Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

As you know, I've been discussing a series of movie adaptations of Peter B. Kyne's story.  I wrote about the 1930 movie Hell's Heroes, 1936's Three Godfathers, and 1948's 3 Godfathers.  I also want to include in this discussion another story--one that is definitely NOT a Western.  While Tokyo Godfathers is a Japanese feature-length animated movie, it is also set in modern day Tokyo.  Though much of the original details are also re-interpreted, this holiday story still focuses on three outsiders to society who find a baby that they feel they must protect at all costs.

Left to right: Miss Hana, Miyuki, and Gin.

The three homeless people find an abandoned baby in the garbage.

Tokyo Godfathers is the story of three homeless people who find an abandoned baby on Christmas. Hana is a former drag queen who longs to be a mother, Miyuki is a teenage runaway, and Gin is a middle-aged drunk.  These three unlikely saviors find the baby amongst the trash on Christmas night and spend the week before New Year’s looking for the baby’s mother.

Knowing they can't give the baby a proper upbringing, the homeless clan don't call the police but instead begin a search for the birth parents.  After finding a locker key in the baby's blanket, they locate the locker and go through its contents--finding a group of photographs.  Next, they set out to locate the parents' home by identifying the local landmarks seen in the background of the photos.

The three outsiders know most people are offended by them--and their horrible odor.

Gin, Miyuki, and Hana overcome all sorts of obstacles to help this baby which includes witnessing a mobster's attempted murder, Miyuki and the baby are kidnapped and held hostage, Gin barely survives being beaten by a group of teenagers, Hana collapses and is hospitalized for poor nutrition, and the three are almost hit by a careening truck that hits a building they just exited.

The three outsiders seek refuge for one night in a makeshift tent that is overrun with feral cats.

Perhaps the most threatening event in their search is when Hana and Miyuki unknowingly hand the baby over to who they believe is the baby's birth mother--a woman named Sachiko who they later learned had snatched the baby from the real birth parents at the hospital.  Making matters worse, Sachiko is suicidal and has the baby with her!

On the rooftop, Miyuki tries to keep Sachiko from going over the edge with the baby.

Moved by coincidences, miracles and perhaps even forces beyond explanation, Miyuki, Hana, and Gin each experience a feeling of family, forgiveness, and reunification this holiday season. 

The attention to detail in story and image quality make this anime something spectacular.  Check out this gorgeous image--two of our urban characters standing in front of a glass block wall. 

Like many other Japanese-made Christmas stories, this includes just a hint of the traditions of Shinto as well.

This spectacular animated feature-length movie was created by legendary filmmaker, Satoshi Kon.  Maybe you've already seen his more popular anime film Paprika which came out in 2006?  Tragically cancer claimed the life of filmmaker Satoshi Kon in 2010 however his legacy lives on in his wonderful films.  Although Tokyo Godfathers is different in a lot of the details from the other three movies I've discussed, it's still the story of three outsiders who go to great lengths to save a baby at Christmas time.  Tokyo Godfathers is a beautiful yet action-packed story not only with a happy ending but with a satisfying emotional journey as well.

3 Godfathers (1948)

1948's 3 Godfathers stars John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, and Harry Carey, Jr. as the three outlaws Robert, Pete, and the Kid respectively.

Are you someone who thinks all movie re-makes suffer from low-quality efforts and laziness?  I challenge you to think again.   I've already discussed 1930's Hell's Heroes and 1936's Three Godfathers.  Did you know that the master of western films, director John Ford, also took on this story set at Christmas?  3 Godfathers is another film adapted from the book by Peter B. Kyne and airs regularly on TCM, especially at Christmas time.

One of the several significant changes in this film adaptation is that it is made in color!

Again we have the same essential plot, three bank robbers attempt to evade capture by riding out into the desert but find themselves without sufficient drinking water.  When Robert, the Kid, and Pete stumble across a dying woman with a newborn, they are burdened with the improbable task of saving the baby, as well as themselves, from the desert heat and lack of water. 

The three fugitives make a daring escape on two horses being followed by a posse.

When the posse is made up of western film stars such as (right to left) Ward Bond, Ben Johnson, and Hank Worden--John Wayne's character Robert begins to feel the heat.

There are a few changes--some more significant than others.  One thrilling change is that the three bank robbers are followed out of town by a posse, led by Marshal Perley Sweet, played by Ward Bond.  The marshal organizes and deputizes a group of residents that set out into the desert to head-off the outlaws at the two closest water sources located at the train depots.  It becomes a game of cat-and-mouse as the fugitives' leader Robert and the marshal try to cleverly anticipate each others' next moves towards the limited resources of drinkable water in the Arizona desert.  This addition of a posse out hunting for the outlaws adds tension and suspense to the story--and a few extra characters.

