The Dryden will screen Madadayo (Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1993, 134 min., 35mm, Japanese w/subtitles) as part of the Filmmaking at 80 series.

A poignant finale by Kurosawa portraying an author in the autumn years of his life, the film is perhaps closest to his masterwork Ikiru than any of his other films. Utilizing a very still camera and a muted color palette, Kurosawa adapts the autobiographical writings of author Hyakken Uchida (played by Tatsuo Matsumura) after his retirement from academia in post-Wwii Tokyo. Each year, Uchida celebrates his birthday with adoring former students, who ask him if he is ready for death, to which he replies "Mada dayo," or "Not yet!" Madadayo was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 1994.

[source: George Eastman Museum calendar, 2018-Dec-31]