© 2001, 2014 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title Ame Agaru
Also known as: After the Rain
Aprés la pluie (France)
When the Rain Lifts (USA:festival title)
CD Label Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd.
CD Number COCP-30829
Music by: Masaru Sato
Number of tracks 26
Running time 45:46
Number of discs 1
Year of release/manufacture 2000
Year movie released in Japan 1999

REVIEW

December 31, 2001

This is the last score composed by Masaru Sato before his death. The movie is an Akira Kurosawa written film based on a novel by Shugoro Yamamoto. I believe the movie was a joint Japanese and French production. The majority of the music here is mainly slow with occasional hints of suspense and romance. The running time on this CD is quite short at almost 46 minutes. Considering the last seven tracks are bonus tracks from past Kurosawa films, it makes the soundtrack to this movie quite short indeed.

The CD itself sounds very good but could put you to sleep with the slow, somber pace of most of the tracks. This is not one of Mr. Sato's best scores but also not one of his worst. For my tastes it's kind of middle-of-the-road.

REVIEW

Japanese Title: Ame Agaru
English Title: THE RAIN RISES

Track translations courtesy of John Cassidy (Daijirou Ryuusei)

  1. Portrait Of The Deceased
  2. Main Title
  3. Rain Rising
  4. Morning Mist
  5. The Journey Of The Forest
  6. The Lonely Word
  7. The Thin Sun Shines
  8. The Journey To The Castle
  9. The Person's Rising Tale
  10. Spring Breeze
  11. Folding And Packing With The Goods
  12. The Imperial Match
  13. The Slashing Tournament
  14. The Returning Road
  15. A Wife's Help
  16. A Warm Man
  17. The Road Of The Mountain Peak
  18. The Smile
  19. Two People
  20. The Spider-Web Castle
  21. The Three Evil Men Of The Hidden Stronghold
  22. The Bad Guy Sleeps Well
  23. The Guarding Rod
  24. Tsubaki Sanjuurou
  25. Paradise And Hell
  26. The Red Beard