The early-to-mid ’70s was a rough time for Kurosawa. Kurosawa considered Kagemusha a “dress rehearsal for Ran,” which makes sense comparing the two: Ran is more streamlined, lusher, more ambitious. These three directors and AK wrote this script, allegedly for all four to direct together, around the time of. © 2021 Paste Media Group. A quintessential Kurosawa epic with the grandest of visions, supported by exhilarating color cinematography and some of the most breathtaking battle sequences ever committed to film, Ran is, like Throne of Blood, another Shakespeare adaptation, this time a fairly loyal take on King Lear. With its cool jazzy score, widescreen framing that uses the negative space to its full advantage and a patient rhythm that finds just as much excitement out of the quiet moments as it does when the swords start clashing, Yojimbo first proved that a “western” need not be tied to the West. Kurosawa’s swan song is a lighthearted biographical drama about beloved teacher’s (Tatsuo Matsumura) relationship with his students across the rather tumultuous decades Japan endured throughout the mid-20th Century. Kurosawa’s deeply empathetic and humanist sensibilities make him a perfect specimen to take on Capra, but this approach doesn’t meld with the strict anti-media satire that dominates a chunk of the film. The end of World War II perhaps compelled Kurosawa to meditate on the aftermath of the conflict, and how the resulting political chaos in Japan would affect the lives of the generation to come. In addition, Kurosawa wrote the following unproduced scripts, composed during the pre-war period in the 1930s and also the wartime period in the 1940s, either when he was still an assistant director or had just graduated to full director. Ikiru (1952) 5. Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater creative freedom. The Bad Sleep Well is Kurosawa’s angry rebuttal to the takeover of rampantly corrupt Japanese business and politics at the end of the ’50s, a pulse-pounding and laser-focused procedural thriller. Still, its predecessor is an epic, yet sober, story of a confused thief who’s also the Double of a ruthless warlord (both played by late-era Kurosawa favorite Tatsuya Nakadai), who then has to actually take the warlord’s place is basically David Lean meets that Kevin Kline comedy Dave. As the rare individualist in Japanese cinema, Kurosawa wasn’t necessarily swept up in patriotic fervor during World War II, and mainly managed to stay away from helming propaganda films designed to reignite the Japanese passion for victory, especially during the final years of the war when morale was at an all time low. Yojimbo (1961) 3. A direct adaptation of Vladimir Arsenev’s respected novel, with Russian actors and a Russian crew, might come across as a gun-for-hire situation for Kurosawa, but he had been working to make this adaptation a reality since the 1950s. 10 movie reviews. Kurosawa employs a drab and straightforward tonal and visual approach to the way he examines these deeply flawed, yet intrinsically hopeful, characters, almost as a personal nod to Italian neorealism. The Lower Depths. [17], Prior to writing the screenplay to his film, Stray Dog (Nora Inu, 1949), Kurosawa created, in about six weeks, a novel based on the same story (presumably also called Stray Dog), which he never published. For Kurosawa, however, it was always special: On the production of this film he met his wife, who spent the rest of her life with the director until her passing in 1985. With his first color film, Kurosawa indulges in his past as a painter, literally covering each frame of Dodes’ka-den in bright, exuberant colors that contrast and copes with the dreary reality of its setting. As hopefully a service to Kurosawa beginners who would love to know which films they should check out first, then move their way down in order to become completionists, I’ve decided to rank all 30 feature films the Emperor has helmed. As admirable as Sanshiro Sugata is, this feature debut still carries some freshman missteps, such as awkward pacing and some odd framing choices. Denjiro Okochi steals the show in this highly entertaining period film. Remake of the 1950 film of the same name. RELATED: 10 Most Iconic Quotes In Akira Kurosawa Movies. The heart’s favorite Kurosawa film is Ikiru, while the brain’s is always dead-set on Seven Samurai. The book's appearance coincided with the revival of interest in Kurosawa's work following the international release of Kagemusha. Kurosawa's effortless debut is based … Sanjuro is the sequel to Yojimbo and continues the … It is frequently alluded to and outright … The story is a bastion of one of Kurosawa’s characteristic premises: A dedicated individual fights against his nature, figuratively and literally, for what he believes. So he goes out on one of his most striking final images, leaving us to ponder the importance of what others might find mundane or insignificant. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing Akira Kurosawa's Dreams near you. Get it fast. A documentary film about the Noh theater, Gendai no No (Modern Noh), which was begun by the director during a break in the shooting of Ran, but was abandoned after about fifty minutes were filmed, is being completed according to Kurosawa's script and notes. Red Beard. Pick practically any Kurosawa film at random, and within you’ll see the blueprints of genres and styles that have become touchstones of world cinema, from Spaghetti western, to police procedural, to art house drama with a non-linear narrative—the list is tangled and endless. Hands down the greatest adaptation of Macbeth on the silver screen, Throne of Blood is as close as Kurosawa got to making a horror masterpiece. It was considered a lost film for decades and was not available on home video in any form. His take on