With her dying breath, the mother names her newborn son Robert William Pedro Hightower.  She also insists the three men promise to take responsibility as the baby's three godfathers.

Another change is the moral character of the fugitives' leader, Robert Hightower, played by Wayne.  In Hell's Heroes and Three Godfathers, the lead character is more despicable, a violent killer, a bank robber--and the most hesitant of the three men to take responsibility for the baby.  His demise is inevitable because of his "flaws," yet his redemption is found in his sacrifice to save the innocent baby.  But Robert Hightower is different.  Before the bank robbery, his guilt is lessened by his repeated warnings of not wanting to shoot anyone.  Robert also seems to be looking out for his younger friend, William "the Kid."  After promising the dying mother that he will care for his godson, Robert hesitates but is willing to care for the baby.  He really doesn't seem like such a bad guy despite being a bank robber.  Adding complexity to the human drama, the posse following close behind the three men, begins to heap further crimes upon the fugitives--such as murdering the woman in the covered wagon and poisoning a watering hole--actions for which we know they are not guilty.

Just ahead of the posse, Robert delivers the baby to the residents of Jerusalem causing them to burst into the song "Silent Night."

Because the character of Robert is not as morally flawed, he doesn't need to seek the same level of redemption as the corresponding characters did in Hell's Heroes and Three Godfathers.  In fact, Robert doesn't die at the end of the movie!  Thirsty and exhausted, Robert stumbles back to civilization and delivers the baby--not at a church--but to the people gathered in a local saloon.  With the posse right behind him, Robert collapses on the floor but doesn't die.  The movie continues as we see Robert standing before the court ready to receive the sentence for his crimes.  But when Robert refuses to give up permanent custody of the baby in order to lessen his jail sentence, the judge respects the man's integrity and gives him a very short sentence!  It turns out that Robert has earned the respect of the marshal and everyone else in town for his bravery in saving the baby--and they encourage him to return to town when his prison term is over.  What kind of Christmas movie would this be without a happy ending?  Actually, movies like Hell's Heroes and Three Godfathers include the theme of sacrifice which is certainly a common Christmas element.  However, 3 Godfathers includes not only a happy ending but the opportunity of a second chance--also two very common Christmas themes.

The three wise godfathers follow the star in the night sky across the desert.

Beyond this, the film has many Christmas references.  Not only is it set at Christmas time but William "the Kid" points out the connection between the three fugitives from the east and the three wandering magi in the original story of the Nativity.  The Kid also takes a Bible found in the covered wagon and uses it to guide their journey.  Citing a passage he finds when the spiritual book falls open, The Kid instructs the other two fugitives that they have a destiny to fulfill in going to the nearby city of Jerusalem.  Later, after Robert finds himself alone in the desert and unable to continue any further, he finds in the Bible a passage that says the Christmas journey was made with a donkey and a burro--the two animals that suddenly stand before him.  As if by faith or a miracle, the weakened and thirsty Robert is able to ride the donkey with the burro back to the nearest town of Jerusalem and his destiny is complete--the baby survives.  Perhaps Robert's willingness to follow his faith in his time of despair is another reason he doesn't die in the end?  Maybe.  However you choose to read this film, it sure feels Christmas-y.

That's no blizzard--that's a sandstorm but cleverly in this film they look alike.

Making it seem even more closely related to the holiday season, this Western film offers gorgeous desert landscapes courtesy of Oscar-winning cinematographer Winton Hoch.  Hoch cleverly makes the desert’s blowing sand look just like snow.  You'll also see dunes that look like drifts and a sand storm that looks like a blizzard.  If you watch this movie during the month of December, the comparison will be overwhelming.  Overall, the effect makes this story feel more like the Christmas holidays.

Up next: another story that takes its inspiration from Peter B. Kyne's original story, the feature-length animated movie Tokyo Godfathers.

Three Godfathers (1936)

I'm continuing my discussion of the several filmed adaptations of Peter B. Kyne's novel Three Godfathers.  I wrote about 1930s Hell's Heroes last week.  Click HERE to see that post again.  Today I'd like to share about the 1936 re-make entitled Three Godfathers.  Not only is this western a thrilling and emotional story but it is also a Christmas movie.  Not only is this over-looked classic film broadcast on Turner Classic Movies channel during the holiday season each year, but it is also available for viewing--along with Hell's Heroes--on DVD from the Warner Archives.

The three bank robbers are now burdened with a baby they find in the desert.

Three Godfathers contains all the same essential story elements as the earlier film Hell's Heroes.  Three outlaws rob a bank in New Jerusalem and make their escape into the desert only to find that the nearest watering hole has gone dry.   In order to survive, they must return to the city where they are wanted men.  They stumble across a dying woman with an infant in a covered wagon and the three outlaws attempt to bring the baby back to New Jerusalem with them.  One by one the outlaws succumb to thirst until the last outlaw makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that the baby lives.

