Even more disturbing is the nature of the film’s theme, especially couched as a boy’s definition of heroism: Hachi’s world ends with the death of his master. But watching a dog wait day after day has its cinematic limitations, which are quickly reached. The dogs who play Hachi are lovely to look at, expressive in a cool, almost intellectual way that more promiscuously affectionate breeds, like golden retrievers, are not. The community realizes what is happening and commuters begin leaving money and food soon there is a newspaper article about the dog who waits. Then Parker dies unexpectedly, and Hachi begins his famous vigil. It rains, it snows, Hachi jumps for joy when Parker shows up. At times, Hallström gives us a black-and-white glimpse of a dog’s-eye view, which, if nothing else, breaks the monotony of the Parkers’ seemingly idyllic academic-in-white-farmhouse existence. From Academy Award-nominated director Lasse Hallstrm (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. Hachi quickly grows in size and devotion, accompanying Parker to the train station every morning and greeting him with heart-warming joy each evening.
Cate inevitably melts, allowing her husband to keep the dog, which, Parker discovers through his wise Japanese professor buddy, Ken ( Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), is a rare breed, known for its singular ability to read and bond with people. The train station manager (played, for no apparent reason, by Jason Alexander) wants nothing to do with the dog, and so Parker takes him home to his inexplicably irritated wife, Cate ( Joan Allen).Įxuding his not inconsiderable charm, Gere makes Parker boyish enough to put a dirty ball in his mouth in an attempt to teach Hachi to fetch. Their tale is simple, told through a child describing his grandfather’s dog as his “hero.” Coming home one night by train, college music professor Parker Wilson (Gere) finds an Akita puppy who has busted out of his unlabeled crate. Lindsey are to be admired for their firm anti-"Marley & Me” stance. And everyone tries hard in “Hachi.”ĭirector Lasse Hallström (“The Cider House Rules,” “My Life as a Dog”) and writer Stephen P.
#Hachi a dogs tale dvd series#
A series of newspaper stories turned Hachiko into a national symbol for loyalty a bronze statue of him was erected in the place where he had so patiently waited.īut the things that make a great newspaper story are not necessarily the same things that make a great film, no matter how hard everyone tries. After the man, a Japanese college professor, died in 1925, the dog continued his daily vigil for nine years until his death.
It is an American adaptation of a Japanese tale about a loyal dog named Hachiko. “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is based on the true story of an Akita so devoted to his master that he waited for him each day at a Tokyo train station. Hachi A Dogs Tale is a heartwarming true story. Based on the 1987 Japanese film Hachiko Monogatari, as well as on a true story, Hachi: A Dogs Tale stars Richard Gere as a college professor who finds an. True, the film has made more than $40 million worldwide, but after watching it, the explanation seems abundantly clear.
#Hachi a dogs tale dvd movie#
I would rate this as probably the best dog movie ever to come out of Hollywood.The packet that arrived from the Hallmark Channel with the screener for “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” was topped by a faux hand-written note insisting, in an almost threatening manner: “This time you will cry for real.” It also included this odd statement: " Richard Gere has no explanation as to why the critically acclaimed film did not get a U.S. 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. 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. But the film really brings the point home following the entire life span of the dog.
A great movie for senior citizens about the love between a man and his dog. A loyal dog returns to train station to meet his master even after he dies. Hachi: A Dogs Tale is about hope and loyalty. Anyone who loves dogs, I imagine, will be in the same state after witnessing the amazing loyalty displayed by one selfless canine. Hachi - A Dogs Tale Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format DVD Condition Brand New Description Tearjerker drama produced by and starring Richard Gere. 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.