Macbeth, who’s a paranoid general named Washizu in this version, is brimming with sadness behind a ruthless façade, unable to turn the tides against his bleak destiny. Free Shipping Eligible Free Shipping Eligible. For further information, consult the Wikipedia articles relating to the individual films. Elephant in the room: The Hidden Fortress is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, inspirations for the original Star Wars. Originally conceived as a project for AK to direct; filmed after his death by Kumai. The documentary is sometimes seen as being reflective of Marker's fascination with Japanese culture, which he also drew o… As a way to keep working, Kurosawa and his crew slapped together a 60-minute period drama they could shoot entirely on one soundstage. (Kurosawa otherwise totally avoided working in television). Pick up today. Fandango FANALERT® Sign up for a FANALERT® to find out when tickets are available in your area. Though it was filmed while Kurosawa was working on Ran, the film focuses more on Kurosawa's remote but polite personality than on the making of the film. AK was hired as director of the Japanese sequences of this film, but left the project; his name was taken off the credits at his request, but the screenplay he co-wrote was still used. Current Deals. Produced immediately after Yojimbo’s success, Sanjuro finds our nameless ronin (Toshiro Mifune in his career-defining role) in yet another random town, inevitably saving the meek residents from persecution and abuse by the powerful—of course first with financial motivations, and then eventually out of the goodness of his heart. A personal tragedy, too, at the second act break gives the protagonist the drive to pursue the case even further, during a time when solving it becomes more and more unlikely. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Also sign me up for FanMail to get updates on all things movies: tickets, special offers, screenings + more. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. 2. https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/678-ak-100-25-films-by-akira-kurosawa This fantastic filmmaker put Japanese cinema on the map. Initially starting it off as an assistant director, it was in 1943 that Kurosawa made his debut as a director with the film ‘Sanshiro Sugata’. The natural chemistry between Numasaki and Nakakita is undeniable, and Kurosawa’s tightrope act between melodrama and comedy is admirable, especially considering One Wonderful Sunday is one of his earlier features. Forget the myriad of official and unofficial remakes and re-imaginings, just think of practically any ambitious action/adventure yarn, of rousing tales of underdogs battling seemingly unbeatable forces threatening the underdog existence with only bravery, wits and bravado on their side: Seven Samurai is built into that DNA. (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 0394509382)[20][21], In 1999, his book, Yume wa tensai de aru (A Dream Is a Genius) was published posthumously. As hard as the film pushes that question, Kurosawa acknowledges how tough it might be to get on with life after such trauma, evidenced by the film’s haunting final shot. This chapter consists of a selection of 100 of the director's favorite films, listed in chronological order, with detailed commentaries on each film, all given at the request of Kurosawa's daughter, Kazuko. After a murder occurs, the three witnesses (played by Toshiro Mifune [of course], Machiko Kyoto and Masayuki Mori) to the crime each give their version of what transpired to a judge—including the murder victim, who communicates through a medium in one of the most deliciously subversive scenes in Kurosawa’s filmography. Therefore, at least on paper, it makes perfect sense for Kurosawa to adapt one of the literary master’s best-known works. During the mid-to-late 1940s, for the first and apparently the only time in his career, Akira Kurosawa involved himself in a number of theater-related projects. It was remastered and released on DVD by the American independent company SamuraiDVD in 2017, complete with English subtitles. The fact that it contains the greatest—and perhaps bloodiest—samurai duel in film history is certainly a big plus. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . Foreign Films Foreign Films. Kurosawa edited all his own films, though he only occasionally took screen credit for it. 1. by CFKane1982 Plays Quiz Updated Mar 27, 2020 . As a personal relationship forms, the young cop learns to respect procedure, while the old cop begins to lighten up. If John Ford provided the inspiration for Kurosawa’s action/adventure side, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was his main influence when it came to executing dramas. Kurosawa constructs a tightly wound narrative, propped up immensely by Hara’s unique talent for balancing deep emotional vulnerability with a character’s core strengths. Okochi plays the leader of a group of samurai… Like Rhapsody in August, this tender film reflects an emotionally self-connected director perhaps knowing he was at the end of his career. Known as the Japanese adventure movie that inspired "Star Wars," Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress" is so much more than that. Mixed: 3 out of 10. This becomes obvious, since most of the film takes place in small soundstage locations, relying on performances over any sort of visual style. Just witness the deep pain he exudes during an iconic sequence wherein he suddenly starts singing in a nightclub. Also, casting Richard Gere as a half-Japanese character was a bit of a misstep. The screenplays of many of Kurosawa's films have been published in English. AK was filmed in 1985 and is a French documentary film directed by Chris Marker. 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