While the earlier movie Hell's Heroes is an outstanding dramatic film, this 1936 version spends more time developing its characters.  In the six years since Hell's Heroes was made, sound technology had progressed significantly and there is much more exposition in this film partially because of the abundance of dialogue.  There are extended scenes of the three men in town before the bank heist and all three attend a community Christmas party.  We learn that Bob is a former resident of New Jerusalem and everyone knows him to be a bad man, even a killer.  When Bob shoots Frank, the bank cashier, during the course of the robbery, we already know that Bob is jealous that Frank is marrying Bob's former girlfriend Molly.  The preponderance of dialogue also gives us more details about the distance between the dried up watering holes, the location of the poisonous water hole, and how far away their journey on foot takes them.

Finding a dying woman in a covered wagon, Doc feels obliged to care for the innocent baby.

We also learn that all three outlaws are neither all good nor all bad men.  Each of them may be outside the law but there's more character explored here to give each of them shades of gray in terms of kindness and compassion.  Bob, the most villainous of the three men, is more clearly defined as such which brings an even sweeter conclusion to the film when he works even harder for his own salvation in saving the innocent baby.

Lewis Stone plays the philosophical character Doc.

This 1936 film is also a little more accessible and engaging because it includes more recognizable film stars in the lead roles.  You may remember the actor Lewis Stone who plays Doc from his long string of appearances as Judge Hardy, Andy's father in the Andy Hardy movies series also starring Mickey Rooney.  The character of Gus is played by the Oscar-winning actor Walter Brennan who many may recognize from his long career in western movies and on TV as Grandpa Amos on The Real McCoys.

Walter Brennan as the uneducated but kind-hearted Gus.

The rogue Bob is played by actor Chester Morris who also brought the filmed character of Boston Blackie to life.  (Have you seen the 1942 movie Alias Boston Blackie?  It's set at Christmas time too!)

Chester Morris plays Bob, the outlaw with the black hat and the biggest need for redemption.

In smaller roles in this movie, Molly is portrayed by actress Irene Hervey--a successful actress with a long career.  Hervey also played Aunt Meg on Honey West but I always remember her as the real-life mother of singer Jack Jones.

Bob and Molly used to be lovers before she agreed to marry Frank, the bank cashier.  Here, Molly and Bob dance at the community Christmas party.

And, the character of Professor Snape--the odd, false teeth vendor at the community Christmas party--is played by actor Sidney Toler who also starred in a string of successful films in the 1930s and '40s playing the great detective Charlie Chan.

Another strength of this version's story is that it is more firmly set at Christmas time.  When the men first arrive in town, though two of them are strangers, they are warmly invited to the town's community Christmas party.  Christmas decorations can be seen in the town saloon and at the community party.  When the bank cashier is killed during the robbery, he is wearing a Santa Claus suit.  And, there are multiple references connecting these three wandering souls in the desert with the three magi of the Nativity story.  Not only does Doc bring up the similarity between the three bank robbers celebrating Christmas with a baby and the original Nativity story--a reference that goes over Gus' head--but we see the 'godfathers' each offering very precious gifts to the baby as one by one, each gives his portion of the bank heist gold on behalf of the baby's survival.  It turns out in the end, Bob has given his own mother's gold watch--his only possession--as an heirloom for the baby.  Early in the film, we see Doc 'reading the stars' as he discusses another character's astrological fortune.  Together these references to the three wandering magi and the other holiday details add up to a more Christmas-y story.

In the final scene, Bob stumbles into the church on Christmas morning with the baby still in his arms.  Just before dying, he stands up against the post in the church.  We now know Bob has fully redeemed himself-- he has an angel's halo!

Do you like westerns?  What's your favorite Christmas movie re-make? 

Hell's Heroes (1930)

Opening title to the 1930 film Hell's Heroes, adapted from the book by Peter B. Kyne.

What's the oldest Christmas movie you love to watch?  While I've seen many, many Christmas silent films--most of them only hold my attention for the sake of novelty.  But the early sound film, 1930's Hell's Heroes does entertain me.  It's quite dramatic.  And, the movie's Christmas themes feel quite contemporary.  Have you ever watched this film on Turner Classic Movies?

Barb Wire and Bill shoot the cashier at the bank during the robbery.

In this classic western, four outlaws rob the bank in New Jerusalem on Christmas Eve.  During the robbery, the robbers kill a bank teller however one of the robbers is also shot and killed in their escape.

Only three robbers survive to make their escape from New Jerusalem.

The three remaining robbers flee from the city across the desert, hoping to reach a well-known watering hole which will allow them to continue through the desert to reach the next city.  One of the thieves, Barb Wire, was shot in the shoulder during the escape and he worries about the wound becoming infected. 

After a sandstorm, the three thieves will have to make their across the desert on foot. (left to right) Barb Wire, Bob, and Wild Bill.

