Have You Seen the Movie "Quill"?

Just watched the movie and heard from friends that it was pretty well received in Hong Kong and some other parts of Asia. But what about in Japan? Was it well received too?

‚h've never seen that movie. But...‚hheard the news onTV that the movie made a deep impression on us. ‚hthink it was good received inJapan! Have you seen thatmovie?
‚hheard Quillis a
truestory.

Yup, watched it twice. It's rather moving. I didn't know guide dogs are so extensively used in Japan. Or is it just hype by the movie maker? Anyway, some people found it rather boring lacking in herotic actions by the dog, Quill, while others felt it's pretty moving, showing the actual life of a guide dog as is. Whatever, it's a moving story about the relationship between man and dog.
Maybe you want to watch it and then share your comments?

Have never seen the movie but read the book. I actually wanted to watch the movie, but it wasn't showing at the theatre that I usually go to, which is the biggest one I know of in Tokyo (Virgin in RH). This leads me to think that maybe it was not as wide of a release. None of my colleagues have seen it either, but most have heard of it.

I don't think guide dogs are extensively used in Japan. It's quite the opposite. There are approximately 8000 people who need guide dogs but only around 900 dogs in active duty, and the combined guide dogs graduating from all the schools in Japan is about 100 dogs per year.

Thank you for the reply. 900 dogs comes to just 10% of the total number of blind people. I suppose there's a long waiting list. To get an intelligent dog of the right temperament and age for training is really not easy. This perhaps contributes significantly to the shortage.

Anyway, there's something I don't quite understand and that is Quill never served as a guide dog again when his master fell ill. He lived out the rest of his life in the training centre, only going to the fosterer's home in his last days. If there's a great demand for guide dogs, why wasn't he redeployed? Am I missing something here?

A beautiful and touching story! Nearly wept my eyes out.
I am going to treat my dog better.

Definitely going to watch the movie second time and purchase the DVD when it is out.

Btw, I am from Singapore. And the entire cinema hall are full of sniffing and crying sounds and almost everyone walk out of the cinema with red puffy eyes.

Beautiful! Good Quill, good old Quill!

I went home and checked my book again and didn't find a good explanation either why Quill never worked as a guidedog again.

Maybe because it takes a lot of bonding time between person and dog to forge a trusting relationship that it must be extra hard for a dog to get used to a second person? Anyway, I think it's really sweet that Quill was able to live out his golden years at his original "puppy walker's" house.

I'm from Singapore too. First saw the show at Bishan Junction 8 and then again at a preview screening at Jade 2. Yup, there was a real hush at the end when Quill finally expired. Heard some sniffing and saw some red eyes too. I'm not going to tell you if I was among the lot, lol!

I saw mostly labrador retrievers and some goldies in the show. I guess their temperament and size make them particularly suitable as guide dogs.

Lynn, thanks for checking out for me in the book. Is it a translation or just Japanese?

Mine is Japanese, but I don't know whether they've come out with an English version or not.

hihi

I'm from Singapore.. the movie has only just started showing at bishan & Tampines not long ago.. how come it stopped showing so fast? I havent seen it yet ! Any ideas ?

I guess the obvious reason is that the show appeals mostly to dog lovers. The majority of Singaporeans being apathetic to animals, I'm not surprised the film ran for a short time.

Look out for the VCD or DVD when it hits the market.

You've got to watch this, simply touching, real and well crafted to show how man and animals could be good friends...

Thanks to having the chance to view it here in Singapore...

Splendid, I love it...

Sure hope this movie will inspire people who are not animal lovers...to love, to cherish whether they belong to them or not. Keeping one is a commitment.

To bebe...where Quill is showing now.

Hi Yup and bebe

I'm from Singapore. Quill is now showing only at Lido, 7.30pm and 11.30pm (as at 10/09/04)

It seems there're more Singaporeans watching it than Japanese, lol. Maybe a homegrown film doesn't have that strong a drawing power. Anyway, I thought Yoichi Sai, the film's director, is rather famous in Japan, or am I mistaken?

Hi from an expat Japanese in NY - based on what I read elsewhere, Quill was waiting for Mr. Watanabe to recover from illness for 3 years and was ''standing by'' at the Guide Dog Training Center during that time. Also, it appears that it is not very easy to retrain dogs to a different user. The Trainer (Mr. Tawada?) says something about that his view that it's 2 years that Quill spent with Mr. Watanabe that made Quill who he is...
When Mr. Watanabe died, Quill would have been almost 7 years old too.

I've seen the dog movie ; Quill. It's very interesting and touch my heart.It's suitable for all range of age to see.The story really touch my heart.I will see the movie again and again.

Thanks ej, that makes sense. Wish I had figured that out earlier, lol.

Yes, it's a rather touching story, but watching it twice is enough for me. However, to each his/her own.

Hi, I am another Quill Fan from Singapore. Just saw it on VCD ( couldn;t get the tickets to watch it at cinema). Anyway, it's a touching story which should not be missed by dog lovers/ animal lovers alike. The VCD is already out. So go and grab 'em!

i saw this on dvd last night (i live in shanghai right now) and haven't cried that hard in a long time. we have a lab in our family (in california, where i'm from) and he truly is a family member. labs are the best dogs on earth - smart, calm, sensitive and loyal. the book the movie is based on was given to me a while ago and i was excited to see the movie. not sure why quill never worked again, but they only pick the smartest and most sensitive labs to do guide work. so i think that these dogs are especially bonded to their partners - more so than "regular" labs. in the states, labs are also used for search and rescue, bomb detection and therapy.

=)