Postcard (2010 film)

2010 film

Postcard

Film poster

Directed by| Kaneto Shindō
Written by| Kaneto Shindō
Produced by| Jirō Shindō
Starring| Etsushi Toyokawa
Cinematography| Masahiko Hayashi
Edited by| Yukio Watanabe
Music by| Hikaru Hayashi

Production
company

Kindai Eiga Kyokai

Release dates

* October 2010 (2010-10) (Tokyo IFF)[1]
* August 13, 2011 (2011-08-13) (Japan)[2]

Running time

| 114 minutes
Country| Japan
Language| Japanese

Postcard (一枚のハガキ, Ichimai no hagaki) is a 2010 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō.[3][4] It was Shindō's last film before his death in 2012 at age 100. The film is set during and after the Pacific War and deals with the effect of the death of soldiers on their families. It is loosely based on Shindō's wartime experiences. It was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

## Plot

[edit]

Near the end of the Pacific War, Sadazo Morikawa is one of a group of 100 overaged conscripts for the Japanese navy assigned to cleaning duty. Once the cleaning duty has finished, the members are chosen by lottery for various duties. Sadazo is assigned to serve in the Philippines. He thinks he will not survive, and asks a comrade, Matsuyama, to return a postcard to his wife, Tomoko, and tell her that he received it before he died.

Earlier, Sadazo is conscripted, and he says goodbye to his parents Yukichi and Chiyo and wife Tomoko. Later, a military official reports Sadazo's death. Sadazo's parents plead with Tomoko not to leave, and to marry their younger son Sanpei. Tomoko agrees to marry Sanpei. Sanpei is conscripted. He considers running away but his parents tell him it is useless. Sanpei dies in the war. Later, during farm work, Yukichi dies from a heart condition. Chiyo gives Tomoko some money and then hangs herself.

The war ends and Matsuyama returns to Japan. His wife has run away after an affair with his father, and is now working as a bar hostess in Osaka. They meet and argue, and she tells him she wishes he had died in the war. Matsuyama makes his way to Tomoko's house to deliver the postcard. He talks about Sadazo and tells her he plans to go to Brazil. He has 200,000 yen from the sale of his fishing boat, and he tries to give her half. She refuses. He has a fight with Kichigoro, another suitor of Tomoko. After Tomoko and Matsuyama quarrel, they agree to go to Brazil together. They burn Sadazo and Sanpei's ashes. Tomoko gets drunk and sets fire to the house. Matsuyama pulls her out of the burning house. They decide to stay in Japan and grow barley on the site of the old house. The film ends with them in the field of barley.

## Cast

[edit]

* Etsushi Toyokawa as Keita Matsuyama
* Shinobu Otake as Tomoko Morikawa
* Naomasa Musaka as Morikawa
* Akira Emoto as Yukichi Morikawa
* Ren Ohsugi as Kichigoro

## Production

[edit]

The film is loosely based on Shindō's experiences during the Pacific War,[5] when, despite being considered poorly fit for military service, he was one of a unit of 100 men conscripted into the Japanese navy, of whom only six survived, solely because of a lottery. Shindō was 98 years old at the time of filming.

The musical score is by Shindō's long term collaborator Hikaru Hayashi.

## Reception

[edit]

Postcard premiered at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2010, where Shindō announced that this would be his last film.[1] The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,[6][7] but it did not make the final shortlist.[8]

## See also

[edit]

* Cinema of Japan
* List of submissions to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "【東京国際映画祭】98歳の新藤兼人監督 「この映画が最後」 49作目『一枚のハガキ』に積年の思い込める (Tokyo International Film Festival: 98-year-old director Kaneto Shindō presents 49th film "Postcard" "This movie is the last")". Oricon News (in Japanese). October 27, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
2. ^ "一枚のハガキ (Postcard)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved July 29, 2021.
3. ^ Smith, Ian Hayden (2012). International Film Guide 2012. p. 156\. ISBN 978-1908215017.
4. ^ "Japanese Director Kaneto Shindo Sends Personal 'Postcard' to Oscar Voters". hollywoodreporter.com. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
5. ^ "Kaneto Shindo tells a personal story in 'Postcard'". LA Times. February 5, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
6. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (September 8, 2011). "Japanese Entry for Foreign Language Oscar to Be 'Postcard'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
7. ^ "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". oscars.org. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
8. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar". Retrieved January 19, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* Postcard at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