They'll have to conserve the little water they have in order to reach the next watering hole.

When the three men reach the watering hole, they find it has dried up.  The situation  has grown even more grave when they discover a covered wagon with a woman inside.  She is very weak and with her last efforts she gives birth to a baby son.  Unaware that these three men are killers and bank robbers, the mother convinces the men to promise to care for the baby.  With her final words, she asks that they bring the infant to his father--the cashier at the bank in New Jerusalem.  It is not lost on the men that they are being asked to save the son of the man they killed!

Bob stumbles across a covered wagon!

The men admit they don't know anything about babies!

Knowing they can't continue traveling across the desert without water, they admit they are now forced to turn back and return to New Jerusalem.  Any hope of survival means they must return to the city where they are wanted men. Their return journey on foot through the desert is arduous and the outlaw Barbwire is the first to succumb.

Barb Wire refuses any more water insisting it be offered to the baby.

The journey across the desert continues until sundown and the two remaining men and the baby bed down for the night.  When Bob awakens at dawn on Christmas morning, he finds a note from Bill.  Wild Bill has walked off into the desert to die alone.  Bob gives the remaining drops of water from his canteen to the baby and continues walking back toward the city.

Bill's note indicates he's left Bob and the baby a Christmas gift--he's sacrificed himself so they can share the remaining water and live a little while longer.

Still clutching the baby, Bob dumps the gold from the bank robbery along his path--a burden no longer worth carrying.

The last outlaw, Bob is carrying the baby back to the city that will surely hang the murderer upon his return. Unable to make it all the way back without water, Bob stops at a watering hole just outside of New Jerusalem that is toxic--it is filled with alkali and deadly.  Aware that returning to the city is a guaranteed death sentence, Bob courageously drinks from the poisonous water hole just to give him one more hour’s worth of life so he can walk back to town and give the baby a chance at survival.

Bob also makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to achieve redemption and help the baby survive.

When the bank robber enters New Jerusalem, it is Christmas morning and the town’s residents are all in church singing ‘Silent Night.’  Bob stumbles up the center aisle clutching the newborn and collapses and the residents discover the wriggling baby still in his arms.

On Christmas morning Bob finds the residents in church singing "Silent Night."

Though an early sound picture, the film is directed William Wyler who would see a tremendous amount of success later in his career.   Watching this you'll be able to see that this film is crafted by a masterful hand as there are some beautiful shots constructed to set this story above the mediocrity of other Westerns.  The cast includes: Charles Bickford as Bob; Raymond Hatton as Barb Wire; and Fred Kohler as Wild Bill.

One of the reasons I connect with this story is the complexities of the three outlaws' moral journey.  In the beginning, they are clearly bad guys with little regard for human life--they plan the robbery ahead of time and without much regard, they kill the bank cashier.  Yet when the dying woman begs them to look after her son, each of the three men feels too guilty to say no.  Though there is some selfishness about not wanting to share the little water they have left, when it comes down to it, each one makes the decision to help the innocent baby--and sacrifice themselves.  Bob, the last survivor, at one point in his desperate trek through the desert actually puts the baby down in the sand and walks away, hoping to finally rid himself of the burden.  But when the weakened baby cries out, just a little, he can't live with himself and picks the baby up again.  Christmas movies are often about hope, forgiveness, and second chances--three themes this movie embraces whole-heartedly.  I love it more each time I see it.

Based on the book by Peter B. Kyne, this Christmas-themed story has been made several times.  Supposedly there is an earlier silent version and even a 1970s TV movie version--however neither of these movies are easily accessible.  Up next:  the 1936 remake Three Godfathers.

Three Godfathers

SET YOUR DVRs: for Thursday, 12/24 at 8:15 am (EST) on Turner Classic Movies channel to see the classic Christmas western 3 Godfathers.

Ever see John Wayne in a Christmas movie? Here's your chance. The 1948 film directed by John Ford sees three bank robbers crossing the desert to escape the posse chasing them only to realize they are without enough water supplies to reach the next town. They come across a pioneer family that have died of thirst, except for one survivor: a baby. The three men and the baby begin their arduous journey back to civilization in search of water, knowing that they will be punished for their crimes, if they are lucky enough to survive.

This film's story has been told many times. It was first made as Hell's Heroes in 1930, directed by William Wyler and it is also a 1936 movie, Three Godfathers, directed by Richard Boleslawski. I recommend checking out the 2003 adaptation, Tokyo Godfathers, made by Satoshi Kon. This spectacular anime movie re-invents the Western into the story of an abandoned baby found by three homeless people in Tokyo: Hana, the former drag queen that longs to be a mother; Miyuki, the teenage runaway; and Gin, the middle-aged drunk. Satoshi Kon also made the very popular, feature length animated film, Paprika.