The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour

Based on a 1956 television feature on Japan’s national network, NHK, this is one of Uchida’s rarest films. A socially conscious drama with a contemporary backdrop, Dotanba focuses on the attempts to rescue a group of trapped miners. The title is a figure of speech — (essentially “last minute” or “eleventh hour”) — that refers to a situation of peril. The film boasts a script co-written by Uchida and Akira Kurosawa’s frequent screenwriter, Shinobu Hashimoto, and stars Kurosawa’s frequent star Takashi Shimura.

Cast for The Eleventh Hour...

Eiji Okada
Shimano
Chōko Iida
Kane Ishigaki
Jiro Takagi
Newspaper Reporter A
Ei Iwagami
Ishigaki
Jun Mita
Takada
Takashi Kanda
Tachibana
Shiko Saito
Director Yoshikawa
Kentaro Taki
Director Ueda
Masako Nakamura
Michi Kogen
Motoharu Ueki
Jiro Takahara
Tokue Hanazawa
Takichi Banno
Kyoko Shinobazu
Katsuko Banno
Yōyō Kojima
Kaichi Yui
Itaru Hamada
Yamaguchi's father
Akiko Kazami
Kiku Noda
Eri Tsuruma
Toshi Noda
Hisako Takihana
Toshie Sunaga
Akikane Sawa
Kawasaki
Tokio Kozuka
Nishiyama
Yuji Kitamine
Reporter C
Tadashi Minamikawa
Broadcaster A
Hiroshi Asahina
Broadcast Reporter B
Kyoji Sugi
Popsicle shop