The Donkey

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Original Title	漫画驢馬
Japanese kana Rendering	Manga Roba
English Title	The Donkey
Production Date	1930
Author	Yasuji Murata
Duration (minutes)	14
Sound	silent
Color	b/w
Plot	On a hot summer afternoon, a farmer and his son set off to take their donkey to a horse auction. On their way, the lady of a teahouse suggests that one of them ride the donkey. Following her advice, the son rides the donkey. Then, an old man chopping wood condemns the son for making his father do the hard job. So, the father tells his son to get off and rides the donkey. Shortly thereafter, women washing clothes in a river taunt the father for riding the donkey alone. So, the two of them ride the donkey together. The donkey collapses under their weight. When the son gives food to the donkey, it starts running at full speed. Then they run into a man with a monkey on his shoulder, who sympathizes with the donkey carrying two persons on its back. So, they decide to carry the donkey together. Children on the street taunt them for their funny behavior. Seeing the father and son slumping down under the weight of the donkey, a farmer advises them to hog-tie the donkey and carry it on a stick. Taking the farmer's advice seriously, they carry the donkey on a stick. However, as they cross a bridge, the donkey is startled by a dog barking at it and falls into the river.
Description	This is an educational story based on Aesop's Fables, which was produced after A Frog is a Frog (1929) and Two Worlds (1929). It is faithfully adapted from Aesop's fable about a farmer and his son taking a donkey to an auction, in which the two are completely influenced by what others say without having their own way of thinking and end up losing the donkey.
Production Company	the Ministry of Education
Distribution	the Ministry of Education
Release Date
Credits: Director	Animation: Yasuji Murata
Credits: Staff, Cast, etc.	Supervise: Chuzo Aochi
Intertitles	T1: The Ministry of Education Presents T2: Cartoon / The Donkey T3: Supervised by Chuzo Aochi / Animation by Yasuji Murata T4: Where are you off to? Sit down. T5: I'm taking the donkey to the horse auction across the river. T6: It's so hot. One of you should ride the donkey. T7: Nowadays young people relax and make older people walk. T8: Get off. I'll ride it. T9: Look at the old man making the young one walk. T10: Why don't you get on, too? T11: Hold it right there! T12: Even a beast shouldn't be abused so badly. T13: Use your brain! Hog-tie the donkey to a stick so you can carry it. T14: That's what happens when you're swayed by people's opinions. Don't end up like the father and son who lost the donkey. T15: The Donkey / The End
Censorship - Date and Number
References	・ "New Educational Movie/Animation Produced by the Ministry of Education," Eiga Kyoiku, No. 38 (April 1931), p. 23.
Frames per Second	18fps
Source of Digital Copy	The 35mm nitrate original negative owned by Ministry of Education -> The 35mm interpositive owned by NFC -> 35mm internegative -> The 35mm positive
Completeness	complete
Additional Notes
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