Hachiko a Dog Story

Submitted by:

Ernie Boy

Gingoyon
Submitted to:

IV-Conan

Vilma Hamoy

Home Reading Report

Setting:

Additional locations include the University of Rhode Island in Kingston,RI,along the Providence and Worcester Railroad Mechanical,and the Columbus Theater located in Providence RI.

A second production unit filmed some scenes on location in Japan.Inaddition,there was a small amount of footage shot at,nowclosed,Reynolds Elementary School in Bristol,RI for the classroom scene.

Characters/Cast:

Hachi is portrayed by three Akitas named Chico, Layla, and Forrest each playing a different period in Hachi's life and his home Richard Gere as Parker Wilson, the professor Joan Allen as Cate Wilson, the professor's wife Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Ken Fujiyoshi Sarah Roemer as Andy Wilson, the professor's daughter Jason Alexander as Carl Boilins Erick Avari as Jasjeet, the Indian vendor Davenia McFadden as Mary Anne Kevin DeCoste as Ronnie ToraHallstrm as Heather Robbie Sublett as Michael Robert Capron as Student Frank Aronson as The Butcher

Plot
Exposition:
In the modern day, a class full of young students are giving oral presentations about personal heroes. A boy named Ronnie stands up and begins to tell of 'Hachiko', his grandfather's dog. Years before, an Akita puppy is sent from Japan to the United States, but his cage falls off the baggage cart at an American train station, where he is found by college professor Parker Wilson. Parker is instantly captivated by the dog. When Carl, the station controller, refuses to take him, Parker takes the puppy

home overnight. His wife Cate is insistent about not keeping the puppy and leaving it where he found it. The next day, Parker expects that someone will have contacted the train station, but no one has. He sneaks the pup onto the train and takes him to work, where a Japanese college professor, Ken, translates the symbol on the pup's collar as 'Hachi', Japanese for the number 8, which signifies good fortune. Parker decides to call the dog 'Hachi'. Ken points out that perhaps the two are meant to be together. Parker attempts to play fetch with Hachi, but he refuses to join in. Meanwhile Cate receives a call about someone wanting to adopt Hachi. After seeing how close her husband has come to Hachi, however, Cate tells the caller that Hachi has already been adopted. A few years later, Hachi and Parker are as close as ever. Parker, however, is still mystified by Hachi's refusal to do normal, doglike things like chase and retrieve a ball. Ken advises him that Hachi will bring him the ball only for a special reason. One morning, Parker leaves for work and Hachi as professor.sneaks out and follows him to the train station, where he refuses to leave until Parker walks him home.

Rising Action:
That afternoon, Hachi sneaks out again and walks to the train station, waiting patiently for Parker's train to come in. Eventually Parker relents and walks Hachi to the station every morning, where he leaves on the train to go to his work as professor. Hachi leaves after Parker's safe departure, but comes back in the afternoon to see his master's train arrive and walk with him home again. This continues for some time, Hachi doing this every day, until one afternoon Parker attempts to leave, but Hachi barks and refuses to go with him. Parker eventually leaves without him, but Hachi chases him, holding his ball. Parker is surprised but pleased that Hachi is finally willing to play fetch the ball with him. Worried that he will be late for the college, Professor Parker leaves on the train despite Hachi barking at him. At work that day Parker, still holding Hachi's ball, is teaching his music class when he suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack and dies. At the train station, Hachi waits patiently as the train arrives, but there is no sign of Parker. He remains, lying in the snow, for several hours, until Parker's son-in-law Michael (Ronnie Sublett) comes to collect him. The next day, Hachi returns to the station and waits, remaining all day and all night. As time passes, Cate sells the house and Hachi is sent to live with her daughter Andy (Sarah Roemer), Michael, and their new baby Ronnie. However, at the first opportunity, he escapes and eventually finds his way back to his old house and then to the train station, where he sits at his

usual spot, eating hot dogs given to him by Jasjeet, a local vendor. Andy arrives soon after and takes him home, but lets him out the next day to return to the station.

Climax:

His loyalty is profiled in the local newspaper. Ten years after Parker's death, Cate comes back to visit Parker's grave where she meets Ken, and she says that even though it has been a decade, she still misses him. Arriving at the station, she is stunned to see Hachi, old, dirty and weak, still maintaining his vigil. Overcome with grief, Cate sits and waits for the next train with him. At home, Cate tells the now tenyear-old Ronnie about Hachi. After nine long years of waiting faithfully for his dead master, Hachiko now old and weary, limps to the same spot in front of the railway station where he had waited faithfully every day.

Falling Action:
In the cold snowy night as people walk out of the station exit he recollects those joyful moments of his life that he had spent with his master. His last memory is of Parker emerging from the station and the two happily greeting each other. Hachi is then shown alone one last time lying on the snow with his eyes closed before the camera sweeps upward into the night-time sky. The film then shows Ronnie, back in his classroom, making his conclusion of why Hachi will forever be his hero. Ronnie's story has clearly moved the class, with some students holding back tears, even those who had initially laughed at the beginning.

