And you’ll learn about Japan’s most famous and beloved dog, Chuken Hachikō (the faithful dog Hachi). Whether you’re a dog lover or not, the story will move you. Parker can’t teach the dog to fetch, but the friend explains that the dog will forge a different kind of loyalty. The Hollywood version slightly differs from the Japanese version, but the basic storyline is the same. A Japanese friend reads the dog’s tag Hachiko or Eight, a lucky number. Even Hollywood took a note of it and made a move called “ Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” starring Richard Gere as the owner. The story is legendary in Japan, because it shows the deep connection between dogs and humans. The statue of Hachi was built a year before his death, and it still remains in Shibuya station today. For the next 9 years until his death Hachi waited for his owner every day at the station. But one day the owner died suddenly from stroke, never returning to the station where Hachi was waiting.Īfter the owner’s death Hachi continued to appear at the station preciously when the train was arriving, awaiting his owner’s return. At the end of each day Hachi went to the station by himself to greet his owner. Hachik was a dog that is fondly remembered for his incredible loyalty to his owner and guardian Hidesabur Ueno, which he continued to wait for at the Shibuya Station for nearly a decade after Ueno’s sudden death. Hachi lived with his owner near Shibuya station, one of the busiest train stations in Tokyo today. Since then I’ve had several wonderful dogs in my life, but I still dream of having an Akita dog like Hachi one day. The story affected me so much that I began asking my parents if we could have a dog. I remember watching it and crying as a child. The film was released in 1987, and it was a big hit.
#HACHI A DOGS TALE ON YOUTUBE MOVIE#
“Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is a great, big wet lick to the face, and a welcome one.“ Hachiko Monogatari (monogatari = story)” is a Japanese movie based on a true story about an Akita dog named Hachikō (aka Hachi). Lindsey manage to toe the correct side of the line between overt sentiment and mushy smarm.
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The breadth and depth of Hallström’s work (“Chocolat,” “My Life As a Dog,” “The Shipping News”) suggests he might represent Sweden’s finest cinematic export since the Bergmans - Ingrid and Ingmar. The film really amps up the pulling of heartstrings at this point, as the dog continues his increasingly grim journey to the train station every afternoon, eternally hopefully that his master - his friend - will greet him again.Įventually, a reporter hears the remarkable dog’s tale, and the town rallies around its most famous denizen. I don’t think I’m giving anything away in saying that Parker dies about two-thirds of the way through the film - after all, it’s the dog’s behavior after his master’s death that made his story so unforgettable. to wait for Parker to step off the train again.
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He even shows up again promptly at 5 p.m. He also ignores his master’s instruction not to follow him to the train station for work every day. Hachi is a loving but willful companion - for instance, he refuses to play fetch, despite Parker’s many training attempts. The primary relationships is between the dog and Parker, but Allen has a great scene with Hachi where you can see the reluctance just melt away from her face. Soon enough, of course, Hachiko (the name comes from the number eight, which was written on his collar tag) becomes a full-fledged member of the family. They’ve apparently recently lost a dog she was close to, and as middle-aged empty nesters, Cate isn’t eager to see a four-legged interloper.
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So Parker takes the little guy home, despite the stern warning of his wife Cate (the always-wonderful Joan Allen) that they not keep him. The befuddled station manager (Jason Alexander) refuses to accept the pup, saying he’d have to just take it to the pound. Hachi was sent from a Japanese monastery, but his shipping tag was torn off. Gere plays Parker Wilson, a music professor who stumbles upon the lost puppy while disembarking from a train at his quaint little town of Bedridge. There’s an iconic statue of Hachiko at the station, and a Japanese film version came out in 1987, but the story remains largely unknown in the States.ĭirector Lasse Hallström teams up again with Richard Gere to tell an affecting Americanized version that retains many of the Japanese notes about loyalty and love between man and canine. “Hachi” is based on a true story that is very famous in Japan of an Akita dog that waited every day at the train station for its master - even years after the man had passed away. You might resent being emotionally manipulated by this film, but I challenge even the most hard-hearted moviegoer not to spill some saltwater while watching it. “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is unapologetically a tear-jerker.