From Academy Award-nominated director Lasse Hallström (2000, The Cider House Rules) comes Hachi: a Dog’s Tale, a film based on one of the most treasured and heartwarming true stories ever told. Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (2002, Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, Chicago) stars as Professor Parker Wilson, a distinguished scholar who discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home from work. Despite initial objections from Wilson’s wife, Cate (Academy Award nominee Joan Allen – 2000, Best Actress, The Contender), Hachi endears himself into the Wilson family and grows to be Parker’s loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds embodying the true spirit of family and loyalty, while inspiring the hearts of an entire town.Based on a true story from Japan, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale is a moving film about loyalty and the rare, invincible bonds that occasionally form almost instantaneously in the most unlikely places. College professor Parker Wilson (Richard Gere) finds a young Akita puppy that’s been abandoned at the local train station, and he’s instantly captivated by the dog. Assuming the dog’s owner will return to the train station to claim him in the morning, Parker takes the puppy home overnight. But when no one comes to get the dog, Parker convinces his wife, Cate (Joan Allen), to welcome him as part of the family. He dubs the puppy Hachiko–Hachi, for short–because of the Japanese symbol for good luck that’s hanging from his collar. Hachi is a somewhat peculiar dog that refuses to learn to fetch or master other people-pleasing tricks, but he is a faithful companion and friend to Parker, alerting him of potential dangers and accompanying him to the train station each morning and meeting him there after his return trip each evening. An unforeseen event will continually test Hachi’s devotion. This film is neither overwrought nor sappy; it is heartfelt and immensely powerful despite its tendency to drag in a few places. Prepare to be moved to tears by this beautiful, seemingly simple film–it’s about so much more than just the relationship between a man and his dog. –Tami Horiuchi
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February 8, 2006
#1
I want this movie to fail.
Why do you ask? Because every time we see a movie like this come out, we soon see a demand for the breed by kids and emotional adults.
Unfortunately soon after that, we also see a large increase on abandoned and abused dogs of that breed as people loose interest or people find that the breed is not what the movies portrayed.
I work in Akita rescue. I love these dogs, they are my children. They are also very intelligent, very protective and take a higher than normal level of ownership to care and train them. I don’t want to see more Akitas ending up in rescues but I know that that is bound to happen. I can only pray that people watching this movie read my review first and go in with more common sense.
February 8, 2006
#2
I’m not the type of girl who cries while watching a movie……..But this one tore me up! This is the cutest/saddest movie ever!! I now want an Akita!
February 8, 2006
#3
Based on the true story of a loyal and faithful Japanese dog, this film Americanizes the version of the 1930s events. This doesn’t seem to hurt the story as much as it would generally and this is mainly because the story is in the skillful hands of Lasse Hallström.
Beautifully filmed from the human perspective, Hallström also films part of the film from the dog’s perspective, making sure that the scenes are in black and whites hues and are shot from the level the dog would see them from. The film works as a homage to the loyalty and friendship and the testament of the bond shared between the professor (played by Richard Gere) and the dog who finds him (played by a series of Akitas). Joan Allen is also quite convincing as a wife who refuses to take in a dog (in fact, Hachi spends his time “being part of the family” by living in a shed outside) and, later, as a grieving wife who stumbles upon the dog who still patiently waits for his master to return for nine years.
The movie is done with authentic admiration and faithful devotion – the story never veers into the melodramatic, instead it receives a heartfelt and touching treatment. This means that, in the way of all good dog movies, you will laugh AND you will cry, making [ASIN:B0031RAOVY Hachi: A Dog's Tale]] a worthwhile retelling of Hachiko’s story.
February 8, 2006
#4
As a grown man not prone to crying, by the end of this film I was a blubbering mess, and I’ve probably not shed a tear in more than ten years. Anyone who loves dogs, I imagine, will be in the same state after witnessing the amazing loyalty displayed by one selfless canine.
I’d actually heard the story many times. A loyal dog returns to train station to meet his master even after he dies. But the film really brings the point home following the entire life span of the dog. But what I feel makes this film stand out is how it shows the perspective of the dog, a great reminder that “Hachi” is the protagonist in the film and giving insight into the emotions he felt. Additionally, the dog was portrayed as a dog, not a human character in a dog suit capable of impossible feats and acts, which for me, made the story so much more enjoyable and made the dog so much more believable.
Please disregard the one-star rating given by the Akita breeder in Nevada who didn’t really rate the film so much as criticize peoples tendency to purchase dogs because of movie influences. It should also be noted that the Japanese Akita as a breed would have most likely disappeared had it not been for the original Hachi’s popularity in Japan during the 1930′s when the story was popularized by local newspapers of the time.
I would rate this as probably the best dog movie ever to come out of Hollywood. If you’ve made it so far as to read reviews, you really should just buy it. I can’t imagine any dog lover being disappointed in this magnificent film.
February 8, 2006
#5
“Hachiko: A Dog’s Tale” is directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules), and is based loosely on the real life story of a dog, named Hachiko, who was born in Odate, Japan in 1923. His master, Dr. Eisaburg Ueno, was a professor at the University of Tokyo who died in 1925. Hachiko returned to the Shibuya train station the next day, and every day for the next nine years until he died in 1934. Today, outside the Shibuya train station, where Hachiko waited, is a bronze statue of Hachiko.
In this particular movie we have a similar story, only the dog is in transport to the United States, where he escapes, and ends up in Parker Wilson’s (Richard Gere) possession. Parker eventually decides to keep the dog since the owner cannot be found. Hachiko, or Hachi, as he is usually called here, at one point breaks free of his yard, and follows Parker to the train station. Eventually Hachi is allowed to accompany Paker to the train station everyday. But at one point Parker never returns to the train station, since he has died at the university.
The movie then becomes a tale of a loyalty that reaches far into the bonds of memory. Hachiko never realizes that his master has died, and even though he never sees his master again, he never forgets him. What is Hachi’s purpose now that his master has died? His purpose seems to be to wait for his master who will never return. It is at once moving and heartrending, as it is a tragedy of sorts, and one that is only resolved once Hachiko also dies. This is a beautifully told tale that makes one think about the things that are important for us to go on living, even after those that we have loved have died.