Hana no Furu Gogo (film)

Summary

Hana no Furu Gogo (Japanese: 花の降る午後, Afternoon When Flowers Fell) is a 1989 film based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Teru Miyamoto. The film stars Yūko Kotegawa, Masahiro Takashima, and Junko Sakurada;[1][2] with Shigeru Muroi, Akiji Kobayashi, Miyoko Akaza, Kaku Takashina, Eriko Tamura, Susumu Kurobe, Masato Furuoya, and Tatsuo Umemiya playing supporting roles. Kotegawa plays Noriko Kai, a 37-year-old widow who runs her late husband's restaurant Avignon. She meets and falls in love with 27-year-old painter Masamichi Takami, played by Takashima, while trying to save her restaurant Avignon from Yukio and Misa Araki.[3][4]

Hana no Furu Gogo
Japanese花の降る午後
Directed byKazuki Ōmori
Based onHana no Furu Gogo
by Teru Miyamoto
Produced byHaruki Kadokawa
Atsushi Mihori
Tsuneo Seto
StarringYūko Kotegawa
Masahiro Takashima
Junko Sakurada
CinematographyShinsaku Himeda
Edited byKiyoaki Saitô
Music byKazuhiko Katō
Hikaru Ishikawa
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • 7 October 1989 (1989-10-07)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office¥300 million

Plot edit

After the death of her husband, Yoshinao, in 1981, Noriko Kai has been managing the French restaurant Avignon in Kobe left by Yoshinao for four years. One day, Masamichi Takami, a young painter, visited the recreant and offered to give a painting called White House to Noriko, as well as to hold his own exhibition. However, a letter from Yoshinao was found on the back of this painting and revealed to Noriko that he had a hidden child. Around that time, waiters Shuichi Akitsu, Toshihiro Mizuno, and manager Naoe Hayama quit their jobs at Avignon over a scandal that happened. When Noriko consulting with her acquaintance, Doctor Wong Kin Ming, she finds out that Yukio and Misa Araki, a gambling and diamond smuggling couple, were trying to take over Avignon Noriko asks Yoshinao's best friend Kenichi Kudo, a private detective, to investigate the Araki couple, but the driver Koshiba and chef Katsuro Kaga were attacked and injured. Avignon was forced to close temporarily, but with the encouragement of Takami and the efforts of Kaga, reopened soon after. However, Misa plans to take Jill, the daughter of her neighbor Reed Brown, as a hostage to try to take the land, but Noriko sneaks into the Araki couple's cruiser party and rescues Jill. Misa then tries to reach out to Mika, Yoshinao's secret child, but Noriko confronts Misa convinces her to not go with the plan, saying that she knew her sadness. After, Mika suddenly visits Avignon, and Noriko warmly welcomes and watches over her.[5][6]

Cast edit

Production edit

Filming and release edit

Filming took place in Kitano-chō, a district within Kobe.[7][8] Sakurada and Kotegawa became friends during the filming. Because it was set and filmed in Kobe, it was set to release a month early on September 15 in the Kansai region.[9]

Music edit

Kadokawa Haru Kiji Musho Sakuhin Hana no Furu Gogo Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1989 (1989-09-10)
LabelVAP
ProducerHaruki Kadokawa
Kazuhiko Katō soundtrack chronology
Glass no Naka no Shōjo
(1988)
Hana no Furu Gogo Original Soundtrack
(1989)
Keishō Sakazuki
(1992)
Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe chronology
Bad Girl
(1989)
Hana no Furu Gogo Original Soundtrack
(1989)
Natsuko
(1990)

The official soundtrack was produced by Haruki Kadokawa, which mostly consisted of songs composed by Kazuhiko Katō as well as three Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe songs, one of which being an original song used for the theme.[10][11] The album was released by VAP on September 10, 1989.[12]

Kadokawa Haru Kiji Musho Sakuhin Hana no Furu Gogo Original Soundtrack
No.TitleMusicArtistLength
1."Miss Dreamer"Carlos ToshikiCarlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe 
2."Kōbe Night" (神戸Night)Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
3."Ijin'yakata" (異人館)Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
4."Futari no Kankei" (二人の関係)Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
5."MmeN."Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
6."Hana no Furu Gogo" (花の降る午後)Tetsuji HayashiCarlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe 
7."Casino"Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
8."Avignon"Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
9."OPUS 7"Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
10."Sasupensu" (サスペンス)Kazuhiko KatōKazuhiko Katō 
11."Be Yourself"Tetsuji HayashiCarlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe 

Awards and nominations edit

Japan Academy Film Prize
Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Best Actress Yūko Kotegawa Nominated [13]
Best Supporting Actress Junko Sakurada

References edit

  1. ^ "古手川 祐子 Yuko KOTEGAWA". Connie LLC (in Japanese).
  2. ^ "花の降る午後". Kotobank.
  3. ^ "Afternoon When Flowers Fell (1989) (TV36)website=TV36".
  4. ^ "花の降る午後". Shinema Kakarichō no Himitsu Kichi (in Japanese). Ameba. September 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "花の降る午後". Eiga Purogure Sakurada Junko (in Japanese). Ameba. January 11, 2015.
  6. ^ "花の降る午後". Eiga (in Japanese).
  7. ^ "「神戸の映画」大探索". Kobe Planet Film Archive (in Japanese). March 31, 2016.
  8. ^ "主な映画・TVドラマに登場する神戸(ロケ地)". Kōbe Hyōgo no Kyōdo-shi Web Kenkyū-kan (in Japanese).
  9. ^ "桜田淳子さんの「花の降る午後」のDVD紹介 [桜田淳子 LP CD DVDBD]". Junko Sakurada Goodbye Happy Days (in Japanese).
  10. ^ "加藤 和彦 Katoh Kazuhiko". Lindenhof.
  11. ^ "花の降る午後 オリジナル・サウンドトラック". Geo Takuhai Rental (in Japanese).
  12. ^ "花の降る午後". National Film Archive of Japan (in Japanese).
  13. ^ "Afternoon When Flowers Fell (1989) – Awards". IMDb.

External links edit

Afternoon When Flowers Fell at IMDb