It seems only fitting that Akira Kurosawa’s last film (which he wrote and directed) be an homage to teaching. After all, he inspired many of today’s respected directors and is taught in film schools internationally. Madadayo is a sweetly overlong portrayal of an interconnected community whose center is a beloved professor.

Madadayo opens with a Professor (Tatsuo Matsumura) announcing to his class that after 30 years of teaching, he is now choosing to write in retirement. The young sing his praises and previous alumni move the Professor and his wife into a new home. The pair is as hospitable to everyone as if they were children returning from college.

His students visit him constantly, trying to repay all his work with whatever token of comfort they can. Though he is still called Professor and spins new tales, the relations no longer have the condescending quality of talking down to a pupil. The generation lines are blurred more as the youths build a house for the couple when their new home has been destroyed by air raids in the second World War.

With the perfect mix of humility, humor, and acceptance, it’s easy to understand the Professor’s popularity. He is idolized even when most vulnerable. It is also accepted when his alumni refuse to allow him to wallow in self-pity. As the standard of living decreases, the Professor accepts his pupils as equals that much more, for each chips in to help.

Excerpt from FilmCritic.com located HERE