* Rashomon (1951)
* Gate of Hell (1954)
* Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1955)
* The Burmese Harp (1956)
* Aruse (1957)
* The Ballad of Narayama (1958)
* Fires on the Plain (1959)
* Late Autumn (1960)
* Immortal Love (1961)
* Being Two Isn't Easy (1962)
* Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963)
* Woman in the Dunes (1964)
* Kwaidan (1965)
* Lake of Tears (1966)
* Portrait of Chieko (1967)
* The Sands of Kurobe (1968)
* Profound Desires of the Gods (1969)
* The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan (1970)
* Dodes'ka-den (1971)
* Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (1972)
* Coup d'État (1973)
* The Fossil (1974)
* Sandakan No. 8 (1975)
* Mount Hakkoda (1977)
* Empire of Passion (1978)
* Gassan (1979)
* Kagemusha (1980)
* Muddy River (1981)
* Onimasa (1982)
* Antarctica (1983)
* MacArthur's Children (1984)
* Gray Sunset (1985)
* Final Take (1986)
* Zegen (1987)
* Hope and Pain (1988)
* Rikyu (1989)
* The Sting of Death (1990)
* Rhapsody in August (1991)
* The Oil-Hell Murder (1992)
* Madadayo (1993)
* Pom Poko (1994)
* Deep River (1995)
* Gakko II (1996)
* Princess Mononoke (1997)
* Begging for Love (1998)
* Poppoya (1999)
* After the Rain (2000)
* Go (2001)
* Out (2002)
* The Twilight Samurai (2003)
* Nobody Knows (2004)
* Blood and Bones (2005)
* Hula Girls (2006)
* I Just Didn't Do It (2007)
* Departures (2008)
* Nobody to Watch Over Me (2009)
* Confessions (2010)
* Postcard (2011)
* Our Homeland (2012)
* The Great Passage (2013)
* The Light Shines Only There (2014)
* 100 Yen Love (2015)
* Nagasaki: Memories of My Son (2016)
* Her Love Boils Bathwater (2017)
* Shoplifters (2018)
* Weathering with You (2019)
* True Mothers (2020)
* Drive My Car (2021)
* Plan 75 (2022)
* Perfect Days (2023)
* Cloud (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Kaneto Shindo

* Story of a Beloved Wife (1951)
* Avalanche (1952)
* Children of Hiroshima (1952)
* Epitome (1953)
* Life of a Woman (1953)
* Dobu (1954)
* Wolf (1955)
* Shirogane Shinjū (1956)
* Ryūri no Kishi (1956)
* An Actress (1956)
* Umi no Yarōdomo (1957)
* Sorrow Is Only for Women (1958)
* Lucky Dragon No. 5 (1959)
* Hanayome-san wa sekai-ichi (1959)
* The Naked Island (1960)
* Ningen (1962)
* Mother (1963)
* Onibaba (1964)
* Akuto (1965)
* Lost Sex (1966)
* Kuroneko (1968)
* Heat Wave Island (1969)
* Live Today, Die Tomorrow! (1970)
* Sanka (1972)
* The Heart (1973)
* Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975)
* The Life of Chikuzan (1977)
* The Strangling (1979)
* Edo Porn (1981)
* Burakkubōdo (1986)
* Tree Without Leaves (1986)
* Sakura-tai Chiru (1988)
* A Last Note (1995)
* Will to Live (1999)
* By Player (2000)
* Owl (2003)
* Postcard (2010)

* v
* t
* e

Mainichi Film Award for Best Film

* Aru yo no Tonosama (1946)
* Ima Hitotabi no (1947)
* Drunken Angel (1948)
* Late Spring (1949)
* Until We Meet Again (1950)
* Repast (1951)
* Ikiru (1952)
* An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953)
* Twenty-Four Eyes (1954)
* Floating Clouds (1955)
* Mahiru no ankoku (1956)
* The Rice People (1957)
* The Ballad of Narayama (1958)
* Kiku to Isamu (1959)
* Her Brother (1960)
* A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
* Harakiri (1962)
* High and Low (1963)
* Woman in the Dunes (1964)
* Red Beard (1965)
* The Great White Tower (1966)
* Samurai Rebellion (1967)
* The Profound Desire of the Gods (1968)
* Double Suicide (1969)
* Where Spring Comes Late (1970)
* Silence (1971)
* The Long Darkness (1972)
* Tsugaru Folk Song (1973)
* Castle of Sand (1974)
* The Fossil (1975)
* Fumō Chitai (1976)
* The Yellow Handkerchief (1977)
* The Incident (1978)
* Nomugi Pass (1979)
* Kagemusha (1980)
* Muddy River (1981)
* Fall Guy (1982)
* Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
* W's Tragedy (1984)
* Ran (1985)
* The Sea and Poison (1986)
* A Taxing Woman (1987)
* My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
* Black Rain (1989)
* Childhood Days (1990)
* My Sons (1991)
* Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992)
* All Under the Moon (1993)
* A Dedicated Life (1994)
* A Last Note (1995)
* Shall We Dance? (1996)
* Princess Mononoke (1997)
* Begging for Love (1998)
* Poppoya (1999)
* Face (2000)
* Spirited Away (2001)
* The Twilight Samurai (2002)
* Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003)
* Blood and Bones (2004)
* Break Through! (2005)
* Sway (2006)
* I Just Didn't Do It (2007)
* Departures (2008)
* The Unbroken (2009)
* Villain (2010)
* Postcard (2011)
* A Terminal Trust (2012)
* The Great Passage (2013)
* My Man (2014)
* Three Stories of Love (2015)
* Shin Godzilla (2016)
* Hanagatami (2017)
* Shoplifters (2018)
* Listen to the Universe  (2019)
* Mother (2020)
* Drive My Car (2021)
* Small, Slow But Steady (2022)
* Okiku and the World (2023)
* All the Long Nights (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film

