Akatsuki no Dassō

Escape at Dawn (暁の脱走, Akatsuki no Dassō) is a 1950 Japanese anti-war film^[3] directed by Senkichi Taniguchi. Co-written by Taniguchi and Akira Kurosawa, the film is based on Story of a Prostitute by Taijiro Tamura. The film revolves around a tragic affair between a soldier involved in the Manchurian campaign and a prostitute.

Escape at Dawn
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Senkichi Taniguchi
Screenplay by	Senkichi Taniguchi Akira Kurosawa[1]
Story by	Yasujiro Tamura[1]
Based on	Story of a Prostitute by Taijiro Tamura[2][3]
Produced by	Tomoyuki Tanaka[1]
Starring	Ryō Ikebe Yoshiko "Shirley" Yamaguchi Sakae Ozawa Hajime Izu
Cinematography	Akira Mimura[1]
Music by	Fumio Hayasaka[1]
Production companies	Shintoho Toho[1]
Distributed by	Shintoho
Release date	8 January 1950 (1950-01-08) (Japan)
Running time	116 minutes[1]
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The film received two awards at the Mainichi Film Concours and was later remade by Seijun Suzuki at Nikkatsu.^[1]

Plot

Mikami, a Japanese soldier serving in China, is captured by Chinese forces. Although he is able to escape, he is treated with contempt by his peers. After falling in love with a prostitute named Harumi, she convinces him to desert the army and live with her.

Cast

• Ryō Ikebe as Mikami
• Yoshiko Yamaguchi as Harumi
• Eitaro Ozawa as Adjutant
• Hajime Izu as Oda
• Haruo Tanaka as Noro
• Setsuko Wakayama as Kaoru

Release

Escape at Dawn was released in Japan on 8 January 1950 where it was distributed by Shintoho.^[1]

Reception

Escape at Dawn was ranked as the third-best Japanese film of 1950 by Kinema Junpo critics.^[4] The film received two awards at the Mainichi Film Concours: Best Cinematography and Best Sound.^[1]