Resolution:

After school, Ronnie is met coming off the school bus by his dad and his own puppy, also named Hachi. Ronnie and Hachi walk down the same tracks where Parker and Hachi had spent so much time together.The closing cards reveal information about the real Hachik, who was born in date in 1923. After the death of his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, in 1925, Hachik returned to the Shibuya train station the next day and every day after that for the next nine years. The final card reveals that the real Hachik died in March, 1934. But actually Hachik died in March 8, 1935, not in 1934. A photo of his statue in front of the Shibuya train station is the last image shown before the credits roll.

Theme:

Loyalty and Love

Lesson:

Ordinary people who faithfully, diligently and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.

Summary:

In the modern day, a class full of young students are giving oral presentations about personal heroes. A boy named Ronnie stands up and begins to tell of 'Hachiko', his grandfather's dog. Years before, an Akita puppy is sent from Japan to the United States, but his cage falls off the baggage cart at an American train station, where he is found by college professor Parker Wilson. Parker is instantly captivated by the dog. When Carl, the station controller, refuses to take him, Parker takes the puppy home overnight. His wife Cate is insistent about not keeping the puppy and leaving it where he found it. The next day, Parker expects that someone will have contacted the train station, but no one has. He sneaks the pup onto the train and takes him to work, where a Japanese college professor, Ken, translates the symbol on the pup's collar as 'Hachi', Japanese for the number 8, which signifies good fortune. Parker decides to call the dog 'Hachi'. Ken points out that perhaps the two are meant to be together. Parker attempts to play fetch with Hachi, but he refuses to join in. Meanwhile Cate receives a call about someone wanting to adopt Hachi. After seeing how close her husband has come to Hachi, however, Cate tells the caller that Hachi has already been adopted. A few years later, Hachi and Parker are as close as ever. Parker, however, is still mystified by Hachi's refusal to do normal, dog-like things like chase and retrieve a ball. Ken advises him that Hachi will bring him the ball only for a special reason. One morning, Parker leaves for work and Hachi sneaks out and follows him to the train station, where he refuses to leave until Parker walks him home. That afternoon, Hachi sneaks out again and walks to the train station, waiting patiently for Parker's train to come in. Eventually Parker relents and walks Hachi to the station every morning, where he leaves on the train to go to his work as professor. Hachi leaves after Parker's safe departure, but comes back in the afternoon to see his

master's train arrive and walk with him home again. This continues for some time, Hachi doing this every day, until one afternoon Parker attempts to leave, but Hachi barks and refuses to go with him. Parker eventually leaves without him, but Hachi chases him, holding his ball. Parker is surprised but pleased that Hachi is finally willing to play fetch the ball with him. Worried that he will be late for the college, Professor Parker leaves on the train despite Hachi barking at him. At work that day Parker, still holding Hachi's ball, is teaching his music class when he suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack and dies. At the train station, Hachi waits patiently as the train arrives, but there is no sign of Parker. He remains, lying in the snow, for several hours, until Parker's son-in-law Michael (Ronnie Sublett)comes to collect him. The next day, Hachi returns to the station and waits, remaining all day and all night. As time passes, Cate sells the house and Hachi is sent to live with her daughter Andy (Sarah Roemer), Michael, and their new baby Ronnie. However, at the first opportunity, he escapes and eventually finds his way back to his old house and then to the train station, where he sits at his usual spot, eating hot dogs given to him by Jasjeet, a local vendor. Andy arrives soon after and takes him home, but lets him out the next day to return to the station. For the next nine years, Hachi waits for his owner. His loyalty is profiled in the local newspaper. Ten years after Parker's death, Cate comes back to visit Parker's grave where she meets Ken, and she says that even though it has been a decade, she still misses him. Arriving at the station, she is stunned to see Hachi, old, dirty and weak, still maintaining his vigil. Overcome with grief, Cate sits and waits for the next train with him. At home, Cate tells the now ten-year-old Ronnie about Hachi. After nine long years of waiting faithfully for his dead master, Hachiko now old and weary, limps to the same spot in front of the railway station where he had waited faithfully every day. In the cold snowy night as people walk out of the station exit he recollects those joyful moments of his life that he had spent with his master. His last memory is of Parker emerging from the station and the two happily greeting each other. Hachi is then shown alone one last time lying on the snow with his eyes closed before the camera sweeps upward into the night-time sky. The film then shows Ronnie, back in his classroom, making his conclusion of why Hachi will forever be his hero. Ronnie's story has clearly moved the class, with some students holding back tears, even those who had initially laughed at the beginning. After school, Ronnie is met coming off the school bus by his dad and his own puppy, also named Hachi. Ronnie and Hachi walk down the same tracks where Parker and Hachi had spent so much time together. The closing cards reveal information about the real Hachik, who was born in date in 1923. After the death of his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, in 1925, Hachik returned to the Shibuya train station the next day and every day after that for the next nine years. The final card reveals that the real Hachik died in March, 1934. But actually Hachik died in March 8, 1935, not in 1934. A photo of his statue in front of the Shibuya train station is the last image shown before the credits roll.