snort. The boy, Rokkuchan, at the start, seems to be autistic, he is very good at imitating the bus drivers, The man who built the house in his mind slipped further and further into his fantasy although not strictly a mental illness, his pride abnormally strong and was in the end what caused him to slip into his fantasy, standing by the pool. Some are simple drunks and their drinking is their illness, other have been emotionally hurt, and can not get past the incident.  
I do not think Kurosawa was intending to say that death was an appropriate way to leave your troubles, as the man who wanted to commit suicide, discovered he had much to live for. The girl who was to kill herself, but first attacked the delivery boy as she did not want to be alone when she was dead, went back to her life. Although slightly better as her Uncle was gone. The beggar boy died from food poisoning, and although this is sad, the boy had already grown old for his age, and seen more than than he should. He was much older in spirit than physically.   

I have, like most,  not thought about the poor much and never having been put into that situation have no real idea of what it is like, except through media. Dodesukaden is universal in its treatment of the poor, and made me think about them and their life. I as Kurosawa, I think, can only relate to these people on a superficial level, they are people though and have all the problems, ups and downs and issues as the rest of us. They have to eat, and survive and everyone has a dream of a better life. Even the well off dream of a better life, there is always something better. I think that the film showed and I also believe that family is important to the poor.  Most of the characters in the film had at least one family member, often only one, perhaps another cause for poverty. The family was still a loving unit, although none of them were without there problems. One family had issues of paternity, some were henpecked, all had a person to lean on and to help support them. When the man lost his son, he also lost his support system, and fell further into despair.

The community itself was an extended family with the old man as its head and spiritual leader in many ways. He was always able to see beyond what was wrong and solve any problems. There was the  2 drunk men, who swapped wifes, the snooty and permiscuse woman, the henpecked husband, and children of all ages. Each of these is like many western stereotypes of family members, the drunk uncle, the wise grandfather, the henpecked brother in law, and so on.  So for me I feel that family even if dysfunctional is necessary and helps to create a better environment for both the poor and the other classes. The film also showed me that the poor tend to make the best of what they have, all of the homes, except the car, and they had a “dream “ home, seemed to be livable homes and as well kept as could be expected for the environment.(Dirt streets, trash and ruble all around.)

The other idea that is shown in the film and that I had not really thought about was that every societies poor class gravitates together and creates some form of structure and rules within this group. Since they are in many ways forgotten and outcast these groups conform to there own rules, and those rules are not that different from the rules of mainstream society. Most cities have a poor area, and most people in the city can tell you where that area is, although they could not tell you much more and may even have an aversion to these impoverished people. Not thinking that people in their class are also drunks, cheaters,  thieves and may have other unsavory secrets. The poor are not that different and just because they wear old, ragged cloths and can not afford a nice house, does not mean these people are any worse or better than any one else.