1927–1940|

* Ashi ni sawatta onna (1927)
* A Diary of Chuji's Travels (1928)
* Jobless Samurai (1929)
* Beheading Place (1930)
* What Made Her Do It? (1931)
* The Neighbor's Wife and Mine (1932)
* I Was Born, But... (1933)
* Passing Fancy (1934)
* A Story of Floating Weeds (1935)
* Wife! Be Like a Rose! (1936)
* Sisters of the Gion (1937)
* Limitless Advance (1938)
* Five Scouts (1939)
* Earth (1940)

1941–1960|

* Kojima no haru (1941)
* The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1942)
* The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay (1943)
* Morning for the Osone Family (1947)
* A Ball at the Anjo House (1948)
* Drunken Angel (1949)
* Late Spring (1950)
* Until We Meet Again (1951)
* Early Summer (1952)
* Ikiru (1953)
* An Inlet of Muddy Water (1954)
* Twenty-Four Eyes (1955)
* Floating Clouds (1956)
* Darkness at Noon (1957)
* The Rice People (1958)
* The Ballad of Narayama (1959)
* Kiku to Isamu (1960)

1961–1980|

* Her Brother (1961)
* Bad Boys (1962)
* Being Two Isn't Easy (1963)
* The Insect Woman (1964)
* Woman in the Dunes (1965)
* Red Beard (1966)
* The Great White Tower (1967)
* Samurai Rebellion (1968)
* The Profound Desire of the Gods (1969)
* Double Suicide (1970)
* Where Spring Comes Late (1971)
* The Ceremony (1972)
* The Long Darkness (1973)
* Tsugaru Folk Song (1974)
* Sandakan No. 8 (1975)
* Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1976)
* The Youth Killer (1977)
* The Yellow Handkerchief (1978)
* Third Base (1979)
* Vengeance Is Mine (1980)

1981–2000|

* Zigeunerweisen (1981)
* Muddy River (1982)
* Fall Guy (1983)
* The Family Game (1984)
* The Funeral (1985)
* And Then (1986)
* The Sea and Poison (1987)
* A Taxing Woman (1988)
* My Neighbor Totoro (1989)
* Black Rain (1990)
* The Cherry Orchard (1991)
* My Sons (1992)
* Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1993)
* All Under the Moon (1994)
* A Dedicated Life (1995)
* A Last Note (1996)
* Shall We Dance? (1997)
* The Eel (1998)
* Fireworks (1998)
* Wait and See (2000)

2001–2020|

* Face (2001)
* Go (2002)
* The Twilight Samurai (2003)
* A Boy's Summer in 1945 (2004)
* Nobody Knows (2005)
* Break Through! (2006)
* Hula Girls (2007)
* I Just Didn't Do It (2008)
* Departures (2009)
* Dear Doctor (2010)
* Villain (2011)
* Postcard (2012)
* Our Homeland (2013)
* Pecoross' Mother and Her Days (2014)
* The Light Shines Only There (2015)
* Three Stories of Love (2016)
* In This Corner of the World (2017)
* The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue (2018)
* Shoplifters (2019)
* It Feels So Good (2020)

2021–present|

* Wife of a Spy (2021)
* Drive My Car (2022)
* Small, Slow But Steady (2023)
* Okiku and the World (2024)
* All the Long Nights (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Film

* A Chaos of Flowers (1988)
* Black Rain (1989)
* Childhood Days (1990)
* My Sons (1991)
* Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992)
* A Class to Remember (1993)
* Crest of Betrayal (1994)
* Sharaku (1995)
* Shall We Dance? (1996)
* Aisuru (1997)
* Begging for Love (1998)
* Poppoya (1999)
* 15 Sai Gakkō IV (2000)
* Spirited Away (2001)
* The Twilight Samurai (2002)
* Like Asura (2003)
* Blood and Bones (2004)
* Break Through! (2005)
* Hula Girls (2006)
* I Just Didn't Do It (2007)
* Departures (2008)
* Dear Doctor (2009)
* Villain (2010)
* Postcard (2011)
* A Terminal Trust (2012)
* The Great Passage (2013)
* The Eternal Zero (2014)
* Solomon's Perjury (2015)
* 64: Part I \- Part II (2016)
* Wilderness (2017)
* Shoplifters (2018)
* The Journalist (2019)
* The Voice of Sin (ja) (2020)
* Drive My Car (2021)
* Anime Supremacy! (2022)
* The Moon (2023)
* A Samurai in Time (2024)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template